Grungin' It Up In Gingham.

This is probably the first photo of me wearing a pink ensemble since I was about 7 years old, so drink it up. I think I have had a bit of an unfair aversion to pink clothing for the last few years, choosing to associate it with Barbie-esque hair extensions and a heavy spray tan; but when I saw this dress on Motel, I fell a little bit in love with it. I've made no secret of the fact that I like my outfits to have an element of grunge to them, and not look too "overdone", so with this in mind I was a little worried about how I could make pink work for me - but I do love a challenge. As always, I layered my favourite necklaces over it which are from ASOS and Empty Casket. This had the desired effect of taking me away from that dreaded Barbie route. I was originally going to team it with my JC Lita's, but it was so warm yesterday that I opted for my new La Moda sliders. This whole outfit was for a mini music festival that my local pub hosts every year, so the loose fit of this slip dress was a real winner when I spied the giant BBQ. Aside from the occasional "why are you wearing PJs?" comments, I was happy with how this outfit worked out and surprisingly didn't feel out of my comfort zone by not wearing my atypical outfit of 95% black.

(Dress - Motel Rocks, Shoes - La Moda, Choker - ASOS, Necklace - Empty Casket, Bag - H&M, bangle - Topshop, Rings - Primark)

As for my make-up, I kept it fairly simple but I opted for a purple toned lipstick for a more 90s feel, rather than my signature red lip, and my hair - as always- pretty much did its own thing. I let it dry naturally in the sun and then scrunched some Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray into the ends before flicking my straighteners over my fringe/curtains. Also, I apologise for the rather boring setting of my photos, I was running late as always. 

Another thing - if any of you choose to buy anything from Motel Rocks, you can get 20% discount off your orders with the code "RHIANSD24"

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xx

Bohemian Vibes.

I feel a little self conscious writing another post about this kimono seems as I did one not too long ago - I think it's just such a statement piece that it remains rather fresh in my mind, but it's simply too pretty to end up being a "one time wonder" piece of clothing that I castaway to the far depths of my overflowing wardrobe. I went for a couple (okay - a lot) of drinks for a friend's birthday last night. We only headed down to our local pub, but regardless of that, I didn't really want to go for the "full slob" kinda look. Seems as it was the hottest day of the year to date, I thought I'd opt for a dress of sorts - however the problem which lies within this decision is that I have a rather unhealthy obsession with black clothing. Albeit, this is hardly an apocalyptic issue, but it does make summer dressing a little boring sometimes. That's why I think that this Rat and Boa kimono is perfect for those of us with a penchant for darker colours; it's sheer, lightweight and really lifts an otherwise boring outfit. It adds a great deal of colour and dimension to an outfit without being overpowering.

Kimono - Rat and Boa, Dress - ASOS, Shoes - La Moda, Anklet - Ebay, Rings - Primark, Watch - Marc Jacobs, Bag - Urban Outfitters, Choker - ASOS

I'm so glad that I finally got a hold of a pair of these La Moda shoes as well, especially because they went down to half price in the sale; they are just the most versatile shoe I have ever bought. Plus, I can finally give you all a break from my much-loved Primark sandals now. Oh - and as you can all probably tell by now, I do tend to recycle the same accessories over and over again. It's ridiculous, because I have so much jewellery and keep buying more, but I always go back to the same key pieces. Does anyone else do that? 

Sunflowers & Sunburn.

There's a lot of things which make summer the best season of the year.....sunburn, however, is not one of them. The beach breeze in Brighton is absolutely lethal, I spent the majority of our first day lounging around in my bikini with goosebumps over my skin - I was adamant that my phone was lying to me and that the weather wasn't actually sunbathing weather, but I'm stubborn and continued to lay there in a desperate attempt to tan....and boy, did I tan. We all know that sunburnt skin is not chic; luckily my sunburn hasn't shown up too badly in the photos, but I assure you that even something as simple as sitting down became painful. With this in mind, tight fitting clothes were off the menu which meant I finally got a chance to wear this Motel Rocks sunflower print dress; it's loose fitting and something akin to a smock which is generally a style that I steer clear of out of fear of looking pregnant. I'm pretty short (5"4) so I normally wear something which gives me a bit of shape so that I don't look like a complete toddler running riot around the place; but I have to admit, I kinda liked the floaty shape to this dress in the end. I'm not much of a "girly girl" when it comes to dresses, I like to toughen things up with heavier accessories and chunky shoes but I left this outfit fairly minimalistic and I think it worked well for an effortless, holiday look. Obviously I couldn't resist layering on a choker and an Empty Casket necklace for good measure though.

(Dress - Motel Rocks, Choker - ASOS, Necklace - Empty Casket, Bangles - Primark, Ring - Primark, Sandals - Primark, Watch - Marc Jacobs, Anklet - Ebay)

I do feel as though I should draw attention to the fact that my legs are a completely different colour to the rest of my body - I am the most uneven tanner that you will ever meet, it's something of a curse. Also, you can get 20% off this Motel Rocks dress, or any other full price product on their website if you enter my discount code "RHIANSD24" at checkout. 

Crochet Crush.

First things first....forgive the slightly lame post title, it's a Sunday morning and my head isn't fully in the game yet -it's days like today when I really wish that I liked coffee! I went for a couple of drinks with friends last night and as always, my poor time management skills meant that I was running around like a headless chicken by 8pm, screeching at my father to take photos as quickly as possible, so you'll just have to work with my slightly awkward posing for today. Given that I was running so late, I opted for quite a quirky dress that would do all the talking itself, detracting from my haphazardly slapped on make-up, so this little Rat and Boa number seemed like the perfect choice. Lightweight, summery and unique, it allowed the rest of my outfit to just fall into place fairly naturally - embracing my deeply hated natural curls (dubbed as the "wicked wave" by my father - cheers for that one, Dad!) which were touched up with a quick flick of my straighteners to tousle it all into place and cemented by the lifesaver which is Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray. All in all, I'm fairly happy with how this outfit panned out, although in hindsight, I'd probably team the dress with some chunky boots to toughen it up a little and add a little edge to it but that can be a post for another day!

Dress - Ratandboa.com

Gold cuff - New Look

Bangle & rings - Camden Market

Spiked necklace - River Island

Wishbone necklace - ASOS

Shoes - River Island

Bag - Primark

I think I've gushed about Rat and Boa in almost every one of my blogposts so far, but I really can't help it. For anyone that hasn't checked them out, I couldn't recommend them more. They have such lovely bohemian pieces which are often limited in stock figures, everything on the site sells out really quickly and they rarely restock the same items, so it's nice to be assured that you're spending your hard-earned cash on a really individualistic piece. It was just so lovely to go out last night and not have that recurring nightmare that often happens when you wear a River Island or Topshop dress for a night out....the dreaded realisation that somebody two tables across has the same dress on as you - it really is the worst! It's easy to change the look of a skirt just by wearing a slightly more unusual top with it, but a dress is often the statement piece in itself, that's why I enjoyed knowing that it was extremely unlikely to see somebody in the same dress as me last night, it was somewhat refreshing to stand out from the sea of bodycon dresses for a change. Could any of you recommend any slightly different shops to those on the high street? I'm always on the lookout for more ways to demolish my bank balance.

Sheer Lizard.

Hi guys - just a quick introduction seems as this is my first post. I'm Rhian, a 23 year old English Literature graduate from South Wales. I've dabbled with fashion writing for a couple of years (including a work placement on the fashion desk for Closer magazine), but I wanted to create my own personal online space to showcase my own day-to-day outfits and to bore you all with the details of life in the sleepy Welsh valleys. You can find out more about me on my About Me page, or via my personal twitter/instagram pages which are linked in my sidebar. But anyway, let's get back to the point....

Kimono - Ratandboa.com, Jeans - Topshop (rips- DIY) , Sandals - Primark, Bag - Urban Outfitters

I had a day off work today, so I popped out to do a bit of shopping in Cardiff and this is what I wore. I do tend to wear alot of black, so this sheer, floor length kimono from Rat and Boa seemed a little bit daunting at first, but I like how it works layered over an otherwise boring outfit, it adds a bit of an edge whilst still encapsulating the laid back vibe which I like my outfits to have. I've always loved Rat and Boa's casual yet vibrant and edgy style, especially their summer lookbooks - they are my favourite brand when it comes to festival styling. Speaking of summer, I swear there was a brief appearance of sun in Wales today...before the heavens opened right back up and left my choice of footwear looking somewhat questionable to the other shoppers with their feet cosily tucked away in boots. Cold toes are surely a small price to pay in order to show off the absolute bargain that is these Primark sandals though, right? Let me know what you think of this kimono, and what your go-to festival shops are.