Here’s the full outfit, folks: What I wore to the Bloggers’ Lounge blog awards party on Wednesday last week.
Many of you saw a little glimpse on Instagram – and as I wrote in Friday’s post, I was delighted that I won the best fashion blogger award…!
I did my usual trick of layering a short dress over trousers. Like some other things I got in the January sales, I’d had my eye on this dress for ages, but couldn’t justify spending £150 on a dress I may not wear very much at all. But I kept the dress – a bright pink lace over yellow French Connection dress with a very short hem – in a browser tab for ages. (I’m talking weeks and weeks.) It was one of those pieces that made me absolutely gasp when I first saw it, and I didn’t want to stop thinking about it so in that tab it stayed.
Every day I checked it for a reduction in price, and one day it happened… Down to £75: Half price, and all sizes still available. Result!!
The problem for me was the style: Like the fact that I never show off cleavage and am a “modest dresser”, I just don’t get my legs out, but that’s because I don’t like my legs. Most of us have things we don’t like about ourselves, and I truly believe in accentuating your best features and playing down your least favourite, so my legs tend to be covered up, and I’m all the happier (and more confident) for it.
But anyway – I was announced as a finalist up for a blogger award, so suddenly I had a reason to get the dress, and I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me before to do my usual trick of layering a dress over trousers, but it took me a while… And then it was reduced again to £60! From then on it was easy: Firstly, add to basket and hope it fits. Secondly, get cropped black trousers (also severely reduced), add a skinny black belt (to add some definition to my waist and offset the trousers), patent pointed heels, a statement clutch (like this one) and chandelier earrings… Job done!
I absolutely loved the outfit. It got lots of compliments on the night and in that pink and yellow it certainly stood out. I actually prefer the dress with the trousers underneath – I think if I had amazing legs and showed them off instead of covering them as I did here, I think they’d detract too much from such an unusual and pretty dress. A short shift dress in bright pink lace over yellow is a powerful statement, and I don’t think it “needs” fabulous legs as well (though I wouldn’t turn them down if I were offered a pair)…!!
Do you have any wardrobe tricks that you fall back on again and again like me and my dress-over-trousers trick? Tell me in the comments!
Dress: French Connection at John Lewis (£150 down to £39!!) | Belt: Unknown | Trousers: ASOS (£28 down to £9.50) | Heels: Aldo | Clutch: c/o French Connection | Earrings: Aspire Style* | Nails: Nails Inc ‘Black Taxi’
I think you can wear every color beautifully! I wouldn't have expected this combo to work, but it looks fabulous! The length of the pants showcase your terrific ankles. Great look. Thanks for joining us on My Refined Style.
xo Jennifer
hyyp://www.awellstyledlife.com
Oh thank you Jennifer, so glad you love it! Thanks for the comment about my ankles… To me they're not my favourite part, but it goes to show how if you dress something right it will look it's best!! x
I love this lovely dress. It was made for you
I love your style and your blog too. Visit mine if your want
xoxo
http://www.welovefur.com
Nonna that's really sweet of you, thank you!!
That lace dress is adorable and I love the way it looks over those cropped slacks. I like to wear long tops over skinny pants or leggings and I have a hard time finding tunic tops long enough for my liking. I do like full butt and hip coverage! The idea of utilizing a mini dress as a top is brilliant. Thanks so much 🙂
Theresa
http://www.vintagestylefiles.com
Theresa thank you!! I like what you said about "full butt and hip coverage" (haha) – I'm the same, though I think it's actually more about my legs/knees. Hope the layering look works for you…! x
I adore this dress; yellow is rubbish with my hair colour, but DAMN, it is superb on you! That skinny little black belt just makes the whole thing for me. Gorgeous (and congratulations!!). xx
Aww Lisa that's really kind of you, thank you for your support and I'm so glad you like the dress…!!
Lovely colour combination Catherine! You look effortlessly elegant – as usual 🙂
I so wish I could wear dangly earrings, they just look all kinds of wrong on me.
Much love
Michelle x
Aww Michelle you're such a love… Thank you so much!! xx
And the Best Dressed Award goes to…you, beautiful Catherine! Love this modern, chic look! Stunning!
http://marymurnane.com
Hehe thank you, Mary – there's a certain amount of pressure at events because when you tell people you're a fashion blogger, you know they'll immediately glance at your outfit to see if you "live up to" the title…!! x
Sheer perfection this dress on you. So well styled. And I agree it is better with the trousers.
I will link back to you next Saturday (more exposure).
Greetje
Aww Greetje thank you, that means a lot!! x
What a beautiful look! The colors in your dress are beautiful, and I love how you styled it!
xx, Elise
http://www.sparkleandslippers.blogspot.com
Thanks so much, Elise…!! x
I love this color combo. It's so bold.
Aww thank you Jess!
What a STUNNING dress Catherine! You look beautiful as always. Thank you so much for hosting! Also, thank you for always leaving such fabulously entertaining comments on my blog… mine will never ever live up to yours! Lauren Xx (from stylelixir.com)
Hehe thank you Lauren – I don't know why I leave funny comments on your blog, I think you must subconsciously bring out the mischief in me!!!! And thank you, I'm so glad you love the dress! x
Well, well, well! This is an award winning outfit! Congratulations from the bottom of my heart Catherine. You dressed perfectly for the occasion. I love everything about this outfit! I have a similar trousers under the dress look here. It's a fun twist isn't it?!
Gosh, I'm just so proud of you.
Catherine, you are a winner not only because of how stylish you are but also for how supportive you are. You have created such a community. I am happy to be a part of it.
Big hug!
Love, Annie
PS Thanks for linking up to the Kremb de la Kremb
Kremb de la Kremb Style Stories Link Up.
Aww bless you, Ann – you are too kind!!!! I'm only as good as the people around me, so it's pats on the back all round for our fabulous community, I say! And thank you, I really appreciate your unwavering support and kind words. Much love to you as always!!
What a great original look!
Thank you so much Carrie! x
First off, I'm so glad to hear I'm not the only one who puts items in the shopping cart only to continually check on them. What a steal! And it looks fabulous the way you chose to style it. Just by adding that little black belt it brought the entire outfit together like it was meant to be. See, I would have just browsed over that treasure knowing it would have been way too short for me to wear. Thanks for the reminder and once again, congratulations! I sure hope to join in next week, as I think it's fun to participate with your theme and I just don't have any short dresses or skirts to try layering at the moment. Although I have loved seeing what some of the others have posted.
Hehe I do it a lot, Trina – I know you can track things going on sale on ShopStyle, but I prefer to trust my own checking every day so I don't forget about them…! Thank you so much sweetie xx
That dress is so pretty! 🙂
And I love the combination with the rest.. so creative! 🙂
YouTube | Blog: Geekette in High Heels | Instagram
:)) thank you Natassia x
I totally agree with you on the length of dresses, as you'll see from what I'm posting today. Just can't wear it without leggings as it ends at just the wrong bit of the thigh. Knee length, or even shorts, somehow look better. Just loving your dress with cropped trousers. Great idea. xx
Thank you Suzi!! It's true that you *have* to get the proportions right – the belt broke it up into thirds and having cropped trousers makes all the difference too. A longer dress or longer trousers just wouldn't work x
I just love your hair color right now! The darker rosy looking color at the roots looks pretty with an edge.
JJ
Aww JJ that's really lovely of you to say – my hairdresser and I have found the perfect formula we think (though I don't know why I'm taking the credit for his fabulous handiwork, it's all him)!! Thank you xx
Beautiful dress and I love that you wore it with cropped pants! Thank you for hosting and hope you are having a fab week!
Alice
http://www.happinessatmidlife.com
Hope to see you Thursday for TBT Fashion link up.
Alice thank you!! Hope you do too, see you Thursday xx
Really great look Catherine, I love that you are wearing it as a top, instead of a dress. It's a great way to get more wear out of our dresses! Love that you put the black belt around it too!! Thank you for hosting.
Cherie
http://www.stylenudge.com
Thanks Cherie – I wear dresses over trousers so much and I didn't really realise I did till now…!! x
I can see why you obsessed over the dress…the colors are absolutely stunning! And your styling with the black pants? Absolute perfection. And huge congrats for the award! Thank you so much for choosing me as one of your favorites last week…I'm honored!
Debbie
http://www.fashionfairydust.com
Aww thank YOU so much Debbie (I can see you in this dress actually, it would look incredible with your hair) – and it was my pleasure to feature you!! x
Congratulations! Such a cute dress!
Many, many thanks, Amy…!!!!!!!!! xx
Wow is pink your color! It looks amazing on you!
aww thanks girls so much, and for linking up!! xx
I love how you were this dress with pants
Amazing
Kisses
@Agasuitcase
thank you so much, Aga! x
Wow, I can see why you like this dress. I love it too. I'll bet your legs are much nicer than you think they are. I'd love to see you get the courage to wear this dress on its own, with spiky heels, or maybe with opaque tights. You'd look da bomb. We could make a deal: If you try that, I'll try something you think would look good on me that exposes what I see as one of my "problem areas." Eeek!
http://www.sublimemercies.com/
Hehe I'm afraid there's absolutely zero chance of me wearing a short skirt above the knee (without trousers or tights) in public, Charlotte, let alone on the blog! No, my legs really do "take all the weight" as it were when I put on a few pounds (which is why no one thinks I look any different as I stay relatively skinny on my arms and middle). I've put on nearly a stone (14lbs) in a year and as soon as I can workout and run again I shall, too many of my clothes are in storage unworn because they're too tight!
But as I said, I just wouldn't feel confident getting out a part I don't like I'm afraid (a bit like showing cleavage which I also don't do) – it would affect the way I feel about myself (no point putting them on display and feeling miserable and self-conscious) and do nothing for my self esteem, so away they stay…!!!!
But thank you for the encouragement anyway (and for complimenting the outfit), I do appreciate you trying, hehe!!!!! xx
Congratulations Catherine and be very proud of yourself!! I love your look and how you styled the dress. I should definitely try it. And, oh, thank you so much for featuring me!! xoxo Zuma
http://www.splashofteal.com
My pleasure, Zuma – and thank YOU!!!!!!!! x
gorgeous dress, well done keeping an eye on that one! and congratulations again!
Lauren
livinginaboxx | bloglovin
hehe I did good bagging that bargain, didn't I Lauren…?!! Thank you sweetie!!
Catherine, yet another beautiful (and transformational) outfit!
I will explain.
For a start, the whole DOT (dress-over-trousers) look is much more modern than the classic mini-dress style….regardless of the legs!
Secondly, the lace dress goes to another place with the addition of punchy black. So chic!
But, I have to be honest here….
I had a look at this dress (online shop) and it left me a pretty underwhelmed.
Yes, the colours were nice, but the lace and twee bow were certainly not for me!
I could see why it ended up on sale.
So, I am happy to say that I am more than impressed by your simple, but highly effective, styling.
Proving that little touches make all the difference to the feel of an item.
The black belt, dark nails, your "undone" waves, the neon earrings and fun (but still elegant) clutch all turn this dress around, in my eyes.
Perhaps John Lewis would be better to feature your photograph in place of their boring stock image?
I am sure the dresses would be flying out of the door!
XXX
Samantha
fakefabulous.com
Samantha thank you thank you!!!!!!!!!! It's funny how I looked at the dress online and went OH MY GOD I HAVE TO HAVE oh but when would I wear it… And to others it's nothing much! Goes to show how how important marketing and the way clothes are presented, styled and photographed is so, so important, doesn't it?!!
You truly are such a sweetheart, thank you so much my lovely xx
I totally agree with Samantha.
Yay! I got featured! Thank you so much! I have only just seen this as have had glaucoma test today and could not bear any bright lights after eye drops they use. Luckily all is well for now.
I am jaw dropped by that dress, and very tempted to buy! I wouldn't need to wear anything underneath because it will most probably be past my knees!
Thank you for hosting Catherine
Laurie x
You did you did, Laurie – and well deserved it was too! Hope you've recovered okay, look after yourself.
And thank you, I like to encourage a bit of jaw-dropping now and then, haha!! ;))
Beautiful dress! For me, even though I feel a little nervous wearing shorter skirts, I know that they make my legs look longer, so I wear them much more than longer skirts. Like the one I wore on the weekend, I especially love plaid skirts. 🙂
Thanks Laurie! I think I feel the same way about my legs as many women feel about their arms or bellies: I don't get my legs out like they don't get their bellies out! But knowing how to play up those best features like you said about your chosen length of skirt in order to elongate your legs is the key to confidence I think…!!
The yellow and pink together with the lacy tracery is stunning. Your pairing with trousers is perfect and you certainly embodied the reason for your award in this outfit. Congratulations on your win! Thanks for the linkup party. So many cool women here.
Oh wow thank you Melanie – that's a great compliment (I always feel a lot of pressure to "look" like a fashion blogger when you go to events… But it's self-inflicted pressure, no one really minds what you wear I'm sure)! xx
Totally amazing. I'm pinning the heck out of this look! 😉 I don't like my legs either … not from the knee on up anyway. Super cool and creative and the color combo looks amazing on you.
Thanks for the link up!
OXOX
Dawn Lucy
http://fashionshouldbefun.blogspot.com
Hehe thanks Dawn Lucy (that's what I always to other bloggers when I love their outfits: I call it "the Pinterest threat")!!!
First off, a big congratulations! You look fabulous – and the dress pant combo, my kind of style! I want to get those pants, can you tell me if they run true to size? In Boden I buy a UK 10, would these be the same?
XOXO Suzane
http://www.AskSuzanneBell.com
Thanks Suzanne my lovely!! Yes I'd say they do – I'm quite a few pounds heavier at the moment so I got a size up and they fit me just right. But as Asos do free delivery and free returns internationally, just get two sizes and send one back: Problem solved! x
Many congratulations! Well deserved & you looked
spectacular. Thank you for hosting every week-
it is always a joy to visit.
All the best, Mimi
http://inmyprimetime.blogspot.com
Mimi that's so lovely of you to say – thank you thank you!! xo
That really is a striking dress, love it!
You have the colouring to wear such gorgeous bright colours!
Thanks Gemma – I don't really know if I do, I just wear all the colours…!!
Stunningly beautiful – and clever to boot. Brava!
Alicia
spashionista.com
Aww Alicia you're a sweetheart, thank you xx
Congratulations on winning! And you certainly look like a winner in this pretty dress.
Tiina that's so nice of you, thank you :)))
That dress is absolutely amazing. I would have never thought of wearing it with trousers but it's looks perfect! Xx Carin
Thank you Carin – it tends to be my "go-to" style to always put short dresses over trousers…!
Catherine I'm head over heels for this perfectly styled outfit! I love the vibrant colours, the way you carefully played with volumes, the oriental vibe and the utmost elegance of the whole ensemble. Truly gorgeous dear! Thank you for hosting dear! I'm linking back to you HERE And… you are welcome any time to add your fashion and beauty links on my blog:
Monthly FASHION LINKUP
Monthly BEAUTY LINKUP
Coco thank you so much for the love – and thanking for linking to the link up(!) I'll pop over asap xx
The colors on the dress are so inspiring!! Definitely not colors you see together much, but oh, so lovely!! And it does look great with those pants underneath—I've seen this look before (on others) and didn't love it—so I can't quite figure out what makes you outfit look so good? Maybe it's the belt?
Congrats on the blogger award…you deserve it!
And thanks for highlighting my step mom in the pantone colors! jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Aww Jodie thank you – I'd never intended to get it to wear with trousers at all but it just dawned on me one day… And I'm not sure either why it works – cropped trousers make a HUGE difference though to get proportions right. Trousers that are too long makes it look too 50/50 rather than 70/30 (if you see what I man)! xx
Love this, Catherine!! One of my very favorites of yours.
Hope you'll join me and Jill this month for How I Wear My: Rose Quartz or Serenity.
xoxox, A
Oh fabulous, Adrienne – I just did the Pantone COTY last week so I'll definitely send my details over!!
Thank you sweetie so much xx
Where do I begin, dear catherine, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh oh yes, CONGRATULATIONSSSSSSSSSSSS indeed.
About the outfit is perfect from your hair to your shoes. Best of both worlds trousers and dress, yeahhhh.
Very proud.
Tons of love
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx
It's my secret trick, Sacramento – wearing a dress over trousers – as I get to wear trousers but please you with the skirt aspect!! 😉
Thank you so much for all your support and good wishes, I really appreciate it xx
You looked stunning! I think you styled this perfectly.
bisous
Suzanne
http://www.suzannecarillo.com
Aw thanks Suzanne, you're a sweetheart as always xx
I love the dress as tunic idea and this one suits you perfectly. And the dress is amazing. I love waiting for something to go on sale and still be able to get it.
I was amazed it didn't just sell out straight away, Teresa – I think maybe the colours were a bit too loud for most people…?!! Thank you, I'm so glad you liked it! x
Lovely dress, Catherine. And what a creative way to wear it. Love the black trousers (pants to us Canadians) and pumps. Love all round:)
Thank you Susan – I did rather love it too, I must admit!! x
Dearest Catherine…excuse me for a moment while I pick my eyes up off the floor!! WOW!! This awards outfit of yours is absolutely BEYOND!! You already know that I am always in awe of your amazing dress-over-pants ensembles…and this particular combo is my newest fave!! The lacey, pink and yellow dress looks divine with your complexion and rose-gold hair (wherever did that old admonition come from that redheads can't wear pink, I wonder?)…and I am sooo happy to see that you are able to do heels again!! XOXO P.S. I haven't shared a short dress outfit in today's link, but we do have something else in common right now!! ;D
http://www.StyleIsMyPudding.com
Oh my goodness Monika – you absolute sweetheart, thank you so much!!!! I'm so blushing right now…!
Yes the heels were a risk, but I caught cabs everywhere on the night so no walking in them, and I did keep "resting" my leg throughout the evening and I took foldaway flats just in case. It's liberating to wear slightly more normal things again…!!!! xo
Congratulations on winning again!!!
You look stunning in the dress! Love the deal you got on it! There is nothing better than stalking a piece of clothing and then getting it for a great deal. 🙂
Gosh thank you Andrea – and yes, that feeling is a REALLY good one…!! x