Delightful Dress: Lace Shirt Collar Dress from Yumi

Yumi do the loveliest, cutest and unique dresses and those that are in the sale are no exception.

This black and burgundy contrasting lace dress is really different and interesting.  I think it would be great for work, with the collar creating a pop of colour and a slightly more formal style that would look great in the office.  The lace detail embellishes the front, making it really chic and elegant.  It's reduced from £30 to £21 and is still available in sizes 8 to 16.

Best of the Sales: Atterley Road

Atterley Road stocks some gorgeous, designer fashion so it's worth having a look when there is a sale on.  New lines have just been added plus there are further reductions meaning there's now up to 75% off.

On my new site, I've picked out a few of my favourites from Whistles, Filippa K, Day Birger et Mikkelsen and Lamb to name just a few!  But should I have to choose just the one, it would be this Allium B Alexa bead collar dress reduced from £135.00 to £79.00.  A simple navy with a brown contrasting Peter Pan beaded collar means that it is simple yet elegant.  It can be worn for day or night, work or casual - just team with tights and ankle boots for an up-to-date look that works for any occasion!  Contrasting accessories would also look fab with this outfit.

Somerset by Alice Temperley Tipped Shirt Dress from John Lewis

Despite the fact that Christmas is not all that far away, there are still plenty of offers to be found.  John Lewis currently has quite a few gorgeous women's fashion items on sale and I love this Somerset by Alice Temperley shirt dress, which is half its original price.  It's 100% silk, so will feel luscious and luxurious.  I love the delicate, contrasting Peter Pan collar flowing into the same coloured lace placket, giving it a vintage feel.  It's perfect for work or a daytime formal lunch, but at the sale price it's worth wearing as much as possible!  It's still available in sizes 6 to 18 (except 10) and is £80.

And for an extra special treat, I give you the John Lewis Christmas advert!  So sweet and touching, as ever.

Delightful Dresses: Modcloth Sale

The Modcloth sale is on with up to 50% off some gorgeous, vintage-inspired pieces and, quite frankly, if they're doing a sale, I'm going to find a perfect dress!  There are two types of dress that I have been after.  The first is a retro summer dress, that I could wear to an afternoon, vintage-themed tea party and maybe go for a little dance afterwards at a Lindy Hop club!  I've chosen this 'Head Bow-ver Heels' dress by Knitted Dove which is half price at $58.99 (about £39).  The style and shape, with the empire line waist, is very flattering and the white bow collar is just charming.
The second dress I want is something I can wear to the office and be cool and chic, but also something that I can wear in the day when not in the office.  And I have found two!  The first is this 'Stop and Smell the Hibiscus' shift dress by Tulle Clothing which is half price at $34.99 (about £23).  The navy, fuchsia, coral, red and white floral pattern is subtle but pretty and the collar makes it work well for the office.  The belt is removable, but will flatter the waist brilliantly.
Another dress I would wear to the office, as well as out and about, is this chiffon 'Strolling the Seashore' dress in mint green.  It's a similar style to the above but I love the colour combination and attention to detail.  Again, it's half price at just $24.99 (about £16.50).
So many dresses, so little time!  There are literally thousands of dresses in the sale - as well as other clothing and accessories - so it's a perfect time to grab a real bargain.

Delightful Dress: Ashley Shirt Dress from Baukjen

Shirt dresses are classic, versatile and comfortable.  They can be thrown on and teamed with jeans or leggings, bare legs or with tights and look chic.  I would pick a cotton or cotton blend one and make sure that it has a decent tie waist to really flatter the figure - otherwise one runs the risk of looking like one is wearing an oversized man's shirt.

The Baukjen sale is on and I have found a lovely blue and white striped shirt dress, available in sizes 8 to 16.  It can be dressed up with wedged sandals (I think it would be fab with these Steve Madden ones) or wear with skinny jeans and Converse for an off-duty, casual look.  Originally £109, it's been reduced to just £43.60.

Awesome Accessories: Jewellery from Oasis

I haven't done jewellery for a while, so I've been looking at the items that are available in the Oasis clothing summer sale which started today.  There are some really beautiful bargains on offer, so I have picked a few to consider for this post!  It's been hard to pick just a few as well as there is so much gorgeousness, so it's definitely well worth a look at the sale.

The first is this gorgeous butterfly collar necklace which is half price at just £9.  It would look lovely with a simple, cream lace dress (such as the one I blogged about earlier in the month) or a summery, silk vest top and trousers.  In fact, I think it could decorate any simple, neutral outfit to create a pretty ensemble with minimal effort.

Next, I'm impressed with this ultramodern mini square Smartie bracelet pack which is just £5.  The colours are on trend for the season and I love the simplicity of it.  Again, it will brighten up a plain outfit - for the day, a white top, shorts and sandals with these bracelets would look great and in the evening, a chic, black dress would work well.

It's hard to pick which of the earrings in the sale are my favourite, but I think it's these Festival feather drop earrings.  The colours are delicate and summery, as is the feather and small stone style.  These will add a chic, bohemian element to any outfit but I think they're probably more suited to the day.  They are also just £5.

Finally, I've picked out a lovely ring to complete the collection.  This large vintage crystal statement ring will add instant bling to any outfit, but I think this is more of an evening accessory!  Wear with a fitted cocktail dress or sharp suit for fab, flashy style.  It's also half price, at £8.

In addition to the beautiful jewellery on offer in the sale, there are fabulous clothes, bags, shoes and other accessories available.  Much of it will be great for summer, but there is also a lot of items that could see one through autumn and winter, so it's definitely worth checking before things start selling out.

Delightful Dress: Black Elephant Print Peter Pan Collar Dress from Sheinside.com

Definitely, one of the best things about writing this blog is finding new and exciting online stores that stock items that can't be found on the High Street - or even in this country!  Many of the foreign stores I have found lately focus on the vintage/retro look - which I love - but Sheinside.com has that and more!  New items are added to the site every day, so it's really easy to get something unique, interesting and fabulous.

This black and gold elephant print dress is really fun and funky.  The elephant pattern and striking colours for me creates an impression of the far East - think sumptuous silks, sparkly gold and wandering safari animals.  The A-line style of the dress is very flattering too; it will create a very feminine silhouette by pulling in the waist but flaring out underneath.  And a Peter Pan collar is always cute!

This dress would look fantastic with a few simple accessories - maybe a great hairband and some bracelets. I'd then add some black t-bar peep-toe heels to create a lovely, vintage look with a modern twist.

This dress is on sale at the moment, reduced from $89 to $59 (so about £38) but an extra bonus of Sheinside is that there is free worldwide shipping - brilliant!  Also, new customers can get 15% off their first order by signing up to their email list, but I imagine this won't work on sale items.  But worth a try!  Let me know how you get on in the comments below.

Terrific Top: Lemon Spotted Sleeveless Blouse from Dorothy Perkins

Sleeveless blouses are great for the warmer months.  They can be worn casually with shorts and flat sandals or dressed up so one is smart but cool in the office.  A simple, cotton white one is a wardrobe staple but other colours and patterns are always a good thing!

Yellow is the perfect colour to celebrate the sun finally making an appearance and this lemon, spotted sleeveless blouse from Dorothy Perkins is delightful and summery.  There's currently up to 30% off selected items at Dorothy Perkins, so it can be bought for £18.20 (usually £26) - but hurry as the offer ends at midnight tonight!  The blouse comes in sizes 6 to 22.

Delightful Dresses: About the Artist Dress & Soda Fountain Dress from Modcloth

I am afraid that I can't stay away from the US site Modcloth.  There are so many amazing items on the site, especially their dresses.  For this post, I have chosen two dresses that I feel are gorgeous, versatile and great value but, to be honest, I could have chosen far, far more!

The first dress I love is this 'About the Artist' lilac dress.  Made from a soft cotton, it is perfect for keeping pretty and cool in the summer months.  I adore the whole style of this dress, from the capped sleeves, darted bust area, ruffles and v-neck to flatter the top half, the flowing skirt to flatter the bottom half and the belted waist to create a beautifully defined, feminine silhouette.  It comes in a great range of sizes - from small to 3XL - and is $52.99.  That's about £35 which isn't bad for a dress like this.

The second dress I have chosen is even better value and slightly more practical - but still pretty!  This cotton stretch 'Soda Fountain' dress comes in cherry red, cola black, purple grape and ginger yellow.  Again, being an A-line style, the fit is super-flattering and being cotton is will be cool to wear (in all senses of the word!).  The element of stretch material in this one also will allow for a perfect fit.  As it's slightly plainer than the 'About the Artist' dress, I think this would work wonderfully as a summer office outfit as well as a more casual day dress.  It's $44.99 (about £30) - so again, great value for a great quality, cotton summer dress.

The cheapest Modcloth shipping to the UK is about $17 (about £11), not including any customs charges - various options are available though.

I've also just noticed that you can invite friends to join Modcloth and get a $15 voucher - so might be worth having a look at that too for extra savings!