Nautical but Nice

Having completely exploded all over the high street, the nautical style is without a doubt this summer's hottest trend. Now I've never been a huge fan of the whole sailor look, horizontal stripes and navy just don't appeal to me. I always look like a burglar, 'Denace the Menace' or just reeeeaaaally wide in horizontal stripes. As for navy, well I'm all about colour, my wardrobe is a rainbow of fabric and unfortunately navy doesn't quite register as colour in my vibrant world. Navy is, as far as I'm concerned, quite simply a more hip variant of black.

But something very strange happened to me on my last shopping excursion, I succumbed to the voodoo that is all things nautical, and in this spellbound mode I went spending crazy on sailor chic. And monochrome too for some absurd reason. Not an ounce of colour in sight, looks like I have been converted folks, I have walked on over to the dark side.

Left: Button front dress with striped top - Krisp
The true essence of nautical fashion. I team it with a white cropped cardigan, large white hoops, a navy and white striped bangle, and a huge red patent bag to enhance the look. It is also very French Riviera. Although I was rather gutted as literally two seconds after this purchase I popped into Jane Norman and they had the exact same dress but with a red and white striped top instead, and all of a sudden in comparison my new dress looked very much like a poor man's version. Still love it though.






Right: Buttoned dress with cross over back - Krisp
Monochrome made contemporary with fashionable buttons. I don't mean to divide buttons into classes here: those that are fashionable and those that are more fashionably challenged, what I mean to say is that buttons, they are everywhere at the moment, they are a staple embellishment it seems. This dress looks great accessorised with splashes of bright, bold colour.





Left: Contrast dress with lace rara skirt - Krisp
Much shorter than I had anticipated so there is plenty of thigh on display - not that I hear the fellas complaining. Strange that because I stand at a mere five feet so clothes are naturally longer on me, I dread to wonder how this dress would bode on a longer limbed lady. The dress itself is a flirty little number, ideal for clubbing. I just lurve the pretty black lace skirt, it's sexy!





Right: Military tab dress - Jane Norman
Bang on trend in terms of style and colour - just effortlessly stylish.












Left: Asymmetric stripe cut out dress - Jane Norman
I know, it's a baby pic but it's the only one I could find! Extreme figure-hugging at play here though. This dress accentuates every curve so is ideal for all hourglasses who want to flaunt their fabulous figure.



Right: Ruched tulip dress - Jane Norman
Have scoured the inter-web profusely but failed to find an image of this dress so you are going to have to make do with my very amateur photography. I do apologise. The dress doesn't look too flattering in the photo, I needed a mannequin or a model to emphasise it but unfortunately I had neither at hand. I assure you that the dress looks much better on - it's rather cleavagey, and the navy is quite slimming. I know tulip style dresses and skirts make hips look bigger but not to be deterred here, it definitely does not apply to this dress.





Left: Rose print lattice back top - Jane Norman
Nautical stripes and colours cleverly intertwined with a dominant rose print for those who only want a hint of this season's trend. It's long enough to be worn with leggings, or tuck into a navy tailored skirt instead for a stylish office day look. Oh and please dismiss the fact that it looks rather shapeless in the photo, the image is deceiving. The colour is also more intensive and brighter than as it comes across in the pic.



Right: Eyelet frill mini skirt - Jane Norman
A white vest top would complete this casual summer day look and compliment the khaki well - simple and not too fussy. Again, a very ickle image but it's all I could manage.

Left: Polka dot full skirt - Jane Norman
Has a very 1950s feel to it - a fun, flirty and feminine skirt indeed. Pair with a black top and either black and white accessories for a truly strict monchrome look, or with colourful accessories instead for a more lively, summer feel.






Right: Shirt dress - Freemans
Well, looks like I couldn't resist colour after all. This gorgeous print dress is electrifying, the photo doesn't actually do justice to the dress as it's way more vivid than it appears in the image - the shades of purple are more brighter and intense than they look here. This is what summer is all about.





Left: Laura Scott jersey dress - Freemans
A bold block of yellow down the centre and we all know that nothing screams summer quite like the colour yellow. A light, fresh and distinctive dress.




Right: Purple dress - Freemans
Such an amazingly beautiful shade of purple - much more vibrant than it looks in the photo. This dress is a tad floaty and has a somewhat prairie/gypsy feel to it. Very summery and exotic.










Left: Stud jewel sandals - Freemans
Naughty me, shoes, along with bags, are struck off my shopping list as I have so many, zillions in fact, and yet I rarely wear any of them, I actually have shoes that I have bought several years ago which are gathering dust, still patiently waiting to be worn, therefore I am officially not allowed to buy any more shoes but I managed to sneak this pair in. They are simply stunning, like a more glamorous version of those gladiator sandals. Plus they have a sexy punk-like aura about them, and they practically go with all of my new purchases above. Result!


And those, dear friends, are my lovely purchases. Do make sure you treat yourself to something monochrome and nautical this summer - the former is fashionable come rain or shine, and the latter seems to weave itself into the fashion spotlight every so often so it's probably safe to say that they are now indeed style essentials for your wardrobe, some may even go as far as saying that they are true timeless classics.