The Essentials Edit: The Floral Dress

Why I don’t think your wardrobe will ever be complete without at least one floral dress…

This post includes a gifted floral dress from ANGELEYE.

I tend to find I am more of a trouser or leggings girl… I am very much a preacher of the comfort dressing rule over statement pieces. However this year, after clearing out my wardrobe I realised I literally had no dresses. I touched on this in my last Essentials Edit post about the LBD. I do believe that you need three types of dresses to fulfil your wardrobe dreams. A little black dress, a floral dress and a more formal dress. I like to think that the floral dresses however do the job of the last two. Back in the day I would crack out my £15 New Look dress which did make me look 5 years younger than I am… now thats okay if you are in your 30’s however I was 17 so I looked 12… yeah not a good look! These days I am more about buying a dress I know I will be able to wear year after year. So today, I thought I would talk to you about why you need to have a floral dress in your wardrobe and how to find the perfect one for you!

Why You Need A Floral Dress…

I personally don’t think that you can get through summer without a floral dress. Well saying that, last year I *managed* however this year I really can’t see myself wearing anything else. The perfect thing about floral dresses is that it allows you to be a bit dressier if you fancy it. Or you could pair it with a denim jacket and some converse and wear it really casually. I am not the girliest girl in the entire world, and I do feel you if you aren’t a dressy person. However I think there are so many different varieties of floral dresses out there that you can really find something for anyone.

The more I delve into Instagram and stalk some beauttt pages, I realise how many people actually wear floral dresses on an everyday basis. So they definitely aren’t something that just has to make a one off appearance every summer. They are also a perfect way to add colour into your wardrobe. I bought this yellow floral dress a month or so ago from ASOS. No way did I think I could pull off a yellow dress. Or that I am planning to wear it to a formal meal I have coming up. But hey ho thats what we are now playing with. Floral dress = SUMMER I’M READY BABE.

Know what you are buying for.

The important thing to remember about an ‘essentials wardorbe‘ is that you only need one or two floral dresses. That means that when you buy you have to think practically. If you know you have a wedding coming up, or a fancy pants meal then keep that in mind. If you know you are spending most of your summer at the beach (which I would be VERY jealous of) then also keep that in mind. So unless you are royalty and have to crack out formal wear every time you are seen in public, you can get something a little bit more casual. Or go for the in-between. There are plentyyyy of floral dresses that have that formal and casual edge to them. They my friend, are the golden ‘never throw away’ dresses.

Pick the right colour for you.

When I said that floral dresses are an amazing way to add colour to your wardrobe I truly mean that. But only if you know what you suit and what you don’t… unless you are blessed and can pull off any colour beautifully! I know I can’t. For me, anything baby pink is generally a no-go zone because my skin is far too olive toned for it to match. I end up just looking so washed out I could be an extra on Casualty or some other hospital TV drama.

If you really have NO idea about what colours suit you then you can get your colours swatched for you buy personal shoppers or you can simply buy some cheap fabric swatches in a range of colours and hold them to you face. If they wash you out, you know not to buy them. I have had my colours done before, and I had dark hair then so my colours were very autumnal based. Now my hair is blonde it is a slightly different story, but I have a good idea about what looks utter rubbish on me.

Be fussy!

Looking on somewhere like ASOS, Boohoo or wherever you shop from can get a little bit overwhelmed from the amount of dresses or items on there. I literally spent hours trawling though ASOS when I got my floral dresses because I wanted to get the perfect one. Even if you order a load, and then try them on before sending them back. The majority of the time when I order clothes online, I will end up sending them back because the sizing is wrong or the shape isn’t that flattering. BE RUTHLESS. Make sure you loveeee the dress rather than having the ‘that will do’ mentality. If it isn’t perfection then don’t even dare touching those tags!!

So I have talked about how to get the best floral dresses for you… so I quickly just want to mention this babe of a floral dress from ANGELEYE. One colour we all know I love (if you have been reading my blog for a while) is red. I have a red phone case, red converse, red coats, red handbags YOU NAME IT. So now I can add red dress to the collection. I adore this floral dress because it is the perfect mix of casual and formal. The detailing on the sleeves with the ruffles is so complimentary. It makes the waist line look smaller because of the emphasise on the shoulders – and I am definitely not complaining about that! So pick yourself a dress that you know will suit and be flattering on you!

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