High Tea

This weekend I attended a high tea. The mandate was to wear a dress. I own plenty of dresses so at first this seemed simple enough. However, when it came time to choose a dress none of them seemed quite right. It was a very sunny day but windy. Also, high tea was to be held at the Gunner Barracks tea rooms. I wanted a dress that was bright enough for the sunny day, but still warm enough for the windy weather. I also wanted it to be 'classy' enough to fit in with the very swish setting.

I suddenly remembered this City Chic dress from last season. Teamed with a red shrug for a pop of colour and heels it was the perfect outfit.

There are a few things that make me feel that this outfit worked for me

• The cut of the dress - It is fitted on top but aline on the bottom, but not too flowy. This is perfect as it accentuates my smaller waist, while not clinging to my butt and thighs. The wide collar also drew attention to my upper half and also balanced me out.

• The shrug - I don't really like the way my arms look in most sleeveless dresses, so I often wear a shrug or cardigan. This shrug is perfect for the dress as it stopped just below the bust and was able to tuck under the collar. This added colour while still covering a part of me that I am less comfortable with.

• The dress length teamed with heels - My knees bow inwards, so I don't ever wear anything above the knee unless I have leggings on. This dress sits just below my knees. What this does is it shows the curve of my legs. Any longer and it would make my legs look thicker, as they would appear 'cut off' at the thickest part. Adding heels lengthen my (short) legs too!

• Tieing the sash at the front - In the photo I have shown the dress sash tied at the fron twith a bow, and without. When I first put the dress on I felt that it wasn't sitting right around my waist. I also didn't like the way the sash was making the shrug stick out when tied at the back. I had the sudden brainwave to tie it up at the front. It added a bit of interest to the waist. I really loved the way it changed the look of the dress!

I am delighted with the idea of tieing my dress at the front rather than at the back I think this may work well with a few dresses I own. I can't wait to try it out!

Have you had any 'lightbulb' moments of inspiration that has transformed an outfit?