Daydreaming about Dahlia.

My 21st birthday is coming up which means I've been trawling the internet and thinking "What can I ask for that is super nice and not something I couldn't usually buy?"

Luckily, the solution came to me pretty quickly in the form of Dahlia (www.dahlia.com)

I've had my eye on this brand for a few years. It has a single store on Carnaby Street, London, and specialises in really pretty, feminine designs in sumptuous fabrics. At the moment their collection includes a nod to the Western, baroque print jumpers, quirky pinafores and flowing skirts... amongst other beautiful things.

The clothing is quite unique, which means they can get away with their higher-than-your-average-Topshop prices, shirts costing upwards of £38, for example.  Unfortunately they don't offer student discount which I think would be really good for them (if any people working for Dahlia read this: pretty please!) which means I can only usually afford Dahlia when it goes on sale.

Anyway, I decided that my turning 21 deserved some pretty pieces that I can use for sophisticated nights out at glamorous bars and interning by day (yes, this is how I visualise my life, post-uni, let me dream). Here's what I'm lusting after.

From the top: Bergen Burgundy Cross Print Blouse, £38; Bernice Chunky Jumper with Stud Shoulder, £25 (SALE); Ella Black Scallop Edge Pinafore, £64; Jakarta Pink Metallic Pleated Knee Length Skirt, £38; Sabrina Pink Blouse with Floral Beaded Collar, £48.
The shirts will look fab under the pinafore, with skirts, or with jeans and I can mix & match the tops with the maxi skirt, too. I love the prints, the embellishments and the cuts of the clothing. Dahlia is super flattering for the more slender, boyish figures amongst the female population, and I can't wait for my birthday and to get my hands on this lovely stuff.

Boyfriend shirts & Blazers.

It's cold at the moment.  Where I am in York is not only cold, but windy and rainy and generally a hostile place to be. Brrrrr.

Recently though, I have found a small sense pleasure in identifying clothes that will help keep me warm without making me resemble a caterpillar.

A word-of-mouth tip from a friend yesterday informing me of an "Everything for £5" vintage shop in town helped me come across a treasure trove of christmas jumpers and tat. However, something there was a lot of was SHIRTS. Shirts everywhere.  They were lacking decent stuff in the women's "section" (the shop was more like a glorified jumble sale, but beggars can't be choosers) so I gave up and went to browse the men's. Within minutes I'd found a checked flannel shirt that was clearly way too big for me and fit the bill exactly - I was going for cosy, not fitted.

I wore it today with the two bottom buttons undone, tied up a-la cowgirl, pairing it with a black flippy skirt, some gold jewellery and warm boots. There's something liberating about making a boyfriend shirt (okay, it's quite literally a boy's. shirt.) more girly. I like to think I looked more stylish than walk of shame, but you can't win them all...

Blazers, right. In the same shop the male friend I was browsing with picked up a long-line grey tweed blazer that was too narrow for him at the shoulders.  His loss was my gain. It'll be fab for the winter to spring weather cross-over when layered with thin tops/jumpers, and it manages to look androgynous without looking like I'm dressing up in my Dad's clothes.

The point of the article is, more petite girls - I'm running out of euphemisms for small chests here, sorry! - can get away with the androgynous look.  Even though I'm aware Agyness Deyn was successfully rocking this look years ago, I have only just decided to embrace it, and it's good fun.  With the right accessories it can really add an edge to an outfit without looking like you've tried too hard which is perfect for someone like me who's mantra at the moment is "If I can get away with it, that's enough."

NOTE: If anyone comes across a similar "Everything for £x" shop - STAY CALM. Lots of the stuff there will be absolute rubbish, but the fact it's all cheap as chips means you'll see everything through rose-tinted glasses. Be savvy.  Think to yourself: would I still like this if it was double the price? Lots of these offers are non-refundable; imagine how annoyed you'd be if you got home, took off the rose-tinted glasses and hated what you'd purchased. Fine, a fiver isn't a lot, but that's still a cheap bottle of wine from the co-op...

Peter Pan Collars.

I do love myself a peter pan collar, I have to admit.

They make a shirt more feminine, and immediately prettify dresses.

The first celebrity that comes to mind in the classic word association game if you yelled PETER PAN COLLAR at me would be the lovely Zooey Deschanel, followed by old-school Blair Waldorf. These girls are adorable and their dress sense isn't too bad either.  What I'm trying to say is that you could do a lot worse than being compared to Zooey and Blair donning a peter pan collar.

Where the concept of calling a rounded collar a "peter pan" collar originates from, I'm not entirely sure, especially because whenever I think of Peter Pan I think of this guy:

They seem to be slowly falling out of fashion in favour of sparkly or statement collars, which seems a shame, so with this in mind I've scouted out some collars that remain flying the flag for all PP lovers out there.

Oh, and did I mention this collar highly favours small-busted girls? I didn't? Well, it does. Busty girls really struggle with this style, so make the most of it!

1. Peterpan Flowery Flippy Dress, £48

This dress is super pretty, and I love the little flower and bead embellishments. Students get 10% discount with an NUS Extra card, and this will be perfect in the spring with a cute cardigan. Wear with boots during the day, and cute flats in the evening. Or vice versa, depending how fancy your respective boots/flats are!

2. Navy Lace Insert Jewel Shell Top, £15

This top is by Kelly Brook and again, I adore the jewels! This would be absolutely perfect with a pair of jeans and heels, matched with a blazer. The lace insert really finishes the whole look off. Make sure you wear a cami or something underneath until it gets a bit warmer, because the back is sheer...

3. Alice Leopard Peter Pan Collar Playsuit, £25

Apologies for the terrible quality, but I wanted the image to be a similar size to the others! I love this playsuit because it's sophisticated whilst giving a nod to the animal print trend. The three-quarter sleeves are spring-friendly, and there's always the option to dare to bare or keep things covered up (I'd personally risk getting the legs out, otherwise you run the risk of looking too conservative).

4. Red Owl Print Peter Pan Collar Peplum Top, £8

Rather awkwardly I have just checked and this product is out of stock... BUT, may I just give New Look a round of applause for managing to incorporate a peter pan collar, peplum, and OWLS into one piece of clothing? Pretty impressive.  This kind of top can easily be dressed up with a bodycon skirt or dressed down with jeans.

5. Limited Cream Pearl Teardrop Collar, £19.99.

And if you're wearing a plain top/dress but feel lost without a cute collar, thanks to retailers everywhere, there is hope. Hurrah!

Let me know if you find any places that take a fancy to Peter Pan Collars, because they really do seem stark at the moment.

Fashion Faux Pas

This post has been almost a week in the pipeline, but it's still very very relevant.

Despite trying as hard as I can as a poor student who really would love nothing better than to slob around in massive jumpers, leggings and big socks ALL DAY LONG (all whilst drooling at Blair Waldorf's wardrobe) to adhere to seasonal trends, I do occasionally get it wrong. Ok, maybe quite a lot.

At the time I'll put an outfit together and think I look good, and then I'll look back and say: "Oh my God, what in heaven's name was I thinking?!" Tagged photos will be swiftly hidden from my timeline, the memories will be repressed, my embarrassing outfit choices utterly dead to me.

But almost a week ago I think I out-did myself. I managed to make the ultimate faux-pas of revealing my undergarments unintentionally.  Nope, it wasn't to give the boys a cheeky sneak peak, or even because what I was wearing was indecently short.  In fact, the irony is two-fold:

1. The dress I wore was a MIDI DRESS.  As in, the dress was cut below my knees, mid-calf length.  And it was clingy, meaning if I had wanted to flash my knickers I would have had quite a job doing so.

2. I chose my underwear based on the fact I was worried about VPL (which, in case any readers are unaware, is an acronym for "visible panty line") - I did match my bra and knickers but was worried my knickers weren't seamless enough, so opted for some big bright pink pants.

After all of this, it seems that my worries were completely unfounded, because it was neither the length of my dress or the texture of my knickers that would be my downfall, but the lining (or lack thereof) that gave me away.

Without flash, in a particular light, at a specific angle, you could catch a hint of my undergarments.

But, alas, with the devil utilised, all was revealed.  It simultaneously brought to light (see what I did there?) my underwear choices and my unfortunate decision to not wear black.

Lesson learned.

To be fair, you CAN wear black dresses with whatever colour underwear you want, usually.  But, if the material is clingy and thin, don't risk it. Just don't.  Otherwise, like me, you will undoubtedly discover your mistake and squeal in embarrassment upon perusing the pictures the morning after, and for a few minutes you'll feel empty and wonder where your dignity has decided to hide.

So, the message is to make sure you think through your underwear just as much as your other layers, and to never ever underestimate the evil powers of a camera.

Here's a picture of all of my friends and I for my friend's 21st, wearing my lovely midi dress (from Ark) with my underwear on show.  Oops!



C'est la vie! Dress safe ;)