I'm sure most of us Brits would never have imagined back at the beginning of the year when we were shivering in our boots & jumpers & wading through deep snow that we would ever see that big yellow round thing in the sky again, let alone enjoy such a long scorching heatwave in the summer months.
Well, we did. And boy, was it hot!
Most of us, during that sweaty period, would gaze into our wardrobe wondering what would, A; be the most cooling & comfortable without feeling like you were going to 'combust' at any second & B; most flattering - I mean, you can't go parading down the high street in a bikini in an effort to keep cool, can you? (Well, I definitely can't!!)
Now, fashion changes like the wind & it is sometimes an effort to keep up, but when you have places like Primark with their bargain prices, you can just about do it & one piece of clothing I have found everywhere throughout Summer was the buttondown strappy dress. And yep, Primark have plenty of them!
Now, I'm fairly tall; around 5'7"-5'8", curvy (small waist, large bust, big hips!), mainly a size 12 & these buttondown dresses seem a winner with me! To be honest, I think they would suit most figures. And in hot weather, they were cool too! Another win!
Aside from Primark, my first buttondown dress was purchased at New Look. I just adore tortoiseshell buttons (I am sadly old enough to remember the trend the first time around!) & there are plenty on this dress; as are my others too (& they seem to be on every other garment in shops right now!). It is cream or off white with black fine stripes & skims over my hips perfectly. A fairly loose fit as I bought this in a size 14 as my size wasn't in stock. However, it has adjustable straps which helped it fit better. Also, the great thing about these dresses is that they are below the knee. I love that as I've never been a fan of my knees! (Or my legs for that matter!)
Onto my next purchase & it was of course, from Primark! A lovely red dress which I have seen on literally every blogger & youtuber but I don't mind copying them because I absolutely love it!
My local Primark store sadly didn't have it, but when visiting my mum in Norfolk, I went to the Norwich store & there was only one left! But, it was in a size 10. I didn't think it would fit but it did! A bit snug over my bust but a good enough flare on the skirt to fit my hips & it looks really flattering (has adjustable straps too). And what is even better....IT HAS POCKETS!! So handy! I love it!
My final tortoiseshell button dress was again from Primark & actually in my size 12. A lovely muted colour stripe dress in cream, grey, pale pink & pale yellow. Again I'm really happy with it.
Another reason I adore these dresses is they are so versatile as well as keeping you cool & comfortable. They go well with a cardie or little jacket slung over or even a little tee underneath. For footwear, I wear mine with either chunky heeled sandals or flipflops. You can also wear with converse, trainers or little boots too.
Such versatile & flattering dresses I'm sure we'll all be wearing them again next Summer.
So, what has been your favourite pieces during the warmer summer months?
I'd love to know!
Bee x
