Caramel Courts from Lotus Shoes - #chicandstylish #LINKUP

Hi there lovelies.
Hope all is good with you.
I've had a wonderful week with a birthday lunch on Friday with two of my lovely friends and a Sunday roast dinner with the three other couples hubby and I went to Abu Dhabi with.  The hosts cooked a marvellous roast beef dinner with all the trimmings, I baked some profiteroles filled with cream and topped with dark chocolate - delish!  There was also a fresh trifle and a cheese board full of excellent cheeses, pickles and grapes.
Today I'm also out with friends for two birthday celebrations having afternoon tea in a hotel nearby.  I've been to Sands on two previous occasions, and am hoping it lives up to my two experiences with tasty sandwiches, hot scones (with cream and jam - obviously), and there best be a cake or two to devour too!

A busy year for me with a wedding (sorry still not posted about this) and three Christenings.  You might have seen my two earlier outfit choices: my turquoise dress with white accessories and this gorgeous pattern mix yellow dress.  I stopped by the shops and had a quick 'reccy' before picking this classic dress that has a hint of 70's.  It just so happens that it matches a pair of gifted shoes that I chose from the New In styles of Lotus Shoes* ! 😉

Items marked with * have been gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments.

I'm a lover of wearing dresses and find them so much easier to wear and style - there's no matching needed - the hardest part is picking the accessories to go with it.  I also find it easier to pack one pieces for holidays, and my suitcase is usually made up of jumpsuits, dresses and playsuits with lots of accessories to choose from too!  So back to the topic in hand - this dress.
It's from a selection from Principles in Debenhams.  It's a midi dress with a floaty wide skirt, the fitted bodice has a round neckline with lovely gathers in the middle - but the best bit is the sleeves - they're gathered on the shoulder puffing up for a nice 70's vibe - they also have three darling buttons on the cuff to gather the extra material - balances everything out nicely.

Let's talk about the colour.  A basic black background is a great base for the pain splodges of cream & caramel, I'm liking the haphazard design - rather like a leopard print.  I can't find it online so fear it may be sold out now - but should I find a link I'll add it!  I was drawn to the colour, I wanted something to compliment the caramel patent courts - I reckon it's a high five as they look like they're made for each other.

I've added more interest to the outfit by adding a raffia clutch bag that's paying homage to the colours - black and nude.  Tell me what you'd have paired it with?

Here's the sleeve detail I mentioned - just look at the cute buttons - slightly fiddly with long nails though - that's where hubby's come in handy - lol

How lovely are the shoes, and a clever match don't you think!  The Holly from Lotus Shoes really is proving to be a wonderful addition to my wardrobe, as I've already worn them with my caramel trousers a couple of times!  There's six other colours to chose from, the Holly will be on every elegant ladies wish list - and for just under £50 why wouldn't you get more than one pair!!

You really can't go wrong with a pair of court shoes, and patent never goes out of fashion for this classic style.  Comfortable to slip on and they have that hidden cloud of cushion to support and protect your feet from lots of standing.  The heel is a favourable height 8 cm - which I found to be great for being on my feet the whole afternoon of the christening.

Finally take a peek of the back view, you can really see the puffy sleeves here, along with the subtle keyhole detail that's between the zip and top button.  It's an all round excellent winter occasion dress and had me feeling tres chic when I wore it.

Lotus shoes have also other easy to wear shoes, and you can check out my other two choices here - Dancing the night away in Red Slingbacks & Dressing in my Favourite Colour.  Do stop by for a quick read, and I'd love to hear your thoughts my friends.

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Time for the #Chicandstylish #LINKUP.

Favourite from last weeks is  Anna - Anna's Island Style she's a girl after my own heart and loves wearing dresses or one pieces.  It's such an easy and uncomplicated way to dress, and takes the stress out of mixing and matching separates.  Do stop by her blog to view one of her latest outfits, which she's easily styled with white patent boots & tweed jacket that's making it's debut on her blog.

Now let's start linking up.
Here are some guidelines.
Please follow your host on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Link up your fashion and beauty posts - other topics allowed.
We all like to get compliments, so please leave a nice comment when visiting a blog or two.
Also link back to Mummabstylish blog post.
You could also share the love on social media.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Glad you could join me today, love having you stop by.
Photos c/o Esther Ruby.
Catch you again on Monday.
Bye for now. X