Oh boy, do we know how to have fun on holiday?! At 9am I found myself at the launderette in Bangor and that's also where I'll be at 9am tomorrow. Having listened to an article on Radio 4 a few weeks ago about how Launderette's are the hub of a community, I was quite excited about the prospect of getting our loose covers washed - and I wasn't disappointed. And then - wait for the excitement - I spent a good half hour washing down a pushchair which we had stored in the shed and which had got mildew on it. (I say "we" had stored it but that's not strictly true - someone else in the family had stored it there but it would be unfair to let him take sole responsibility for the mildew situation). In fairness the whole washing down business was quite enjoyable. I liked wearing my wellies again and there's nothing like a bowl of hot soapy water and a pair of rubber gloves to make you feel as though you are achieving something (on holiday. Sad?!)
Sometimes all that we need is an easy breezy dress for a summer's day. This dress is easy in the sense that it is machine washable, has a good length to it so that you can bend over and not flash your pants, is made of a fabric that's not going to snag, catch or stain, is in a really flattering style and the print design (dark background, brighter print) works wonders for smoothing lumps and bumps. It's also good because it wouldn't need to be the height of summer to wear it, which is fortunate given what we're dealing with at the moment, which for us is rain, wind, low temperatures and the odd earthquake, just for good measure.
The dress is from French Connection and whilst I can't see it on the site at the moment, they are still available in store. They used to do this style in lots of prints and colours - no doubt many of you will own one - but it only comes in this one this season. Here it is sitting alongside Topshop clog sandals (£45) and a Zara bag (£39.99) but you could mix it up a little by working in some cream, navy, green - or whatever you fancy really.
It's a snatch and grab type of outfit. It's not overly trendy, not too try hard, just a pretty, flattering dress for everyday - something that all of us need from time to time.
