Prom

 

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Dress: Chi Chi London satin

Sandals: Novo leather lace-up

Bag: Sportsgirl vinyl

Watch: Gift, Guess rose gold & silver

Cuff: Gift, vintage rose gold aluminium & crystals

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Trends come & go but in my opinion, "ladylike" dressing is forever. 

When I was little, I hated the gorgeous, frilly frocks that my mother would put me in, preferring corduroy overalls or matching shorts & top combos that wouldn't get in the way during imaginative play or cause older ladies in the supermarket to tell me that I looked like a doll they played with when they were small (well, if I'm honest, that still happens to me on a regular basis... yep, really...) & during high school I wore cargo shorts & slogan tees on the weekend as a complete change from the heavy, "tablecloth" print dress uniforms we were forced to wear five days a week but all that changed nearly ten years ago when I started wearing only dresses - mostly smock & shift styles.

Only recently have I started to understand the innate pull towards wearing something that nips in at the waist & flares out at the hip, due to either box-pleating or layers upon layers of tulle; something undeniably feminine that conjures up images of being a princess or debutante & leads to inevitable twirling...

This stunning satin "prom" dress from Chi Chi London (an Asos concession) really IS something special, with its high neckline, scoop back, fit-to-flare shape & mullet hemline was perfect for a day of shopping in the River City followed by a delicious lunch at Dumpling Republic in the Wintergarden. To "tone down" the look a little for daytime, I mixed the vibrant print - white & red roses on a French navy background - with a pair of edgy flesh-tone, laser-cut, lace-up sandals from Novo to elongate my legs & carried a boxy bone vinyl handbag from Sportsgirl with rose gold hardware.

When it came to jewellery, less was definitely more - a gorgeous rose gold & silver Guess watch with crystal border around the face & a vintage, 1960s rose gold aluminium cuff with a rainbow of inland crystals. As a final finishing touch, I added a slick of bright red Revlon lipstick (a shade called "Romance") to pick up on the large-scale roses in the dress' pattern & create a cohesive overall look.

Now that the fashion is taken care of, scroll down for a peek at some of the dishes that form part of the Dumpling Republic lunch offering. The restaurant is highly recommended - the ambiance is amazing when sitting behind the avant garde frieze of steel butterflies & twisted branches that stretch across the Wintergarden's revamped facade, looking out onto the Queen Street Mall; the service is excellent & the meals are varied & delicious.

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