How To Successfully Wear Black In The Summer

    I've got to a point in my teenage years, where I've essentially stopped wearing all forms of colour. Staring at my clothes rail it currently has only five items which contain some colour; a red air hostess fancy dress costume, faded red and blue shirt, lilac adidas trainers, a grey skirt with pink roses and a dark navy dress. Everything else, is either black, white or grey which has its ups and downs. With summer approaching and considering I don't have the money to splash out, (neither do I wish to buy a brighter summer wardrobe) I thought I'd give some tips on what to wear in summer without fainting from the extra absorbed heat. 

©Asos Photography - Leather Look Shorts

SHORTS:
    Obviously with summer and the heat comes shorts. I thought I'd use the most difficult pair of black shorts and its the 'leather look' shorts. Not only have these types of shorts been very popular over the past couple of years, but they're also a key/ staple piece for the summer in anybody wardrobe (particularly those of a black only wardrobe enthusiast). As you can see from the photo you can pair these up with absolutely anything and thats the beauty of having black items to work with. As the UK isn't sweltering hot throughout the duration of summer, you could pair these with a white shirt (shown above), or pair with a lightweight crop top to counteract the heat. 

©Asos Photography - Tshirt Dress

DRESSES:
    My ultimate black items in my wardrobe are dresses, every time. You can wear them in all weather climates because all you have to do is add a pair of tights in the winter and cardigan and you're sorted, or take them off in the summer. This dress strikes me as a perfect transitional piece, as the sheer material along the shoulders and chest/back create an edgy look. The sheer material at the top and bottom, give the dress some breathing space from the solid black piece in the middle, while keeping in with the whole black trend.

©Asos Photography - Cage Back Playsuit

PLAYSUITS:
    This is by far my favourite piece in the post, this playsuit is perfect for the summer time because it can be worn casual or dressed up for a night out. The exposed cage back gives the playsuit an elegant look , while keeping you cool when the sun gets too much. The material is also a sheer, delicate chiffon which makes it a very light piece of clothing that can be layered nicely for all weather temperatures. I think this would be a nice piece to take away to any upcoming festivals this summer as well, as you don't have to worry about your dress blowing up and I feel playsuits can be moved about in easily.

© Asos Photography - Cold Shoulder Cami

T-SHIRTS:
    Lastly, a more common wardrobe piece is the common t-shirt. I originally was just going to get a plain black v-neck for this part of the post until I come across this beauty. Following the 'cold shoulder' effect that was deemed very popular last year, this piece goes across that line to make something really beautiful. Like some of the previously pieces, this t-shirt is made up of sheer material for the same reasons mentioned before. I think this is just a very simple piece that you can pair up with something fitted, that's heavily patterned to avoid looking too oversized.

Topshop || Tall Section Weekly Selections #1

Tall Polka Dot Body-con Dress || £29.00

    Thought I'd start off with a rather universal piece of clothing, and it's this navy blue body-con dress. I think these dresses are extremely flattering to all shapes, and can be dressed up and down with some tweaking of accessories! Now with this post being aimed towards Topshop's Tall Section, this dress is designed for ladies 5ft 7 and taller. I can't stress enough how hard it is to keep a dress you love without it shrinking up to your bottom after a few washes, but with extra inches added its impossible!

    The polka dot pattern is also another feature that I personally feel is universal, compared to other patterns such as strips that can make you appear a little tubbier than you actually all. Overall this dress is something I'm defiantly going to pick up on my next trip to Topshop and will be wearing it like crazy over spring/summer.

Tall Crochet Vest || £36.00

    The next item is aimed towards summer when it's getting quite warm and it's this crochet vest. I'm normally not a fan of vests even in the summer as they normally are over done with extreme patterns or are too plain. However Topshop have found the middle ground with the crochet/lace layer over the top of a plain vest. Something I quite like about this vest is that the patterned material runs past the end of the vets, translating onto maybe your shorts, leggings, jeans etc. This is a nice touch as the contrast of colour will really make the top half stand out. 

    Another thing I like about crochet material is that it is quite versatile in different heats. I'm not sure whether this happens with me personally but I find the material is able to keep me cool when it's hot and warmer when it's a bit breezy. The gaps in the thick material enable this switch in temperature, which is pretty handy to bring this piece from summer into winter later in the year. 

Tall Contrast Tee Dress || £42.00

    Next piece is another dress (I'm dress obsessed) and it's this lovely contrasting tee print dress. I remember seeing something along these lines during winter last year and never had chance to pick it up, but thankfully Topshop have brought it back for spring/summer. I really like how the prints work well together because they're both grey/white/black, where as if one was a bright, bold colour I don't think it would of worked so well. 

    Again I really love Topshop's Tall dresses because you are able to wear and keep them for a long time without them shrinking too much. I haven't put this theory into practice, but if your of average height and fancy a knee/calf length dress, I'm sure the Tall section with do you some justice without looking too frumpy. (Tell me in the comments if you've done this!) 

Tall Lasercut Waist Playsuit || £46.00

    The last item I'm really loving is this vibrant and bold playsuit. Same rules apply on how amazing the Tall section is for adding those extra inches, if you're not so happy about parading your legs about getting a Tall section playsuit is your best option. The cut of the legs rests in the middle of your thigh, showing some legs but not baring all. 

    The boldness instantly reminded me of summer and ice creams, the beach and holidays. I think this piece will be wonderful for the up-coming season, the lattice print gives the outfit some attitude allowing you to keep it plain with no accessories if it's too hot. If you want to dress it up for a night out, I would recommend gold jewellery to really make the outfit pop!

*This is NOT a sponsored post

Favourite Items for SS13 (((So Far)))

    It's that time again to discuss my favourite products for the latest season, as always all of these items of clothes/shoes are from Topshop and links to each will be left under each photograph. If you've been looking through Topshop lately tell me your views on their latest SS13 picks!

'Peterpan Flower Flippy Dress' || £48.00

    This first clothing item is not actually featured in Topshop's SS13 collection for 'floral' wear, but the delicate, weightless flowers across the waist really caught my eye. The floral trend this year is extremely patterned  almost reminiscent of the jungle. I personally found the patterns too over powering, so this is the more subtle alternative which is still abiding by the floral trend. 

'Floral Jacquard Trousers' || £50.00

    Next up are another item in the 'floral' category and it's these Jacquard Trousers. With darker shades of oranges, reds and browns these trousers could be universally worn no matter what size you are. The colours and shape of the trousers make your hips appear smaller while elongating your legs, no matter how small or tall you are.

'Embroidered Tiger Sweater' || £32.00

    Bold print as you would of guessed from the floral trend are very big and in for SS13. This is my favourite piece out of them all, as it's vivid but due to the subtle green can be dressed up and down. The embroidery on the the chest is outstanding and you can tell you're paying for a good quality jumper. Piece this with a chunky gold chain and some indigo jeans and you've got an outstanding outfit for SS13.

'Cut Out Boots' || £85.00

    The last item are these bold white boots, these can defiantly be a statement piece to anybody's wardrobe. Whether you're going along with the new trends or not, you can't miss out on some killer white, cut out boots! The cut outs allow you to maybe show off some of your tan in the summer, or a tattoo that's always covered up in winter. Regardless these boots are a hot purchase and go perfectly with the 'white' trend!

Silver Metallic & PVC

    Being in my last year of high school, it is only natural for the head master to throw a Leavers Do for the entire year, or Prom as it's associated with in America. With all our lasts exams coming up its only appropriate to have this occasion happen afterwards as a huge reward for all our hard work. 


    Considering I've been busy with work myself, not being able to post quite as regular I thought I'd do a little post on my leavers dress, instead of leaving you all abandon. I previously made a post regarding what shoes I am wearing for the day, for those who have not read it a link will be here. The dress itself was not as expensive as traditional leavers dresses are, instead of getting a puffed out, layered dress full of jewels everywhere I opted to something quite diverse. Instead I have purchased a high street dress, from Miss.Selfridge costing only £55, along with that the style is straight up and down, with a pinched waist and a low neckline. 


    This dress is an absolute 5/5 on all aspects, the only problem I could pick up on is the straps are slightly lose, however this enables the paneling under your arms and around your back to have space for movement, preventing a tightness on your skin.


    Another point on this dress, is that it is quite a heavy dress, this is a good point though. The heaviness of the material help to smooth out and lumps and bumps that you would not like on show. Being a size 14, I normally find it hard to find a straight dress that doesn't make me look like a bin bag so to speak, or a straight dress that clings too much on my hips enlarging them beyond their real size.


    Fagan x