Summer Playsuits: River Island

I have such a love/hate relationship with playsuits. I love how glamorous they look,  the summery vibe they evoke and their wonderful history from being invented in the 1930s, worn heavily by Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor in the 60s. Playsuits have stood the test of time and every summer they keep reappearing back in our wardrobes, they only issue is they tend to not suit me. 

After losing so much weight in the past, I have a little bit of a jiggly belly and playsuits have a tendency to draw attention to it. It's very rare that I come across a playsuit I love because of this, even though I'm always drawn to them and spend hours trying them on. Whilst I was shopping for my honeymoon essentials a few weeks ago, I came across this gorgeous turquoise print playsuit from River Island. The pattern looks tropical and summery, whilst the black bottomed shorts make this playsuit look glamorous and elegant. The playsuit looks like it can be dressed up or down for various occasions and the beautiful turquoise colour will look great whilst I'm strolling on the San Antonio beach in Ibiza.

If there's anything I have learnt from my mini shopping spree, it is that you shouldn't automatically rule out certain clothing based on a few ill fitting garments. I've searched all over for the perfect playsuit and this is one of them that I'm happy to be in my wardrobe.

Have you bought any playsuits recently?

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Lady in Blue

Blue is one of my favourite colours and possibly the one colour that really suits my skin tone, but it wasn't until last year that I really started wearing it. When I was younger, my wardrobe mainly consisted of really dark clothes. In fact I was a 'goth' for several years so the majority of my wardrobe was made up of the colour black. It didn't help that I was also chubby. My weight was one of the main reasons why I did not want to wear colour. My thoughts at the time was that colours remained with the slim people that could pull them off and black was the most slimming colour a slightly larger girl could carry off. As I grew more confident with my appearance, I realised that life was too short to not embrace colour and wearing the right colours can give you a radiant glow.

I'm naturally pale with can come with many problems when finding the right clothing and I have recently realised (better later than never) that colour adds warmth to my skin, particularly the colour blue. 

I bought this playsuit from my local boutique Pink Cadillac (link) and fell in love with it at first sight. The playsuit fits like a dream, has a really cool caged back and neck piece and gives me a slight mediterranean look, rather than pale, dull and boring. This playsuit looks great teamed up my curled ombre hair and some chunky jewellery, I think this is my new favourite outfit.

Are you a fan of colour?

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Retro Ombre

Right now I'm loving all the playsuits that are currently on the high street. Spring is probably one of my favourite times for fashion. Out come all the beautiful pastel pinks and baby blue colours and everything is transformed into either flower power or 70s inspired soft leathers. Floral patterns are probably one of the most reoccurring themes in my wardrobe as I have a soft spot for anything that looks vintage. This playsuit sent to me by www.5fashion.co.uk* is currently one of my favourite items and on Instagram and my personal Facebook, it has proved rather popular.

The description of 5Fashion on their website is simply fantastic and does really well to sum up their brand - fun, affordable and style conscious.

"Every once in a while, you witness a friendship that makes you stop in your tracks and think, ‘Whoa, that’s just beautiful..’ and this time around, that friendship goes by the names of Emma, Kellie and Ebony; three Manchester-based companions, the City where it's okay to become intoxicated by fashion, fun and standing out.Graduates in Fashion & Marketing from The University Of Manchester, this friendship, when witnessed, is truly unforgettable and scarce. An eclectic mix, the three bring their own twist in the big world that is Fashion.The last 12 months have been busy for the friends. They have moved away from a major on-line fashion company to collaborate and make their own mark in women’s online fashion.Drawing inspiration from all aspects of fashion, Emma, Kellie and Ebony have taken their experience and launched what we now know as 5Fashion." 5Fashion.co.uk

The playsuit has a beautiful vintage floral design with cutaway sleeves and ribbon detail at the back. I love how this playsuit gives me a retro inspired hourglass figure and it fits like a dream. Although the playsuit is floral, it has a rock'n'roll vibe and looks a little bit edgy - which suits my personality down to a tee. I teamed this up with my Lavish Alice cut away boots, my Astrid and Miyu chunky necklace and my rose gold watch from River Island. To finish off the look and to give me an edgy, rock'n'roll appeal I wore my favourite ombre half wig extension by Wonderland Wigs.

What is your favourite outfit at the moment?

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Oops...I shopped.

Hi, my name is Jessica and I'm a shopaholic.I confess that having spent several days saying I was going on a spending ban, I'm guilty of shopping til I drop. In my defence, everything I bought was an absolute bargain and all was done in the name of my blog. Gosh, who am I kidding? I broke my shopping ban and I don't feel guilty one bit.  The first item I've recently bought are my new hair extensions in the above photo. My hair has been looking so dead lately and I really need a haircut. I wanted a temporary fix for those days where my hair is looking drab and I've become obsessed with half wigs. This half wig was bought from Ebay for £18.99 - cheaper than a haircut and they look fabulous.

My second purchase was getting my nails done. I've recently got a new job and wanted my nails to look really nice. It's been years since I last got my nails done, because my previous job had me handling a lot of chemicals and they used to peel off within a few days. I went to a salon in my local town and the Jeleration nails applied. They look so sparkly and feel ten times better than before I went in.

If you have read my Twitter feed lately, you will have seen me ranting about fur coats. I've never found a fur coat that suits me. I don't know why, but I always feel like they make me look podgy and a little bit old fashioned. I came across this coat whilst in Dorothy Perkins the other day and fell in love with it.I admit, the sizing could be better. This coat is a size 6, but still feels big on me, but during the winter I suppose it's great to have a coat that is quite roomy. The jacket was supposed to be £59.00, however there's a 20% sale on at the moment and I got another 20% off with student discount. That came to an almighty 40% off and the total sale of £35.40. I couldn't believe my luck.

The last two items I bought are from Miss Selfridge. My local branch currently has a sale on and at the moment, you can buy any sale item and get one free. I've been looking for a small bag to take to work and university on days where I don't have to carry a lot around. The bag was £20 and I got the playsuit free. What's more interesting is that I was allowed student discount on top of the sale and I managed to get the bag and playsuit for £18 instead. The previous retail price of these items were £42 each, meaning I got a massive £66 saving...I think my spending was justified.

Have you been shopping lately?

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