What I'd Wear to Wimbledon

So Wimbledon fever has once again taken hold of the nation, I for one am glued to it on TV. Unfortunately I don't have tickets to the real thing this year, but that doesn't stop me fantasising about my ideal Wimbledon outfit. As it's summer (even though this cloud cover is trying to fool us), I have opted for a pretty tweed tea dress in pastel colours, because let's face it...a quintessential British event needs quintessential British styling!

1. Moschino Cheap and Chic Embellished Printed Dress, available at Harvey Nichols, £230 from £580.

2. Accessorize White Straw Trilby, £12.

3. Mulberry Medium Lily in Oatmeal Micrograin Calf, £895.

4. Sophie Gittins Viola Pearlised Strappy Sandals, available at YoungBritishDesigners.com, £260 from £360.

I'd love to hear what you think of my ideal Wimbledon outfit! What will you be wearing to enjoy the tennis?

Fashion Wish List Three

Many of my friends are making their way down to Somerset today, heading to quite possibly the biggest festival of the summer; Glastonbury. In honour of the great musical getaway, this week's Fashion Wish List is all about festival style.

So first up, it has to be a good pair of denim shorts. Distressed denim, like these from MIH jeans at Matches, always gives a great boho chic look. Team with a simple tee and cover up then go to town with accessories to make the look more interesting. I'd choose oversized bangles, linen scarves and bright neons as the hottest trends around for SS13.

MIH Jeans, £87 from £175

Next up is a good hat. The weather is set to be sunny this weekend and let's face it, there isn't going to be much showering going on so do yourself a favour and invest in something to protect from sunstroke and cover your barnet. I love this Grand Woven Trilby by Christy's. Available at Harvey Nichols online at £45, it's a bargain that will keep you looking cool all weekend and long into the rest of summer.

Christy's Grand Woven Trilby

Third on the list, a casual summer dress. Loose fitting and fabulous is my festival fashion motto. That way you'll stay uber comfy in the warm weather and when dancing into the wee hours of the morning! I love Lolly's Laundry monochrome and taupe take on snake print in this shirt dress, £75 from £105 at atterleyroad.com. If you aren't a fan of the oversized look, try cinching in at the waist with a belt to accentuate your figure. Accessorise again with neon jewellery.

Lolly's Laundry Bibi Printed Shirt Dress

Now for the cover-ups. We all know the evenings can get pretty chilly in the UK (and the days can too!) so it's always wise to bring a cosy cover up to Glastonbury. Top of my Fashion Wish List would be this Brick Heather Cardi by Anna Sui. £145 from £484 at shopbop.com, this has the casual boho look written all over it. Team it with shorts, over a dress or even with jeans if the weather gets really cold-this is the perfect match to just about any outfit.

Anna Sui Brick Heather Cover Up

Finally on this week's Fashion Wish List; wellies! It would be foolish not to take them to Glasto, even if the weather forecast is looking great. That's why I've chosen these short gloss boots in a pretty pastel lilac from Hunter at Kurt Geiger. The colour is bang on trend for SS13 and the shorter boot height will ensure you won't get too overheated, just in case it really does stay sunny!

Hunter Original Short Gloss Boots, £49 from £70

What will you be wearing to Glastonbury this weekend, let me know in the comments box below!

"Don't Tell Your Kids They're Beautiful"

If you've been anywhere near Twitter, Facebook, a TV or the radio so far today, you will have probably heard the story of MP, Jo Swinson telling parents not to tell children that they're beautiful. Apparently this leads to 'body confidence issues' in later life, and makes kids think that appearance is the be all and end all in life.

I was told I was beautiful all the time by my parents, not because they wanted to feed my young ego, not because they are shallow, but because they loved me. They were proud of me, they brought me up to have self confidence, a high self esteem and to hold myself in high regard. And what's wrong with that?! Nothing. I admit, I love fashion as much as the next girl, isn't it engrained into our DNA to love fashion? But, I'm not some egotistical, image-obsessed bimbo that thinks with one flutter of my mascara-clad lashes and I'll get whatever I want. I'm sorry to tell you, the notion that "wearing a pretty outfit or having nice hair are the most important thing to succeed in life" must not have rubbed off on me Miss Swinson. In fact, I'm quite sure that the exact opposite happened. I learned to dress appropriately in a variety of situations, formal occasions, job interviews, even something as mundane as walking down the street. But it appears that many weren't. Perhaps if those girls that strut down the street in next to nothing, or the lads that saunter around with their trousers by their ankles, or in mucky old tracksuits, were put in a nice outfit and told that they were beautiful when they were younger, then they'd also have some pride in their appearance now?

As for this rubbish on it somehow being detrimental to self-esteem and encouraging a negative body image, I again must disagree. For anyone who knows me, you'll know that promoting body image diversity is a great passion of mine. A couple of my idols include Caryn Franklin (of All Walks Beyond the Catwalk) and Yasmina Rossi (the 50-something model featured in the M&S ad), and I 100% back their goals and ideals that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, ages and ethnicities. This diversity is sadly not celebrated in the media mainstream yet, but doesn't it make more sense to tackle this problem than to neglect complementing our little ones?

 

I was also taught as a youngster (as I'm sure most youngsters are) that beauty comes from the inside too. It's a bit 'cheese on toast' I know, but bare with me. So many things come together to make a person beautiful, and we should be teaching and praising the children of today about all of these. I completely agree that we should be praising our children for their 'curiosity in asking questions", and their ability "to complete a jigsaw puzzle", but don't you think it's taking a step backwards to not celebrate their beauty?!

Surely the way to celebrate body confidence is to teach children that they are beautiful no matter how they look, and that their kindness and joie de vivre do nothing but add to that beauty?

What do you think? I'd love to hear your opinions in the comments box below!