Gertie's Wedding Guest Fashion Guide

I have a confession...I’m currently obsessed with fashion blogs. I know, I know, I can hear you all saying, ”Gertie, they’ve been around for ages”. But they haven’t for me because I’ve been in the midst of baby-breeding years where (1) looking in the mirror was forbidden, and (2) shopping for clothes was effectively ruled out as I couldn’t try anything on (see point 1).

My current faves are Style Bubble, The Clothes Horse, Fashion Style Advice and The Style PA. Sure, I’m curious as to what the stars of the day are sporting and the designers’ takes are on the next season. But this is not my obsession. My quest is to update my wardrobe with a few key pieces that cost as next to nothing as possible. I ultimately NEED to find the UK equivalent to The Budget Babe - who is brilliant! For those of you who aren’t familiar with her fantastic self, she presents a star of the day sporting a casually-styled, uber-trendy outfit and then finds the exact (well, pretty damn close) pieces that make up the look, from highstreet shops. The problem is that these shops are in the States, so when you add in the delivery fee to France it’s not so cheap, making me a lot less cheerful. Suggestions are welcome (needed!).

Moving on, I have a good friend who is good-naturedly putting up with my temporary fanaticism (well, we’ll let her believe it’s temporary). She decided to put me to the test and asked me to select an outfit to wear for a wedding to be held in a Kentish country manor in early September. To give you an idea of what she looks like, she’s a relatively tall, sized 14 brunette who just celebrated turning 40.

In my browsing I had stumbled across a brilliant on-line boutique called Chinadoll Boutique. Fantastic clothes for reasonable prices - and I love them because they are a bit different. Originally my friend wanted to go for the coral dress, but I spotted a similar dress with a much more flattering cut for her figure, in blue. Team this with nude pumps, a snakeskin clutch (also a current obsession), coral nail-polish and edgy, urban silver accessories from All Saints, and you’ve got a respectable but hip-for-a-Kentish-country-manor look going on.









You could also do a maxi-dress with an oversized clutch in this seasons key metallic, a pair of wedges and some killer shades. I love this Oasis maxi in burnt orange. It comes with a gold belt which you can match with your accessories, check out this beautiful butterfly embellished clutch from Accessorize.








I love Jenny Packham. Her dresses, especially her bridal range, are just sublime and so when I heard that she was creating a range for Debenhams, No. 1, I couldn't wait to get a look at her range and it didn't disappoint. This light gold waterfall dress is my personal favourite but please get onto the Debenhams site to check out the whole range as there are colours and styles to suit everyone.

I would be grateful for any assistance with my current infatuation. What fashion blogs are you into?