THE RED DRESS THAT WE ALL NEED & OTHER A* SUMMER DRESSES

Howdy Dudey's... Wow as if I just wrote that, I've not heard that phrase in a very long time and to be perfectly honest, have no idea where it came from and will probably never ever say that again.

But anyway, I hope we're all doing very well indeed and you've had a totally marvellous week! Mines been ultra busy, just the way I like it with stay at home work days, shooting in the sun days and I'm actually on my way down to London right this very minute for a couple or rather exciting meetings! We've also had our dear little Peter in a cone all week and for the next 3 days as he had an operation last week 🙁 nothing to worry about he's absolutely fine but it does break my heart to see him all down in the dumps in the cone of shame.

Nonetheless today I bring to you some shots that I absolutely bloody LOVE! I'm SO happy and super impressed with how they turned out considering it was one of the hottest days of the year when we shot this AND this pizzeria on Stevenson Square in Manchester was JAM PACKED full of people so it was a little awkward to pose up a storm to say the least.
But, alas here we have it, some photos that I'm really bloody proud of and super excited to share with you all.
It's featuring my absolute fave dress of the year, my fave trainers of the summer and my everyday old faithful jewellery that I never go without.

I wanted to talk a little bit about all of those things within this post whilst also giving you some other dream dress x trainer combinations to have a nosey at, 'cause as you may well know, I bloody love myself a pair of trainers (see this video here) AND I've found it pretty damn hard to find any summer dresses that really float my boat this season, until I came across this little baby whilst shopping in San Francisco.

So lets chat a little bit about the dress now shall we. I picked it up whist I was shopping in San Francisco from Reformation, a brand I've heard rave reviews about but have never actually shopped at before.
We stumbled upon the fabulously innovative Reformation store whilst in the Mission District of San Fran and I left with a pair of amazing Oatmeal dungarees, that you might remember from this blogpost and of course this dress also.

The Reformation stores are so unique and down right fabulous, both Amy and I had so much fun playing dress up as their fitting rooms come fit with an iPad in which you shop from by selecting the items you'd like to try. They then appear, as if by magic in the "wardrobe" also located within your fitting room. It makes trying on a variety of items and different sizes that little bit easier as you don't even need to leave your fitting room, genius if you ask me!

I tried on a few pieces but nothing left me smitten quite like this little dress. I tried on a few sizes as, lets face it, American sizes are a little confusing aren't they but eventually I settled on the size 0 as it was the most flattering on my waist. That is certainly something to note, I found the Reformation sizing a little all over the place and as a regular size 8 here in the UK, I wasn't expecting to go for the size 0, so do make sure to measure yourself if you're buying online or try on a few options if in store, Reformation has just launched here in the UK too exclusively to Browns Fashion, oh hello there!

It fits like a little dream though, perfectly skimming at the waist and coming to the perfect length for the ultimate mini dress. I adore the elasticated puffball-esque sleeves and the ultra summery lace up front, with my new favourite and oh so nostalgic shirring technique to the back panel of the dress. I've worn this so much already this summer and TOTALLY plan to take it away with me to New York next week too.

As you can see in this post it's perfect for pairing with trainers, a messy up do and lashings of gold jewellery but can also be dressed up a touch too with wedge espadrilles and a sweet as pie handbag as I did for a summer party earlier this month that you may have spied on my Instagram in this snap here.

The trainers in question are the latest addition to my trainer family and certainly one of my favourites of the moment. I was lucky enough to work with Nike on a project over on Instagram and have worn these trainers at every opportunity since. They honestly work so perfectly with so much of my wardrobe to add a really cool girl vibe to all my looks. I love the streamline shape, the rounded toe and the all white base, making it the perfect summer sneaker. Of course the touch of red is a bonus too as I feel this combination evokes real retro vibes don't you? Plus making them perfect for pairing with my little red Reformation dress.

And finally lets talk jewellery.
I've really fallen in love with jewellery over the past year or so but no more than the last couple of months.
I don't know where this sudden love of gold jewellery has come from, having always been a silver kinda gal but I really am digging it.
I recently dedicated an entire Insta-story to finding some great jewels as suggested by you guys and SO many of you got in touch to share your passion for jewels which is really very exciting indeed. I've been working on a jewellery post this week which I honestly CANNOT FREAKING WAIT to share with you as it features some really rather fabulous pieces and some awesome, more editorial imagery which as you might be able to tell from this post, this post and this post, I'm really enjoying creating at the moment.

But anyway, the pieces adorning this look are some of my every day favourites, delicate gold and silver friendship bracelets from Monica Vinader, My Third Eye Opal Ring sourced via July Child and some sentimental pieces handed down from my nanna to my mamma and then finally to yours truly. I've since purchased and received as birthday gifts some other super special jewellery items so expect to see more of them very, very soon.

Well, that was a fun post to write, I'm honestly feeling so truly happy right now which is a bloody great feeling. I'm feeling inspired, creative and at peace with my world, for the first time in a pretty long time. It really is true that taking some time out from the daily grind does wonders for your mind and soul, I've been taking every day as it comes and not being too hard on myself and it's honestly made the world of difference.

So lets finish off this post with some other rather fabulous summer dresses, both purse friendly and a little more splurge-worthy and of course some trainers to compliment.

I'm heading to NYC next week so don't think I'll be sharing much over on here whilst I'm away. But ensure you're following along with my trip over on Instagram as I'm sure they'll be tonnes to see.

Catch up soon

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROSIE BUTCHER