POSTCARD FROM ISTANBUL

This post is a little different to our usual posts. Although we have a passion for fashion, our other desire in life is to travel and see the world. Last year we decided to visit Istanbul in Turkey, the largest European city that stretches across both Europe and Asia. We wanted to explore a destination that had a different culture to what we see in England, because we are always thirsty to learn about aspects of the world you wouldn't see sitting at home. We stayed at a beautiful hotel called Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Istanbul - Old Town. This facility was filled with boutiques, a spa, a gym and we also got a complimentary cookie on arrival. 

During out time in Istanbul we visited many different locations, learning out their history and culture. These places included palaces, mosques, Grand Bazaar as well as crossing over the Bosphorus Bridge to Asia. It was lovely exploring a city that was vastly different to the cities that we have grown up in. Over the next couple of weeks we will be posting photos outside to destinations that we visited. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque and the Beylerbeyi Palace. Hope you enjoy!

HOTEL - Doubletree By Hilton Hotel Istanbul - Old Town

SUMMER FLOWERS

 

 One of the things that I love about the summer months is that you can still dress up for the day time. If you're just going to work or seeing friends, there is no reason that you can't wear a dress and look pretty. This dress that is featured in this post is from Quiz, and is currently in their end of summer sale. Bargin! Floral patterns will always be the height of spring/summer fashion, and as this is a simple skater dress you know it will always be in fashion year in year out. There's nothing worst than buying a garment that goes out of fashion as quick as it came in. When I go shopping for a new outfit, I always think it's worth your while going for something a little simpler so you know you will get your money's worth out of it. 

This gorgeous dress is also perfect to transfer from day to night. All is needed is a simple shoe swap. Comfy ballet flats (as seen in the pictures above) that can be changed with some white, nude or pink heels. Every day-time outfit needs a handbag to store all your daily necessities. This cute little pastel bag is from River Island, and although it does look small, there are numerous compartments to fit everything in. It's your typical Mary Poppins bag.  Due to the floral pattern on the garment, you won't need to add many (if not none) accessories to this outfit. Here I am just wearing my simple Pandora bracelet and rings and I feel that is all that I personally need. I love the fact that you can't look over dressed for the day time in this dress, therefore this is a definite go-to outfit what ever the occasion. If you have that first date or a family BBQ, you are dressing to impress effortlessly.

DRESS - Quiz / SHOES - New Look / BAG - River Island / JEWELRY - Pandora

DEEP V

This playsuit from Topshop features a deep V neckline, elasticated waistline and flared shorts. Personally, if you're wanting to go braless with this number I would suggest it would be best for us ladies who aren't blessed with the biggest bosom. This is because the material is a little slippery when placed onto the skin so it may move around a lot. I would wear this outfit more in the nighttime, or if you are going somewhere like a festival. I did wear this to Radio One's Big Weekend (with a bra this time) earlier this summer, as we all know festivals are one big fashion catwalk. 

Due to the playsuit being plain black, a variety of gold or colourful accessories can be added to jazz this outfit up. I chose to add gold jewelry from New Look and Hollister, however any colourful jewelry and accessories will perfect match this garment. As well as the freedom of using pretty much any accessories you want with this, it can be the same for the shoes. You could wear bright shoes to match your bright jewelry, gold shoes to match your gold jewelry or nude/tan shoes like I have chosen to do. I've seen these shoes, or similar ones, featured a lot on fashionable instagram pages. I couldn't believe my luck when I stumbled across these as I was walking through Primark. 2 pairs left and one of them were a size 4, perfect! And being a neutral colour, I know I will be getting a lot of use out of these. 

PLAYSUIT - Topshop / SHOES - Primark / NECKLACE - New Look / BRACELET - Hollister

THE WONDERFUL WAISTCOAT

This outfit is perfect for day-to-night wear. During the day, this outfit is a great way to stay casually while looking stylish. The sleeveless waistcoat is currently the height of high street fashion, and you will be able to find a rainbow of different colours in stores. I've personally gone for a waistcoat from Quiz as (yes, for obvious reasons) but this can easily be thrown into the washing machine as it could gain marks being white. All colours that you can buy this waistcoat in will be perfect for this summer season. I have gone for the simple white and black waistcoats, because quite frankly, you can't go wrong with those colours. 

To make this outfit suitable for the night time, simple pop on a pair of classic white heels. The heels featured in this post are from Miss Guided. Again, you can't go wrong with these. These simple white heels will go with pretty much any outfit, and as there isn't a lot of material around your foot, for me it's completely painless. That's exactly what I need when I'm dancing to the small hours of the morning. No pain during the night and my feet aren't still hurting when I roll up to work the next morning hungover. Smart, casual, day and night, I think I will be wearing this outfit quite a lot!

WAISTCOAT - Quiz / TOP - New Look / Shorts - H&M / SHOES - Miss Guided