A (passion for!) fashion tale

Today, with only a short while to spare (oh, how very me of me!), I'm offering up my entry for Money Supermarket's Passion For Fashion 2 competition. The rules were to pick three outfits, each with a budget of £200, for three different categories; Casual Wear, Party Wear and Holiday Wear. I had a lot of fun putting together my outfits (a couple of which I made about 3 different collages for!) but boy did I get lost in the sheer bloody volume of clothing available on the internet (I was probably 'window-shopping' for around 24 hours total, ha!) hence it took me a good fair while to put these together. I finally made it though and am happy to have done so - have a look below and see what you think!

1) Zara Dress With Cape Sleeve
2) ASOS Coat in Mono Pattern
3) Mango Faux Croc Bowling Bag
4) Boohoo Lily Boot
5) Dorothy Perkins Beaded Art Deco Necklace

Right, so, casual wear. Not so casual, you might be thinking? Well, I disagree! This is exactly the sort of outfit I'd like to see myself rocking on a daily basis if I had the money to be able to do so! A big fan of black (could you guess?!) I fancied I needed a pop of colour to make this outfit more eye-catching, and boy does this yellow Zara number do the trick! The cape sleeves are absolutely gorgeous, and I'm envisioning a kind of 'fashion-darling' type balance of the coat over the shoulders, rather than a do-y-up jobby so you get to admire the dress in full. Monochrome makes its own statement too, I love this pattern (although it does make your eyes go a little funny if you look at it on the screen for too long!) and the necklace adds a little something extra without being too over-the-top. I do love me a good bowling bag, the faux croc style of this Mango number would make one feel quite the lady, and I can't be without my boots; this pair has a good chunky heel.

1) Pop Boutique Shift Dress
2) Mango Cropped Jacket
3) ASOS POPLAR Platforms
4) Accessorize Mari Foldover Wrist Strap Wallet
5) Barry M Glitter Nail Paint - NP297
6) Topshop Matte Door Knocker Earrings
7) New Look Winter White Sheer Tights
8) ASOS Pack of Four Chain Bracelets

Party wear. I wanted something to take me across all sorts of events - Party/club/drinks/dinner - so didn't go too overboard with this one. I think the dress is dee-vine, a shift-with-a-twist due to it's fit, and I really liked the idea of pairing it with this more masculine style blazer - perfect for evening chills, but still in keeping with the look (60's vibe-ing!). The platforms? Where do I start?! I fell in love and based everything else around them. I mean, if you can't wear these sorts of shoes to a party, where can you wear them?! The accessories are a little more low-key - grant it the bag is technically a wallet, but I never take large bags out with me, and this'll fit a comb, mirror, my phone and a few extra bits just fine - as I didn't think the dress/jacket/shoes combination needed anything too overt, just a hint of sparkle on the nails and a flash of silver at the wrist!

1) Topshop Solid and Sheer Shirtdress
2) Topshop Lime Bandeau Bikini Top 
3) Topshop Lime Ruch Bikini Pants
4) Huey2 Gladiator Jelly Sandals
5) French Connection Sandy Pop Gummy Shopper
6) ASOS Nude Round Sunglasses
7) ASOS Jewelled Bunting Necklace
8) Accessorize Super Skinny Triple Belt Pack

I have just today found out that, after putting the look together yesterday, the French Connection shopper is now on sale for £39, which alters the overall total - NEW TOTAL £169.

I think this is probably my favourite of the three. I was recently talking with Paige about neon, and how I wouldn't know how to incorporate it into my wardrobe, but lo-and-behold, I've done it! I always feel that, when I'm on holiday, I can be a little more adventurous with my choices (it's that 'nobody knows me' feeling) and neon certainly is that! I love the dress and the fact that it has sheer panelling through which you would still be able to see a hint of neon. The belts (I would use just the lime and turquoise) would be used to give the dress a little more structure. The gummy bag (gummy bag, jelly shoes, was I hungry when I put this together by any chance?!) is big enough to fit in everyday beach essentials, the necklace dresses the outfit up enough that it could take me through different 'scenarios' - to the beach, out for lunch, even for a few cocktails in the evening if I so dared - and the jelly shoes are just because!

So there we have it! I do hope you lovelies had an enjoyable weekend.