I always love going to Chris' home town, Cobh (pronounced 'Cove') because there's such a relaxed feel to the whole place. I love the whole Irish attitude...every shop I walked into, I was greeted by a friendly, smiley face asking me how I was. That's so nice when you feel totally welcome in a store, sometimes the staff can be so intimidating or downright rude in other places. Everyone there is so informal and casual (in attitude, not in dress). I also love the Irish attitude to having a good time with the help of some alcohol!ha ha. The above pic of Chris is the view from his parent's house - it overlooks the harbour in Cobh and I just think it's a gorgeous view to wake up to. In summertime, we like to sit outside and sip a glass of wine as the sun sets...perfection.
We did the rounds while we were back and saw all the people we hadn't spoken to/seen in a while so that was nice catching up with everyone. The above pic is of me and Chris' parent's cat, Grumpy (full name 'Grumpy B*tch'...no, I'm being serious!). She used to be alot more standoff-ish but she's slowly mellowing!
Of course, you can't go to Ireland and NOT have a couple of nights out so we heading into Cork city with some of Chris' college friends - a great bunch of people. The vodka and red bull in my hand in the above picture proved to be a big mistake when I woke up the next day! ha ha.
I think the last pic there was me and Chris attempting to do a duet on the dancefloor (and probably failing miserably.ha ha).
Chris' mum, Maddie, took me on a shopping trip to Cork City and bought me some clothes as part of my Christmas present which was so kind and generous of her. She always spoils me rotten! A shop which we don't have in Scotland, A Wear, always seems to have alot of nice stuff that catches my eye so we ended up getting everything in there. I like the fact that not many people here will have the same items...there's nothing worse than turning up somewhere in the same dress as someone else! I had one of those very rare days that happens once in a blue moon where everything you try on fits perfectly and looks great.
The first thing I have been after for a couple of weeks are a good, well-fitting pair of flared jeans, since they are now back on trend for the summer. I used to wear flares when I was a teenager because they were in fashion then too. Sometimes I wish I held onto things for longer because everything comes back into fashion eventually! I think the most important thing to think about when you are buying flares is that they are alot more flattering when they are tightly fitted to your legs all the way down to your knee. These are the jeans I chose:
Image from A Wear website.
These jeans have a little bit of strecth in them so they fit very comfortably without making your stomach spill over the top...never attractive! I love the fact they are so fitted down to the knee and then properly flare out at the bottom, it's really flattering on the legs and lengthens then when you wear heels or wedges. I had to buy the 12L size because I need that bit extra length in the leg since I plan to wear them with high wedges...half mast trousers are a massive bug bear of mine!
This is how they look when worn with my wedges...
I have had these Faith wedges for ages now and I was so happy to see that wooden and raffia wedges are very much in vogue for this summer! So that's one thing I won't have to go and buy...not that you HAVE to buy these things but I am a terrible shopaholic! It's an illness!
Those wedges are just the most comfortable ones I have ever owned because the leather is SO soft and the straps are thick so they don't cut into your feet. These wedges are great because they can be worn in a casual or dressy way. Dune are also great for comfortable wedges for the summer!
I love the current trend for 50's style, floral dresses because they are PERFECT for my figure. They flatter a curvier figure/women with larger chests and because they nip in at the waist, they are very slimming. I love all the retro trends that are emerging at the moment, alot of them are right up my street! These dresses are all so cute and girly and A Wear has a ton of them. They are all part of their 'Garden Party' Collection.
Farrah Print Fixed Wrap Dress £35 (the dress you can see me wearing in the pics above)
Maddie was calling this the 'smartie dress' because of the colourful pattern. I love all the vibrant colours in this dress, the fit is absolute perfection for me. I would say it would flatter most people because it has a wrap over style bust, a tailored waist and it sits just above the knee. I also love the cap sleeves that hide any sign of dreaded 'bingo wings'! ha ha. I think this would make the PERFECT summer/holiday dress because it's colourful, lightweight and would look so cute with wedges. I also think this dress would look fab with retro style platform court shoes if you want to go all out 50's. Here's a close up of the pattern...
Another similar dress I got was this Ashley X-over Wrap Dress £40
This is another SUPER flattering dress with a rounded wrap over design at the front...so you have to be careful when crossing your legs...no one wants to see your frou-frou! It's another 50's inspired dress with it's ditsy flower print, v-shaped cross over bust and short sleeves. I find that these necklines are the most flattering on my big chest and the sleeves make my upper arms look slimmer too which is always a welcomed bonus! This dress is slightly shorted than the first one, sitting a couple of inches above the knee.
For a more modern twist, this dress has an exposed zip at the back. I know alot of people don't like that kind of detail but I think it makes it look more contemporary.
The next dress was actually in the sale so we got it at a bargainous price!
I thought this was another great dress that would be perfect for summer with flat, embellished sandals or wooden wedges. I like the ruffle detail at the bust, which sits flat on the dress so it won't emphasise a larger bust. The gold zip detail is also cute and means the dress would look great accessorised with gold jewellery.
I wasn't sure about the next dress because I thought it might have too much detail up top but you should always try thing on before you make a judgment on these things!
The dress actually looks really nice when I tried it on and because it's made out of such a floaty, sheer fabric, it doesn't feel too bulky up top. The dress actually has gold buttons all the way down the front as shown below (although these have been hidden by the ties/bow in the pic above)
This dress is very girly, floaty and again, perfect for Spring/Summer. It sits on the knee and is again, very flattering due to the v-shaped neckline, tie waist which can be tied at the front or back and lightweight fabric.
I love all the graphic patterns that have been all over the catwalks for this season so this next dress catch my eye immediately. i couldn't find it on the A Wear website but it's actually by a boutique brand that is sold via the store called 'Jasmine (London)'. This was about £25-30 I think.
This dress is made from a silky fabric, although I doubt it's real silk at that lower price. I like the fact that the dress combines black with brighter colours so you get the best of both world. It's has an interesting v-shaped bandeau neckline and sits about 2 inches above the knee. This dress also really flattered my figure because it graduates in at the smallest part of my waist and then gently flares out.
I spotted this necklace on a mannequin and it was the only one left in the store! I couldn't find it on the website but it was 8 Euros in the store. It's a double tired gold chain with a heart and a cute little, intricate clutch bag.
I was really impressed with the quality and fit of the A Wear garments given their price range. They always have loads of lovely things in that store.
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