What to Wear on a Cruise: OTT Vintage Ruffles and Pleats

If you didn’t know that I recently went on a cruise, then I need to congratulate you on avoiding the Cruise Photos Overkill Extravaganza that was my Instagram feed last week (she says with tongue firmly in cheek)…

And what I mean by that is that despite my best efforts to scream I WENT ON A CRUISE!! at 1500 ‘social media decibels’, my sun-filled, fun-filled four days onboard Virgin’s first cruise ship I’m sure was probably missed by many.

All of which I absolutely don’t mind because hey, you’re now getting to see the cream of the crop where images from the trip are concerned (rather than my iPhone pics) and that’s a good thing. Now, NORMALLY I’d be desperately trying to be all humble about the quality of my content and how I think my photos are, you know, quite good/I’m really pleased with how they came out/this is a nice set of photos.

Not now. Not today.

Because today I bring you the OMFG-look-at-these-photos kind of content I’ve always dreamed about, and from here it’s only going to get better… amirite?

Photography by Giles Caldicott

Disclosure: This blog uses affiliate links (at no cost to you). The cruise was provided by Virgin Voyages in exchange for guaranteed Instagram content but blog content was not required. Full disclosure

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To start from the beginning: two weekends ago I went on a cruise with the Instagram husband/very old friend from college Giles Caldicott (Keith couldn’t go as he couldn’t get the time off work because everyone with kids has already booked off August, boo) – we turned it into a working holiday and aimed to create a ton of beautiful images for his portfolio and my blog.

Richard Branson’s inaugural cruise ship, Scarlet Lady, was ready in February 2020 but then Covid hit and she’s been waiting to start her regular trips round the Caribbean ever since. Last month she kicked things off here with “UK Summer Soirées”, three or four-night trips from Portsmouth to the Isles of Scilly and back. He decided to do something different by making the cruises open to over 18s only, provide a “party experience” and do away with outdated buffets and bingo, instead providing London-quality restaurants and entertainment, endless fitness opportunities and generally quirky, fun stuff.

(FYI everyone had to be double-vaccinated and have a Covid test before boarding so we could all let our hair down.)

And in my humble opinion Richard delivered, and then some. Scarlet Lady – for us at least – lived up to all of the hype, and we had the most amazing time. We were both cruise newbies so had nothing to compare it to except for our own expectations (preconceptions?) of what a cruise would be like. It’ll be a Marmite love-it-or-hate-it experience I’m sure, but we’re in the former camp.

Scarlet Lady also provided incredible backdrops for endless shoots, and then we were rewarded with gloriously hot, sunny weather… IN THE ENGLISH CHANNEL, no less:

I wore a multitude of different outfits to all the different events and parties and eateries, and Giles has captured some INCREDIBLE imagery that takes my breath away. In fact (and I don’t know why I haven’t done this before now), I’ve done away with the sidebar just on the blog posts that feature Giles’s photos so that they can be seen in all their triumphant glory.

In this case, we shot on the deck in the blazing sun – not something I usually recommend but when you have THIS sort of light, textures and bold colours you make an exception and go with it.

That orange against the blue sky and blue sea. With the splash of Virgin red.

The pleats of my maxi skirt and the soft ruffles of my vintage shirt (OMG can we talk about how it’s so beautiful it makes me want to cry despite its clown-like tendencies) contrasted with the hard lines of the deck and railings.

My round white sunglasses echoing the white ball sculpture thingy (don’t ask me what it is).

I’ve worn this outfit a few times this summer, but getting to capture it in this amazing setting was a dream come true. And there are lots more where these came from, so stay tuned.