Summer Cotton Dresses under £70

I'm probably being overly optimistic about the weather in the UK but I'm dying to burn my leggings and tights. I just want to put on summery dresses so that my legs can finally see sunshine for once. My English friends were aghast and nearly blinded by the sight of my untanned legs which was the same shade as Edward Cullen's face.

I've been on a look-out for simple cotton dresses which can double as a tunic during the colder months. These are factors that I consider before plonking down ££ for a dress:

1. Length
I can't do over the knee length because I'm so short vertically challenged. But then again, I can't do micro mini dresses since I'm constantly having to run after and picking up an Energizer bunny (oops another Freudian slip) overactive 4 year old.

2. Comfort
I like simple unfussy dresses which I can accessorize with different jewelry and belts.

3. Cost
I refuse to plonk down my hard earned money for casual attire BUT I will invest in a good coat, jacket, bag and accessories.

4. Wearability
I don't mind sheer fabrics but I've seen so many dresses with NO lining. Highly impractical. I'm sure I'll score a few wolfwhistles but for all the wrong reasons.

5. Fabric
I prefer cotton or modal which I can just throw into the washing machine and tumble dry.

Here are some of my picks:

Topshop Navy Cotton Crochet Smock dress £35 down to £15 www.topshop.com
I just bought this and it is surprisingly well made.

American Vintage Cotton Jacksonville Tunic Dress £55 www.the-dressingroom.com

Petit Bateau "Sara" Dress 25€ www.monshowroom.com

Uniqlo Dark Purple T-shirt dress £12 www.uniqlo.co.uk

 Lynn Adler Marine Cotton Voile Dress 68€ www.monshowroom.com

Twist & Tango Salute Dress 69€ www.monshowroom.com

Warehouse Shirt Dress £40 www.houseoffraser.co.uk

Asos Fitted Waist Sundress £22 www.asos.com

Fast Forward Fashion Forward sale - luxury shoes by Prada, Gucci, Dior, Miu Miu, Luella, Stella Mc Cartney and more

For those of you who live in the UK, you might want to check out the sample sale.

Fashion Forward invites you to its private sample sales of luxury shoes. Thursday 29 April 2010, 11.30am-7pm and Saturday 8 May 2010, 11.30am-5pm NEW STOCK ARRIVING FOR EACH SALE DAY Venue: 18 Devonshire Street, London W1G 7AU It's time for Fashion Forward's shoe sale extravaganza and we're inviting a limited number of guests to experience the hottest shoe sale in town. Womens' shoes by Prada, Gucci, Balenciaga, D&G, Luella, Marc Jacobs, Sergio Rossi, Stella Mc Cartney, Dior, Miu Miu and more. Size 35-41. MASSIVE DISCOUNTS OF UP TO 70% Also available will be womenswear samples from See by Chloe, Rock&Republic, Nolita and more. Plus menswear by Rock&Republic and childrenswear by Nolita. We request that payments at this sale are made by cash for shoe purchases. For clothing, payments may be made by credit card for purchases of £150+ Click here to register for guest places and we will email their confirmation subject to availability. To become a member of Fashion Forward and be guaranteed an invitation to all private showroom sales costs just £7 per month. Around 30 private sale events take place each year in central London showrooms where Fashion Forward members purchase next season's luxury collections of womenswear, shoes and accessories at up to 70% discount.

Bargains: Childrenwear

It's no secret that I'm a HUGE fan of Petit Bateau. In fact, almost 70% of L's wardrobe came from Petit Bateau. The French favorite is the one place I head to if I needed to get everyday cotton basics. Their clothes are comfy, well made and their children's seasonal collections are so adorable. I found this website which slashed most of their Petit Bateau range down to 50%. Check out these goodies at www.redyellowblue.co.uk

Petit Bateau Girls Rose Cotton Dress With Back Fastening £12

Petit Bateau Pink Checked Cotton dress £18

Petit Bateau Pink Cotton Cardigan £15

Petit Bateau Striped PJs £14

Elephantito started out with a range of European inspired shoes and has branched into clothing. I adore these dresses. They're 50% off at www.bellsandwhistleskids.co.uk

Elephantito Tunic Dress £22

Elephantito Mauve Winter dress £24

Off the beaten path: Lijiang

Lijiang is approximately 800 years old. It is situated in the Yunnan province and is considered a Unesco heritage town. The 1996 earthquake nearly totaled the entire city. Many of the ancient canals, buildings and bridges were reconstructed and rebuilt. The dominant ethnic minority group in Lijiang is the Naxi tribe. Being so close to Tibet, their culture and language is similar to that of their neighbor.

Steve and I loved wandering around the old town. Having had typhoid before, he was extremely careful with what and where he ate. I would eat at a hawker stall on the street and then we'll have to search for a high-end restaurant for my man. And guess who ended up having diarrhoea?? The moral of the story is expensive restaurants do not necessarily mean better hygiene.

Both of us adore calligraphy. We stumbled upon a Christian calligrapher who wrote bible verses. Given that only government sanctified churches are allowed, this was highly unusual. He could barely hold his excitement in check when he saw my cross pendant (which doubles as a fashion statement!). He was brimming with enthusiasm because he so badly wanted to tell someone how he was miraculously healed on his deathbed. He was diagnosed with terminal cancer and had weeks to live. A doctor sat on his bed and told him that although he couldn't do much for him, if he didn't mind, could he pray for him? The retired pensioner agreed. Over the course of a few days, he was able to walk out of the hospital completely cancer-free. It has been 8 years and I still remember how utterly radiant and contented he looked.









Smoked rats, anyone? Just kidding. Maybe not.

How should I pair my denim cut-offs?

While I'm rather proud of my genius invention, hubby thinks I've lost the plot. Who on earth would be silly enough to lop off her expensive albeit very old pair of denim? May I remind him that I did not pay retail for them and they'd been lying in my closet, collecting dust for 4 years?! Since "going green" is all the rage in the UK, I'm helping to save the planet by recycling my clothes. Those who are with me say AY!

 Every so often, I'd check out JCrew to get inspiration. Alas, their online store isn't available to UK residents but the good news is Net-a-porter will be one of their stockists sometime this year. Boy, was I excited to see the amazing outfits they've teamed up with cut-offs. Here are some examples:

Dresses for work under £50

Sometimes I wish I was back at my old job just so that I could wear these delectable, oops I meant professional looking attire. Lately, I can't seem to get enough of dresses. They're easy to put on and you don't even have to worry about matching the top and bottom. Furthermore, they're flattering if the fit is good. Here are my picks for dresses under £50.

Mango Workwear Shift Dress £47.50, available at Asos.com

Asos Pleat Detail Workwear Dress £30, available at Asos.com

Asos Workwear Linen Tulip Dress £30, available at Asos.com

Joules Cotton Shirt Dress £59 (although it's not technically under £50, you can get a 20% discount if you use an internet code PP63 at www.joulesclothing.com

Denim shorts

Twelve years ago, I backpacked around Greece in my favorite Levi's 501 jeans which I alternate with another pair of pants. The weather got hotter and hotter and then when I thought it couldn't get any worse, Europe was hit with one of the worst heatwaves in history. I couldn't take it anymore so I bought a pair of scissors and hacked off the legs of my Levi's (actually I stole it from my younger brother).

So here I am, heading back to Greece a decade and a bit later, I'm on a hunt for a decent pair of shorts and what do I see?? Jeans cutoffs. Except you'll have to fork out £££ to get the same tattered look like my ancient pair. I saw them on jcrew.com, River Island, asos.com etc etc. They obviously went through a great deal of effort to rip out the jeans and make them look worn.

Do I truly want to pay THAT much for a pair of denim shorts with large holes on the front and back? Or perhaps I'm just too old and coupled with the fact that I have cellulite, excess skin from my pregnancy and ..... Okay you don't really need to know the rest. So, I dug around my rather meager closet and found out I have 5 pairs of jeans. I only truly wear 3 pairs on rotation. I've lost weight despite cooking everything in butter. That sealed the fate of one of my least worn pair of jeans.

BEFORE

My old 7 for all Mankind jeans was actually loose when I tried them on yesterday. I haven't worn these in 4.5 years! Previously, I had to suck my tummy in so hard before I could even button the darn thing.

AFTER

Voila! No stitching required which was fantastic because I can barely sew.

Naughty corner

Okay, we don't actually have a naughty corner at our flat. I'm an equal opportunist. Any corner or wall will do. L is a good kid. Kind, considerate, thoughtful and obedient. Her friends' mothers never fail to espouse her angelic virtues.  My friends always look forward to seeing her. I may have to eat my words when another dress crisis hits which almost always happens every morning when L's getting ready for school.

Ever since she turned 3.5, I rarely send her to the naughty corner/wall/whatever. However today, she accidentally drew on the bedsheet. She sent HERSELF to the naughty corner and sat there. She got upset and started to whinge because she was tired and then realized she wasn't being a good girl. So, she sent HERSELF to the naughty corner again. During dinner, she refused to eat her carrots (my girl is odd. She'll only eat GREEN or purple vegetables and no other) so she duly marched over to the naughty corner for the third time.

Motherhood. When you think you know it all, they do something else to throw you off.

Hampshire market

It's hard to get fresh fish where I am so imagine my delight when I saw a fishmonger setting up shop at our weekly market. The seabass I bought from him was hauled in the night before.




No, the prawns weren't painted green. It was a reflection from the signboard.

I've bought croissants and bread from Town Mill Bakery at the market before which L loved. Robin, the owner was kind enough to sneak a couple more into our paper bag. I couldn't resist the bread stick which L promptly wolfed down. Check out these goodies below. Oh and he is the guy to go to if you want to know more about medieval England. I would've gladly graduated with a history degree, instead of the useless pyschology major if my professor was this passionate and interesting about the topic.


Robin the baker

A perfect day at Montisfont Abbey

When Lou suggested we took the kids to Montisfont Abbey, I jumped at the opportunity. The kids were ready to climb the walls after being cooped up in the house all day so it was a great excuse to take them out for fresh air. It was the perfect day with the sun shining down on us (I'm starting to realize that sunny days are very rare here in the UK).

Montisfont Abbey was built in 1201 by William Brewer, an unpopular man who made a fortune through rather underhanded means. In fact, he was so hated that the people in the counties he governed paid the King to have him removed. He must've felt rather guilty towards the end of his life and tried to atone for his sins by becoming a monk. Pretty extreme if you ask me.















After a lovely short walk, the kids started to whinge and whine. We thought it'd be best if we grabbed lunch immediately before their bleatings turn into ravenous roars. The food at the kitchen was some of the best I've ever had. I ordered a children portion of Shepherd's Pie which was outstanding.  My word! The ginormous portion was way too much for a child! It was made of Hampshire free range lean minced pork, delicately flavored with Worcestershire sauce and chopped tomatoes. The piped mashed potatoes was soft and fluffy. The dish was priced at £3.25. Unbelievably cheap. Lou and I shared a slice of chocolate caramel shortbread. Absolutely divine. The kids had ham and cheese sandwiches followed by home-made cookie, raisins and juice, all nicely packed in a cute box.


Look at the restored kitchen. Love it!


I would come back just for the food. Their hearty fare and droolworthy dessert were some of the best I've ever had.



We explored their beautifully maintained garden. Flowers, flowers, flowers everywhere.













The two best friends played their favorite game - princesses. They spent hours concocting stories and pretended to dance in the ballroom (gazebo in the garden) with their respective princes. And this is what happened when you give a child your lip balm........



and this.....


And you thank your lucky stars that you weren't silly enough to give them a bright red lippy





Off to the ice-cream parlor for the reward we've promised them.


A scoop of raspberry meringue ice cream on a teddy bear cone. All for a princely sum of 65 pence!


There's even a little shop for the adults




The end