Spring Fling - A Sunshine Ready Dress from Collectif

London is pretty cold and blustery at the moment - lots of rain, wind and grey skies, with the odd flash of blue in between. I actually love the rain, but sometimes you need a burst of colour to lift you up so I've found myself currently gravitating towards spring colour palettes and floral prints.

Collectif are probably my favourite vintage repro brand, with a huge range of styles and fabrics. Their sales are the stuff of legend, and I managed to snap up this lovely floral sun dress for half it's original price. I was so glad I did, as I can't find anything in this shape or fabric currently on the website and I'm utterly in love with it.

Dress: Collectif

Bolero: George

Leggings: M&S

Lilac Flower: Pearls & Swine

Shoes: Yours Clothing

Pink Roller Necklace: Pip Jolley

Print aside, I adore the cut of the dress. The back has an elasticated panel which meant I could size down so the dress fit my waist rather than my chest and is a size smaller than what I would buy my usual Dolores style in.

It's the perfect sun dress, and one which will see lots of action once London gets a little warmer. In the meanwhile, I'll be using layers to get as much use out of it as possible as it's currently one of the most cheerful prints in my wardrobe!

Until next time,

Diana xx

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(All photos (c) Diana Thompson / Fashion Loves Photos unless otherwise stated. Please do not reproduce without written permission.) 

Go-Go Boots - The Perfect Ankle Boots from Daxon

A little while ago, I inherited a brand new pair of Daxon ankle boots from one of my lovely friends. Sadly for her they weren't quite the right fit, but since taking them, they've pretty much been my go to footwear for the whole of Autumn and Winter.

I'd photographed them back in October but never had the chance to blog about them, but having noticed that Daxon currently have a similar pair where the strap is a mock croc skin, I thought now was the time.

First off, they are the comfiest boots I have ever owned. The tiny heel makes them still count as flats, but without giving you that ballet flat ache a few hours into wearing them. They're also easy to slip in and out of, with an inside zip and elasticated panel. Once you adjust the outside buckle to the perfect fit for your foot width, you won't have to touch it again!

The boots have also turned out to be really durable - they've taken the mud of Hampstead Heath and the cobbles of the countryside with the soles still going strong!

Until next time,

Diana xx

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(All photos (c) Diana Thompson / Fashion Loves Photos unless otherwise stated. Please do not reproduce without written permission.) 

If I Gave You Diamonds And Pearls - a #psootd from Simply Be

I'm currently wading through a backlog of outfit photos, and have been dying to show off this beauty for an absolute age! I brought it last October from the lovely Leah over at Leah XL, as I was looking for a lovely dress to wear around my birthday. I've always been a fan of cute collars, and the lovely embellished detail on this dress made me feel like a modern Wednesday Addams!

The dress was originally from Simply Be, and although it's no longer available, they have some options with similarly interesting collars here and here.

Dress: Simply Be.

Headband: Primark.

Tights: M&S.

Shoes: Gifted from a friend.

Bracelets: Vintage.

Collar aside, I loved the how the dress floated as I moved. It was slightly longer to the back, but with a subtle graduation due to a scalloped finish. I teamed it with a simple black bolero and a cheeky red pout with the collar meaning I didn't need to pile on the accessories.

It's become one of my wardrobe staples as it's great whether meeting clients or going out to dinner. You can never have too many LBDs hanging in your wardrobe!

Until next time,

Diana xx

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(All photos (c) Diana Thompson / Fashion Loves Photos unless otherwise stated. Please do not reproduce without written permission.) 

There Ain't No Party Like A Penguin Party - ASOS CURVE T-Shirt in Christmas Penguin Print.

It's no secret that I love penguins, so was understandably over the moon when I opened up my Christmas gift from A Monkey Fatshionista. She had brought me the most amazing "Christmas" t-shirt covered in a lovely penguin print - one which is going to be worn all year round! Of course, this had to be my first proper OOTD on the blog!

The monochrome palette of the design lent itself perfectly to breaking up a block of black. With that in mind, I teamed it with a skater skirt and long cardigan for something which felt cosy and casual, but still in keeping with my usual style.

T-Shirt: ASOS Curve T-Shirt in Christmas Penguin Print. (Available here.)

Skirt: ASOS Curve Skater Skirt.

Tights: M&S.

Boots: Daxon.

Cardigan: Primark.

Bracelets: Vintage.

Flowers: Pearls & Swine.

Tattoo Penguin Necklace: Baku Forest Studios. 

Penguin Ring: Whimsy Milieu.

Teardrop Moon Stone Ring: Vintage.

I hadn't actually intended to layer the outfit with multiple penguins - it wasn't until I started to take the photos and shoot the details that I realised just how far my obsession has gone!

This is definitely going to be my go-to outfit for casual days, especially with the pockets in the skirt. Over the Christmas break, my fashion stance has mostly been pyjamas based, and this is the perfect step to getting me back into real clothes!

Until next time,

Diana xx

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(All photos (c) Diana Thompson / Fashion Loves Photos unless otherwise stated. Please do not reproduce without written permission.) 

Party Like It's 2015

It's Sunday night, and I am currently writing this in my penguin pyjamas. Lord Dicely has insisted that the Christmas tree remains up until the twelfth day, and despite looking forward to my auto out-of-office response deactivating tomorrow, I still feel happy and cosy in my festive cocoon.

There is a huge part of me which is clambering to get back to work, and I've already found myself doing little bits and pieces of admin over the last few days. But Christmas and New Year have been so lovely, I don't feel quite ready to pack this silly, happy feeling away. And I'm certainly not ready to let go of my favourite Christmas outfits!

Dress from Collectif, leggings and cardigan from Primark, Robin hair clip handmade from a Christmas decoration.

Swallow necklace from Baku Forest Studios.

Cardigan from Primark, flowers from Pearls & Swine and a vintage dress for Christmas Day.

Nails are Tate (red base) and Graffiti (glitter) both by Nails Inc. The perfect, festive tinsel! (Thanks Susie!)

Christmas and New Year were both lovely and laid back. Christmas was spent amongst family in the countryside, whilst New Year was an evening of boozy silliness and a stunning view of the London fireworks from Parliament Hill Fields.

I've always been fairly ambivalent about celebrating the new year in a huge way, but it felt like 2015 was a finish line to a difficult race myself and my friends were all keen to get to end of. Standing in the cold armed with rum and some of my favourite people was cathartic in a way even I didn't expect. It felt very poignant seeing 2014 off and strolling back home arm in arm with some of the people who make my life feel so lovely. 

Resolutions aren't something I believe in as I feel they are too easy to forget. However I always make a handful of aims to add as a guide for the new year so that there is something to push for. This year included working on my exhibition, doing more artistic collaborations and staying on top of my 5k training. The way I see it, if I can stay both creative and healthy, that should automatically lead to a certain level of happiness. I'm also aiming to be nicer to myself, especially when it comes to my workload. I've had a few health setbacks in 2014, luckily nothing awful but things which have left me feeling tired and listless. As such, it feels like 2014 was a year of setting things up rather than moving forward, but it's important for me to remember that those things ARE set up - and 2015 is the year to take action.

Now that we're a few days in and the festive fog is starting to clear, I can see what my goals are and fully intend to hit them. It's exciting - this year feels so separated from the last already, and I feel like I'm about to embark on the final and most exciting chapter of a book. Hopefully one which has a happy ending, and will be the first of a very long series. I'm ready for you, 2015! Happy new year!

Until next time,

Diana xx

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www.fashionlovesphotos.com

(All photos (c) Diana Thompson / Fashion Loves Photos unless otherwise stated. Please do not reproduce without written permission.)