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Check Please! Gingham Vest Crop Top and Trousers [Primark]
I don’t often shop on the High Street but, along with thousands of others, ended lockdown by mooching about in Primarni. It wasn’t very busy when I went which I was glad about too.
I happened upon this little outfit which is just adorable! Obviously the only one left in my size was on the actual mannequin so I had to ask a friendly store person to wrangle the mannequin out of their clothes (which was also funny as I hadn’t expected her to just rip off the arms in a somewhat brutal fashion – can you tell I haven’t worked in retail?!).
It comprises a mint gingham crop top and matching trousers and has an elasticated fit. I usually buy tops a size bigger to allow for boobage so I did the same here, but could have done with my normal size to be honest because of the stretch in the material. I’m pretty happy with it though and it has the loveliest gathered bust details over a fitted bodice and a sweetheart neckline with straps for support.
At the back, the top is low backed with a fixed bow which I just love! There’s a side zip to get in and out of it if you’re wondering whether you need to be Houdini – you don’t!
Gorgeous bow detail to the back The trousers are slim fitting on the leg with a side zip and have a faux belt detail to the front – don’t think that belt is moving, because it’s going nowhere! I like the feature though and together with the top it’s a really sweet Spring/Summer outfit. I bought my normal size in the trousers but could have sized down if they’d had that size in stock. Again, I’m pretty happy with the size I have though as it means I can eat puddings to my heart’s content haha.
I paired it with pink, adding a pink and white gingham cardigan, fuchsia heels and mint and pink accessories. I love mint, it’s one of my favourite colours and looks amazing with so many others like yellow, purple, red etc. I kept it pastel perfection though and even blended in with my picnic blanket! I wouldn’t normally wear a cropped top but it’s vest style so long enough to just about cover my mid riff and the back is so pretty I just had to have it!
The top costs £8 and the trousers are £10. You can see them here featured on the Primark site. Hope you manage to find them in your local store and continue to stay safe you gorgeous lot x
For reference:
I’m 4’11” and wearing 4 inch heels. I’m a size 4 or 6 in Primark usually. Above I’m wearing a size 8 top and size 6 trousers. My measurements for reference are 33:24:33.
Also wearing:
Cardigan: previous Collectif season
Sunnies: previous Collection season
Necklace: previous Collectif season (part of the Natalie set)
Hair flowers: Collectif last year and high street
Shoes: Lulu Hun Lorena in fuchsia
Bangles: Splendette and Bow & Crossbones
Earrings: Bow & Crossbones -
Matalan Petite Review – Papaya April Ankle Grazer Jeans
I don’t shop on the High Street much, but I was browsing (monstera covered) homewares when I happened upon the petite collection at Matalan (which had launched five years ago apparently!). The range is limited, as with most petite collections, but there’s enough to provide a petite gal with a good few options for Summer.
Available in sizes 6-18, I tried on a few things in a 6 and the proportions were on the large side for me personally. However, there were a couple of pieces which were great.
I loved this green Paisley Shirt Dress which had a strong 70’s vibe. There are buttons all the way down the centre, on the cuffs of the cropped sleeves and a pull through belt. It’s a cool midi length, but it would be too long for me without heels. They aim for 5’3″ and under, so it would probably be great for the top end of that height range if you only wear flats. Add some tortoiseshell earrings and a scarf in your hair for boho chic, a comfortable heel for a great office look or flat sandals and a wicker bag for a shopping day. Or you know, if you’re trying it on in a changing room, the barefoot look works too….
Matalan Paisley Print Shirt Dress The best buy I found were the April Embroidered Ankle Grazer Jeans which have the most amazing embroidery panel and pom pom trim! (you know I’m all about the pom poms). They’re a skinny fit style with pockets and were actually a really good length (22 inch inside leg – slightly cropped, above the ankle) and fit (no bagging around the waist, the waist was actually in the right place, no extra length in the crotch area which usually happens with standard sizing on petite gals).
Matalan Papaya April Embroidered Jeans At £18 they’re an utter bargain too. Limited sizes are left online but they had plenty in my store so it may be worth calling ahead to see if yours has them.
I paired my new jeans with the Collectif Ronda top which continued the pom pom theme and added more colour to what would make a perfect summer bbq outfit. It was such an easy to wear outfit and will be perfect for mooching around in the sunshine too.
I’ll keep my eye on Matalan from now on – I like to support companies which are trying to provide us with a targeted range; that way it’ll encourage others to do so (the same with collections aimed at tall people, too). We need more like this to jump on board and think about torso sizes, waistbands, leg length etc. We are small in stature and in number, but we’re still a target market prime for the taking. Fingers crossed for more petite lines in the future!
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For reference, I’m 33:24:33 and a standard size 6 in most shops. I’m 4’11” and wearing 4 inch heels in the main photos.
Also wearing:
Belt: Lisa belt in blue from Collectif (I had to add a couple of holes to make it fit)
Shoes: Lorena by Lulu Hun
Hairflowers: Lucina by Miss Bella’s Blooms
Bangles: Mix of Splendette, Bow & Crossbones and Vivien of Holloway -
ASOS Design Straw Hat Review
Despite the April showers we’ve been experiencing, I managed to sport this gorgeous new straw hat from the ASOS Design Summer collection on the 1st, while bathing in the glorious sunshine we had for a minute.
Soaking up the sunshine in my new hat It’s a steal at £18.00 and the has two interchangeable ribbons – one is plain black as above (which is very elegant) and the other is more of a casual, nautical blue stripe.
Alternative nautical ribbon Alternative ribbon insitu What I love most about this hat is there are adjusters hidden in the band! As I’m petite, I have a rather small head which never fits standard sized hats. So I can fawn over all the beautiful hats but know they will never normally fit my teeny tiny bonce. This feature is ingenious! By pulling the elasticated strings together, it will fit any sized head as well as those with a standard fit that don’t need them (just leave them loose).
Internal elastic adjustment Elastic tied to fit It has a curved, wide, brim and is made from 100% straw.
Side View The perfect accessory to keep you cool in the coming months and looking chic in your vintage outfits. I am so thrilled to have finally found a hat that is a perfect fit for me.There are a range of other choices too from ASOS (see here); I particularly love the boaters which work well with our vintage style too. Have fun choosing something for your own summer collection!
See you in St Tropez! -
Fakelite and Resin Earrings on the High Street
Over the last couple of weeks I’ve bought a few bargain earrings from Primark and noticed there’s a trend for tortoiseshell resin/fakelite tiki style earrings flooding the high street at the moment. Here are a few of my top picks:
Firstly Primark, whose £2 and £3 earrings are fantastic. I snapped up the bottom two sets and was also tempted by the first wooden one too. I’ll be pairing them with sarong dresses and bamboo bangles.
Primark Resin and Wooden Hoops Next up is Tesco. Supermarkets have really upped their game and I was pleasantly surprised to find all of these, available at £6 a pair.
Tesco (F&F) Resin Earrings New Look also has a few in a similar style, including some influenced by the 60’s geometric trend.
New Look Resin Earrings Brown oval drop earrings currently in the sale: £2.00
Brown Faux Tortoiseshell Teardrop, Green resin (also available in red and yellow) and Green Resin Wide Hoops: £4.99
Brown faux tortoiseshell hoops and Blue linked resin: £5.99
Red Square drop earrings (also available in yellow): £6.99
Brown Tortoiseshell Resin Geometric Drop: £7.99
Have you found any in other high street stores? Pop your finds in the comments section below x
