stripes, statement jewellery, jackets, dungareesHannah MacLeodJuly 24, 2017t-shirt dress, Bretton, denim, suede boots, J Crew, Zara, COS, Toast, Ganni, Sienna Alexander, Alexandra Mooney photographyComment

Earning your stripes

My love affair with stripes knows no bounds. My love of Bretton stripes in particular really should be waning by now but nope, still going strong. So what could be better than a full length cotton dress in navy and white stripes? This J Crew number is the perfect version. It’s a thick cotton so it is flattering, skimming over any lumps and bumps and it is long, really long which I love. I'm not sure why really, I guess I just think that if a T-shirt dress is going to be long, it needs to actually be long – for me it’s more flattering.

The sleeves of this dress are wrist length too which I like. So many dresses like this would have a ¾ length sleeve which just isn’t as cool.

Mum is wearing a little jersey jacket by Whistles. It’s fantastic as it is a comfortable as a cardigan or jumper but looks so much smarter. For someone working in an office I imagine that it would be a great answer to looking smart and professional but also comfortable enough to do a days work rushing around from meeting to meeting.

To break up the navy and white, a splash of colour using a bold necklace is fab. This necklace is also by J Crew. I cannot rave about their jewellery enough. They have fantastic statement pieces at affordable prices that are a bit more unusual and unique than your Topshop or Zara offerings. Some of their necklaces can become quite expensive but I would say that they are definitely worth the investment as a great piece of jewellery can add interest and colour to so many different tops, from plain t-shirts in the summer to plain jumpers in the winter. Bold earrings are a huge at the moment (pardon the pun) so check out their earring selection too.

A bag is a nice way of adding a pop of colour. Navy and white stripes are the perfect background to most colours so don’t be afraid to experiment. A patterned bag would also work, like this one from Zara. To say that I love this bag is a massive understatement. To me it looks so much more special than a highstreet bag. It would look just as cool worn with jeans and a t-shirt as it would a dress for a summer wedding. On my travels around the shops, I have not seen it in many Zara stores which I always love as not everyone is likely to have it.

A Bretton top lends itself to a bold lip colour. I don’t often wear lipstick but in recent months I have found myself wearing one more as it is a great detraction from deep under eye bags – which have become more prominent since having Matilda!

This particular top is from COS and they do something similar most seasons. A lot of Bretton tops tend to be more fitted but I prefer to wear mine boxy.

These navy dungarees are from Ganni and I love them. Ganni are a relatively new label from Denmark, known more for their floral dresses. It is such a lovely brand, well worth a look.

I love that these dungarees are not denim. I also love that they are cut in a relaxed style, making them incredibly comfortable but also stylish. They’re more like overalls in many ways than typical dungarees and so they work well with a chunky boot.

These navy suede boots by Toast are amazing. Chunky in style but cut in such a way at the front so as not to look too masculine. Also fab with skirts to harden up a more feminine look.