Sun dresses are go

Heat or heavy showers the trick to these sunny summer days is how to stay cool figuratively and literally. The answer my friend is blowing in the wind - a sun dress.

Of course I'm not suggesting a strappy sloppy roll up in your beach bag type of sun dress. What is required here is a structured cotton number for work, meetings and after work drinks. M&S's Autograpbh collection have this pure cotton number at £89 in a pretty pale pink. Max Mara Weekend have this one on sale at £143.


This one is a little more daring but a great price in the sale at £60 from £150

Ben de Lisi designer black abstract dress at Debenhams

I loved this dress for its print and colour but sadly I think it is one that is either sold out online and in store but it does capture the joy of summer

Dress Debenhams

Old School Glamour

If I had money to splurge (and unfortunately I don't) then top of my list would be this dress from Caost born of a collaboration with the V&A museum.

The Lottie Maxi dress is a beauty of a ball gown and honestly I would wear it round the house for any occasion as well as any balls I might perchance be invited to. It is the complete antithesis to the modern day dress code. Yet the gown has a modern look despite its fifties inspiration.

Yours for the sum of £695 from Coast

High St Pick of the Week

What with writing the new novel and Girlynomics being published last week I anticipated blog neglect. So far I have failed to get Twisted Skirt up and running properly but nearly there! I fully intend to keep posting on Make Do Style until I've managed to get everything in order.

The High St Pick of the Week has been much neglected but as the new season items come in store now really is the time to give some recommendations.

Despite the cold and forecasted snow for the UK this week, yes it might snow again, I'm all about summer items. And there are some wonderful pieces coming online and into stores. Today sees the launch of the Baukjen S/S13 collection and one dress stands out as RIGHT NOW for me.

Salma Zip Dress £139 from Baukjen

Dress me!

What if you only had enough money to buy one item of clothing and you really needed it to work hard for you? My view on this is always buy a dress. Lots of you will shout but I'm not a dress person. This is most unfortunate. Go out and embrace the dress. With a dress you can layer, under or over. You can pretend it is a skirt by putting a top over it. It works well with tights, a jacket and dare I say a cardigan (note not the use of the phrase 'power cardigan')

Quite frankly a dress is not to be sniffed at. On Sunday night I saw my dream dress on Claudia Winkleman. It was black, hurrah, and it was by Isabel Marant, not so hurrah 'cos of price. Oh well. But if I were to recommend a dress in the reasonable priced mid range which is high end High Street - sorry but low and middle end won't do if you want to LOVE it and buy it to last a few seasons - then I would say Whistles would be just the ticket. Jane Shepherson the CEO of Whistles has finally got it right methinks. I have struggled with Whistles, wanting to love it but always hesitating over the offering. However it is really coming along quite nicely and offers women options for their wardrobe that exude grown upness. I'm still failing on that point but am going to try harder, let's call it work in progress.

My selection is based on all of the above and if I had a few spare pennies I would buy it. The colour is flattering to all, the lace is seductive not slutty and you can wear it day or night.

Whistles Avril Lace dress in burgundy £175 

Pick of the Day

The selected pick of the day dress has accompanying photos of me wearing it as it was sent by Baukjen for me to review. The choice of clothing to review was up to me so I fought with every bit of my being which screamed sequins into my head and choose an item I had selected as a top 5 pick  in a recent post on the new collection.

It is the Karen Print dress which retails for £169 and I thought that you would want to know how to maximise use out of a dress at this price.

Firstly the dress print is gorgeous. Again I was being adventurous as I lack print in my wardrobe and I tend to choose plain well cut pieces (mainly in black) which is a tad predictable and boring. The colour of the the print appealed to me and it is better in real life than in an image. It is an 'eclectic mix of black, gold and grey' and this makes it incredible versatile. I can imagine the colour will suit all skin tones and hair colour. The cut is a classic feminine style which favours hourglass and pear shaped figures.

You do need a small waist for this dress and by this I mean in proportion to your bust and hips area. If you are quite busty then the fit is pretty good but I did find the buttons popped open. It is easy for me to remedy by making the button holes smaller and I did feel it was my fault I jinxed the buttons by opening them instead of just using the side zip. I like the addition of the tie bit on the collar as you can have it down, open, in a bow or tucked in. I would even fold it round to the side and add a brooch.

If you are apple shaped it is a no no and if you are straight up and down then you need to be tallish and add  the Baukjen Wrap belt in tan to your basket.

When it comes to styling the dress it is easy. The dress suits flats or heels and I found it welcomes a jumper on top. I only wish I had a yellow and red jumper to show how adding colours would look. Adding a jumper creates a nice skirt which again gives you more options.

My photo shoot was accompanied by a pup and it was all a bit rushed as this is a very busy week for me. I've worn it a few different ways, I could easily have added a denim skirt to the first wear with the flat black riding boots as a casual day look. I almost forgot the say the material feels lovely, it is a good grade polyester and would travel well for weekends away.

 The model is 5' 6" (although shrinking due to poor posture) and is wearing a size 10

 Worn with a last year's Baukjen purchase - this year the Gemma boxy jumper is a similar style. I love the olive colour.

This is an attempt to show the fit at the back - best I could manage!

 The dress is worn with a velvet black jacket. I thought the velvet added more lustre and suited the print and dress material rather than a more matt jacket of cotton or wool or synthetic material. I have black tights on with my faux Valentino shoes from M&S

 This is an easy going evening look with a light grey silver Joseph knit I have had for a few years. I love this knit and it does go with quite a lot but this dress with its grey and gold means I can mix my metals with the silver knit and my gold Zara shoes.

 Lastly I decided to 'GO FOR GOLD' and completely accessorise the dress with the Zara gold shoes from last year, a gold Reiss belt from 2 years ago and my Zara gold clutch which I got 8 years ago. None of the gold items match but this is a good thing as the print of the dress allows you to get away with this (thanks for the inspiration Mrs Fab!)

A close up of the accessories. And finally note no dog when wearing the last look, he finally got bored and wandered off. Just as well as he'd started to fancy chewing the dress!

Karen Print Dress £169 Baukjen

Pick of the day

Today was a tough one as this year there are so many lovely reasonable priced mid range numbers to choose from. But I wanted to find a dress that everyone could wear regardless of body shape and by chance one of those mini catalogues included in Harpers inspired me to examine a label I'd not really glanced at.

Called Me+Em, err not sure what I really think of the name, the company does seem to make rather lovely aesthetically pleasing not trend driven garments. I didn't like everything but thought much of their offerings were really good and I was particularly taken with one dress.

Pocket Swing Dress £165 Me+Em

Ignore the cutsy styling of this dress it can be worn in a more sophisticated way. The cut and style of dress is such that it will suit all body shapes. It really doesn't matter what shape you are the only thing to get right is the size. It works for boyish shapes as it creates volume and curves with the a-line cut. For apple shapes it falls nicely from the bust area working in the same way as an empire line or tunic dress. Ditto for hourglass figures it will do the same for you, fall nicely from the bust and gives you an alternative option to always emphasising your waist! Pear shapes you will love the fact it skims the hip and thigh area with ease but does so in a feminine way due to the cut.

The pockets make this dress otherwise it would be a plain tunic with too much volume. The quality of the jersey will mean it keeps it shape and all in all it is an exceedingly useful dress. At £165 it is pricey but that is similar to dresses in Reiss, Karen Millen, French Connection etc. This dress has more longevity and less of the crowd factor too.

Handily there is a 20% off discount code 11HA20 which shaves about £33 pounds off. Wear it with or without tights and leggings, flats or heels and add a necklace or scarf to decorate. It really is a versatile number.

Pick of the Day

My poor neglected blog. What with ploughing through editing revisions for Girlynomics, plus copy deadlines and other things to do, it is no wonder I find little time to focus on Make Do Style. To make up for the neglect this week I'm picking a dress a day to encourage you out of your jeans.

Never a slouch when it comes to asking someone where they got an item of clothing from, I made a beeline at a party on Friday night to ask a lovely lady where she had got her green dress from. Turns out it was the Jaeger Boutique range and a £80 it seemed a bargain because it looked liked it cost much more. Selfishly I ordered one for me before I shared. I couldn't run the risk of missing out.

I was genuinely torn between the red and the green but choose the red number. Given all my dresses are black, grey and blue this will be a welcome addition to the wardrobe. Also since I love red dresses I was quite shocked I didn't have one.

Jaeger boutique Percy Jersey Dress £80

Jaeger are one of those annoying websites that have zoom and no decent enlarged images to use and it is not the most enticing display of garments either, hence the small images.

Why this dress works: 3/4 length sleeves, good heavy jersey material, it has pockets and a loveley skirt cut to the dress. Will work all year round. A great work to evening number. Go for the green if you think red is overpowering. Wear with heels or flats.

Which shapes does the dress suit: Pear and slim hourglasses, plus boyish frames. Hourglass shaped make sure you wear a good bra to keep the breasts perky for this style of dress.

Style Steal

I love the aesthetics of Jil Sander, Marni and Prada. Away from the main collection they show at fashion weeks they have an array of staples which give you that sharp pulled together stylish look. However in the words of Take Me Out 'no lighty'. Of course I love their dresses and much more, but I can't put or keep my light on since I do not have the funds for such sculptural treasures.

But thank goodness for COS which can always be relied upon to create a dress of structural significance that gives you that Prada black dress look without the funds.

Cos Fold Front Dress £69

High Street Pick of the Week

Being busy always reflects in what can only be described as bad blogging! Truly I am super busy so the blogging suffers, apologies. However in my busy-ness I spied this number which is a perfect transition piece at a good price. Wear it now with cardigan or jacket, over tights or skinny jeans and come the warmer weather slap on some glow tan thing for legs and well ..your good to go a la the spring and summer.

Oasis Multi Fleurie Print Dress £65

Last dress a day under £100

Did anyone see Sir Phillip Green on the news talking about closing 250 stores? As owner of the Arcadia group it is hardly surprising that BHS, Dorothy Perkins, Topshop and Wallis on the women's side won't be affected by the current economic downturn. Topshop is probably the strongest performer followed by Dorothy Perkins with BHS and Wallis undoubately languishing.

There is no doubt that retailers will look to cut costs with stores shutting, product line shrinking and staff being made redundant. Those stores with a global presence like Zara and H&M will ride it out better than most with their strong performances in emerging markets. Also Zara and H&M are in the right price bracket to weather the storm.

The fashion pack favourite Topshop is surprisingly only a small player whose has only made a small dent into other markets. It can survive off its Oxford Circus store alone I suspect but it will be interesting to see how the store fairs.

But these are future considerations so lets make the most of its current offerings to select a great party dress. I have to admit I struggled as a lot of the items were poor quality, too short and often garish. I went for a black dress. I know, cop out but really the best I could find on the basis all of the selections have been on piece and an attempt at reusing after the parties have long gone.

This Boutique dress should tick the boxes of elegant, the right length and easily work in the future on many an occasion. Why methinks it will last well into your advanced style twilight!

Silk Wrap Dress by Boutique £80 Topshop

Oh go on if it is party party garish you want I will make one other suggestion! If you are of a weak disposition when it comes to screaming fashion then look away. Just think of it as doing my bit for saving a nation's retailer.

Mesh Spot Wrap Bodycon Dress by Dress up Topshop £45

A dress a day under £100

Often the simplest least expensive dress is the one you value the most. I bought a black long dress in my early 20s from Miss Selfridge and it lasted 15 years with a once or three times a year wear during the festive season or an unexpected formal do. It was plain as plain. Very simple just like today's pick from H&M. When it gave up the ghost or rather I knew its shelf live had passed I probably sobbed!

I don't think you can go wrong with sticking with simple, almost obvious (a black shift dress that is) when it cost £24.99. H&M are having a moment, clear collections, my favourite being the conscious collection, well organised shops, some attempt at better customer service but really not so important as good stock levels, which always makes life easier.

You won't win prizes for originality but you will feel smug and if you use the going out shoes and accessories you already have then you deserve a making do badge!

Black dress H&M £24.99

A dress a day for under £100

Today we are back to a dress. A little black dress from the wonderful Julien MacDonald's Star range at Debenhams.

Often when we buy a party dress to sparkle and look for that detail that says party. Sometimes it is worth taking a leaf out of Kate Middleton's book and thinking demure. Demure party dressing is all about gliding through the occasion. Put it another way if you get too tipsy, spill a drink or fall alseep in a corner better to do it in an understated dress than full on bling, because the full on bling dress is a photo opportunity! With the demure dress you will have all the credentials of a tipsy Audrey Hepburn not a TOWIE extra.

Also you can wear it again and again. I'm very much in favour of wearing again and again when it comes to any purchase. Keep the accessories to a minimal, a pair of earrings and a cocktail ring. I've selected two pairs of earrings from my Stella & Dot online store. The first are very Kate Middleton, the second pair more dressy cocktail Mad Men or even a touch of the Downton Abbey.

Black drape jersey dress by Julien MacDonald £60 Debenhams

Deco Drop Earrings Stella & Dot £35

Estate Chandelier Earrings Stella & Dot £40

Online Review - Very.co.uk

When I was asked to review Very, I was slightly hesitant as I'd never used them at all. I hadn't even to my knowledge picked one single item for High St Pick of the Week - which of course these days includes online retailers.

I suppose I was always put off by the Fearne Cotton thing. I'm really not a big fan of 'celebrity' collelections. I think VB and Dannii Minogue have done well to approach the career change in a considered fashion. But celebrity lines do on the whole leave me cold.
But forced again to look at Very with fresh eyes, i.e. selecting an item, I found much to approve off. The site has a good selection of items from £5 to £300. It is in the main competing with ASOS, but offers a different range of items although there are some cross overs, which is inevitable.

The South brand of clothing seems unique to Very and although the brand doesn't seem to have a design ethos, more of a catch all, there are some great gems in their retail offering. I selected a South Feather Printed Dress - my youngest cousin has a wedding in August and I thought it would look lovely by the beach, with a slight hue of golden glow after holidaying in Italy.

It arrived in a very loud bright pink bag which is a great sight to behold, very cheery! The product was better than expected in terms of design, material and finish. I think it looks a lot more expensive than the £45 price tag, which is great value for money. I'd like to think it was my expert stylists eye at picking the item out and I'm sure some of it was but items don't always translate well from the image to the bedroom bed. Yep I flung it on there but in pleasure not dismay.



The only dismay came when I tried it on, just a little bit too small but then I've not selected this brand before and so have no idea whether the template is one that will never work with my body or I should have selected size 12. However, vanity and hard work on the fitness front got the better of me so I've not challenged Very's customer service by sending it back and getting the next size - nope I'm attempting a 'challenge Anneka' and hoping in 6 weeks time the zip will run up with ease!

In summary Very offers another option and when has shopping around been a chore. It has a good range to browse and select from. The site images aren't great nor is the styling of items. In fact the site is too basic and as many on-line retailers will find out the design, flow and aspirational feel of internet shopping is key to success. I'm also confused to the range of offerings and judged it purely as a fashion go to. Although it does seem to offer the kitchen sink as well.

More Analysis Needed

There is something about a wedding, especially a wedding like the one on Friday, (I'm sure it needs no formal mention!) which makes it a cracking good talking point. The dress and outfits analysis, the behaviour of the guests and the emotion of it all.

Of course not being privy to the Abbey, Buck Palace or any of the parties then I've been mainly chatting in general about it all as witnessed on the Mall and off the telly - especially the outfits.

Without doubt Catherine's dress was perfection itself. It was a triumph of mood and design. There is no escaping the referencing to Helen Rose the MGM costume designer who made Grace Kelly's dress for her marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco. But it is of course a fresh, modern perspective and to draw inspiration from the similarity of marrying into royalty is no bad thing. It is entirely useful to reference an idea to create something new.



When it comes to the guests then the top 3 after the bride and groom plus best man and maid of honour plus the little bridesmaids and pageboys - then Mrs Middleton, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Queen all scored a big yes. There were a few other outfits that get a nod for decency according to occasion and quite a few that were askew. Stupid things like wrong shoes, hat with dress Princess Eugenie, Beatrice and fashion princess Victoria Beckham. One could argue that Princess Eugenie's dress was pretty awful, but the pictures don't always tell the truth. In the flesh the material and colour of Vivienne Westwood dress was gorgeous. True the hat and shoes were no no's, ditto hat for Beatrice and then sorry VB but those shoes were the wrong choice for the event.

But what is a wedding without the frock f*%^ ups. And then there is always the star aside from the bride. Catherine can rest assured it was her day, she shone but her younger sister Pippa did emerge as a the only other interesting female. Without a doubt Pippa stole the badge of style icon. In fairness Pippa's dress was a wonderful call from both Catherine and Sarah Burton. Catherine would have bound to have decided and agreed the design from the McQueen collection. I do say this with a slight hidden agenda as my wedding dresses as designed by me was very similar - I had a cowl neck. Although due to post baby weight (petit garcon was 10 months old when we ...you know!) I was no where near as svelte as Pippa.

moi & petit garcon on my wedding day

It isn't just the dress she wore for the wedding, but her evening gown by Alice Temperley and then her post wedding event leaving hotel outfit of Zara jacket with white jeans, flats (although I'm not a fan of Tory Burch shoes) and an exceedingly useful bag. I think she does it all with ease and an effortless British style which is part Sloane/trendy Urban and European. Pippa could be that well groomed girl in Paris, Milan or Madrid who makes you envious of her ease.


Pippa's style is a great antidote to the ubiquitous Moss/Chang/Palermo touting fashion pics. Again I'm not entirely convinced that this is style setting. After all it is safe, but it is a stylish option for those who don't want the muso, trendy baggage of London fashion. It is a wise style choice to take a lead from someone less caught up in trend and more concerned with elegance and poise. It saves us all from being totally dominated by Parisian chic as well!

I just want to know..

..who is she! The woman who can afford this dress. What does she do? What does she look like - in fact we know that she is fairly skinny as the US size 2 has sold out already and there are 2 dresses left in size 4 & 6.

Oscar de la Renta Floral-appliqued lace dress £8,390

I'm left perplexed by the gap in funds and how wide the gulf is. If I had £8,390 to spend I'd be paying off a bit of the mortgage, any debts and have some pence left over to save not spend. Mind you it is a beautiful dress...oh well.

Old red legs

Yesterday I was teaching and since I talk about colour and blather on about primary, secondary and complimentary colours as well as light reflection and refraction, I always make sure I wear a bit of colour. But, I'm having a complete graphic moment with my love of black and white and only want to wear a black or white palette. When I'm wearing neutrals I make sure I put colour elsewhere.

Earlier in the week I picked up a dress in Gap for £9.99 and decided to wear it yesterday with my red tights which I bought two years ago and wore a lot but then have left them alone. I've included a photo someone took of me in Feb 2010 at my MA showcase evening. I'm on the phone, it is tucked in between my right shoulder and ear and putting some things out, which explains my stance.

DVF dress, John Lewis red tights, Clarks purple suede shoes

Then here I am yesterday morning before going off to work. Please note the non Agent Provocateur mules in the background as pointed out to me by teawithonesugarplease on twitter!

Gap dress, John Lewis red tights & Zara shoes

The best dress

I love dresses. If funds permitted I would buy one for every day of the week. Indulgent, frivolous but true. Of course I would probably not be so extravagant if I bought this dress from Valentino as I might take on a Miss Havisham persona and wear it every day. At £2,500 it is in my dreams!

Even though I have no money I always go in to all the designer shops in Sloane Street, Bond Street, Mount St, the concessions in Harrods and Selfridges everywhere. I love to see how the garments are in reality. In truth I'm am often disappointed by the reality but Prada and Valentino never disappoint. However this year Valentino steals the show. The Valentino shop in Sloane Street is beautiful in respect of interior, layout but mainly the clothes. And the staff are always very nice and well mannered in there, something I suspect Valentino has insisted on.

Multiple Malfunctions

The idea that things happen in three doesn't apply to three things in a row. When I suffered a bodily wound (trolley to back of ankle), a wardrobe malfunction (jumpsuit zip) and computer malfunction (power cable blowing) I smugly and was roundly assured 'things happen in threes'.

Yes three of each! Two minor stab wounds (pins and scissors )to hand later and my body has had its three. The computer cable has a three part drama too. Blowing, half an order and a part on its way. With this drama playing out in 3 parts, I have only had my most prolific need to be on email, the internet and all manner of technological issues. I have to borrow access to a laptop and have no picture load capability. Hence wordy post. Shame blogger doesn't have a crayon function.

But it is the wardrobe malfunction element that is the most disturbing. After the jumpsuit moment, I had the graduation gown matter. When you choose the size of the gown you get two options, up to a 52" chest or over a 52" chest. I was actually drowned by gown. If I wasn't of above average height then ridiculous would not cover the visuals. I loved wearing my gown and I was particularly pleased that a Masters gown has sleeves and hand warmer arrangement. This amused me no end. But why oh why can't gowns and therefore the hoods be made to fit women too. I spend all my time pining and repining with really big safety pins and falling down to one side if the gown slipped.

There are photos and I promise I'll share. As a stylist I couldn't resist a few posed shots!

Then wardrobe number 3 happened. There was I on the way home after a splendid graduation lunch at Skylon, sitting on the bus, whilst Mr MDS drove to the Cotswolds for a stag do, happily sated and sat in splendid Moschino dress. It was a hot day and as I stood up I thought the back of my dress feels a bit damp. Then I thought, the damp doesn't feel like tube/bus heat perspiration and looked...to find my dress was sodden on the posterior. How I groaned. It appears I had sat on a wet seat. Now if I were to further inform you that near to my bus stop is the last remaining few blocks of the London & Surrey mental health provision which cares for long term patients; I knew that either someone had spilt a drink or I'd sat in some mad person's wee!

Zip my dress up please darling

Where would a gal be without a dress that needed zipping up. How else can you get your other half's attention or have fun in a changing room with contortion moves. I've zipped countless dresses in my time and I find the process of zipping most satisfying.

I also have to tell models, actresses and clients you step into a dress with a zip back and one with a zip on the side goes over your head. If I had a pound for every time I say it well...

I love a dress because it says so much by the cut, the colour and the cloth. Day, evening or night a dress can work its magic. As I'm dedicating a whole post to the LBD, there won't be one on this post.

The cocktail dress - synonymous with classical Hollywood, the cocktail dress screams grown up glamour. I'm leaning more to the post war style when women really began to kick up their heels and go out for cocktails. So I've selected a vintage dress from Shrimpton Couture as a splendid example of what a cocktail dress should be.


1950s Pale Green Cocktail Dress USD $350


The going to the bar dress - this of course is the modern equivalent of the cocktail dress and says meeting girlfriends a la Sex and the City. Just add high heels and a clutch. Sorry the image is ridiculously tiny so click on link below! Why do some internet sites prevent use of images - don't they know about blogging.
Reiss Hermione Dress £195

The exceedingly useful wedding/christening/graduation dress - guess what I've got this one. I would say that the format is quality and style over fashion trend. Buy the right dress and you'll never be lost again for when that invitation arrives. Then all you have to do is accessorise with the seasons costume jewellery and shoes. Find similar styles at Coast or in a charity shop.
Moschino Satin cocktail dress £264 The Outnet

The tunic dress - So useful and suits any shape. No bust issues either. Day or night with heels, flats or boots and perfect with leggings. High St or internet choose a print and some colour.
Fairy dress by Designers Remix at my-wardrobe £159

2 x The work dress - the bar was raised by Roland Mouret and his galaxy dress, which has spawned a thousand copies. But that is good news if you want a high st number for not too much outlay. I've selected one option from M&S as it is a good example of what you can find to wear to the office if you look. Maybe linen is a bit impractical but it is a nice colour. There's more choice when winter comes and Oasis usually have a great one for around £70.

M&S Pure Linen square neck dress £35

2 x a print dress - Because so many of us choose black or a block colour it is important to make sure you've got a print dress in your wardrobe. A great print whether abstract, floral or other is a must. Look for inspiration in the collections on style.com. Car boot sales, vintage shops or charity shops offer opportunites to find some vintage print dresses. One feels Miuccia Prada had visited the print archive somewhere for next season's Prada dresses.


The maxi dress - Goes without saying these days why you need a maxi dress. Very useful all year round it seems, 'nuff said.

A white dress - If Betty Draper hasn't converted you to a white dress then listen to me. A good white dress works wonders. Forget being a bride. All white is where it is at. I've chosen a lacy one with some ruffle detail. Of course it works well for dinner or drinks on a summer evening but equally the same is true in the cooler months. Don't wear one to a wedding unless you really are the bride! Again the image is rubbish so click on link below to see it properly.


Reiss Missy Dress £159


I've cheated a bit by assigning the number 2 against a work dress and a print dress but there will be a further 10 dresses all black next week. Make your dresses colourful and not black, your wardrobe will love you.