OOTD: Summer Ball

If you go a little way back into the archives of this blog (although I recommend you don't, that stuff can get a tad cringey), you'll find an OOTD I did around this time last year for a Casino-Themed Ball. The time to celebrate the end of the school year - and actually the end of my school career, this time - has come back around, and I thought I'd share with you once again the outfit I put together. The theme this year was Hollywood. Although I didn't really stick to the theme so much this year, I'm super happy with how the look turned out, so I hope you like it too!

I told myself that this year I wouldn't go for a black dress, as I wore black last year, but I couldn't turn this one down (and it does have plenty of other colours on it so I'll let myself off). It's probably the most 'me' dress I've ever owned, plus the interwoven colours of the flowers make pairing accessories and shoes with it a lot easier; you can get pretty creative with it. I found it on the New Look website (no surprises there) but is actually by a brand called Parisian. The quality of the dress is fab, and has the right balance of feminine and night-out-ish-ness so that it can be worn on lots of different occasions. I'm obsessed and I intend to wear it as much as possible.

If you've read any of my older outfit posts you may have seen these shoes crop up before. Also from New Look, these patent stone-coloured slingbacks work brilliantly with a multitude of looks. I wear these with all sorts of colours since they are very neutral, while the shiny finish round off any outfit with a boost of sophistication. New Look shoes are all-in-all a perfect budget option; they last a decent amount of time while being relatively comfy. These shoes are a great alternative to black, especially for the summer time, and I'm sure this won't be the last time I see them this season.

If you did rummage through the archives to find last year's post, then you'll probably recognise the clutch bag. This simple red envelope bag from Amazon worked so well with the red flowers on the dress that I couldn't not use it again this year. It really is a very useful thing - it has an extra pocket inside, and comes with both a wrist and shoulder strap, so can be used for all kinds of red bag associated needs. Who knows - if a uni ball occurs next summer, you might be seeing it again in another year's time :P

If I'm not wearing my Pandora rings these days I may as well be naked. I can't leave the house without them. I have three - the Star Stacking Ring, the Dazzling Daisy Ring and the Delicate Heart Ring. I wear the first two on my right index finger and the latter on my middle left finger. I've recently got a new piece of jewellery, too, that I now wear every single day (or since I got it on Tuesday for my 18th Birthday from my lovely Mum and Dad - but I'm sure I will wear it every day from now on), and that is this Kate Spade bangle. This subtle piece works wonderfully as an everyday or a going-out addition to your look. Though the metal clashes somewhat with my silver rings, it goes well with the pink accents on the dress. And who cares if it clashes? Imma wear it and love it anyway.

Finally we have this necklace, which I also wear everyday. The floral pendant is also from Pandora, although I can only find it on eBay now. It's gorgeous though subtle, and ties in nicely with the floral pattern of the dress. I love this necklace and will continue to wear it for a very long time. 

So there's the whole outfit! I'm incredibly happy with it and can't wait to wear it tonight amongst the company of my bestest friends.

From, 

Eleanor