In celebration of the second and most gorgeous day of spring, I picked, pun intended, the most densely floral and girly frock from my wardrobe.
Toughening up a very floral dress
The waistline is a bit baggy on this dress so I pulled it in with a pearl belt, and toughened all the frills and femininity with strappy black sandals and a black watch.
That sentence contains the two things that make a heavily floral dress wearable rather than twee, so they are worth pulling apart.
Give it a waist. A dress with a baggy waist has no shape at all, and shapelessness plus florals is what turns a dress into a nightie. A belt costs nothing and does more for a dress than any alteration. If the waist sits in slightly the wrong place, the belt is also how you move it.
Put something hard next to it. Black leather sandals, a black watch, a plain dark bag. Florals want a bit of grit beside them, or they tip into full costume. This is exactly the same principle as putting distressed jeans with a fur stole. The contrast is what makes each part look deliberate.
The tempting instinct with a pretty dress is to match it with pretty everything: pale sandals, delicate jewellery, a soft cardigan. That is the version that ages you and washes the dress out. One hard element and the same dress looks modern.
Self-tanner, tested honestly
If the very thought of baring your legs has you locking yourself in the bathroom, never fear when self-tanner is near.
Because I don’t have endorsements on this blog, what you read about here will be my true experience. I’m an honest person, so that will still be the case even with advertisers on board.
Ella Bache tan cream. A freebie attached to a fashion magazine. If you want instant colour then this is a winner, but be warned: wash your hands straight after or you’ll have tanned palms. The colour continued to develop and I didn’t notice any tanning odour.
Dove Summer Glow is a favourite and creates a very natural sun-kissed look. This was my go-to tanner all last spring and summer. Go for the normal-to-dark shade even if you’re fair skinned like me.
Palmer’s Natural Bronze I’ve only just started testing. At the moment the cocoa butter smell is quite strong, but pleasant.
Getting it right, whichever one you use
The product matters far less than the application, and almost every disaster comes from the same handful of mistakes.
Exfoliate the day before, not the same day. Same-day scrubbing leaves the skin slightly raw and the tan grabs unevenly.
Moisturise the dry bits first. Knees, ankles, elbows, heels. These drink up the tan and go dark, so a barrier of plain moisturiser is what stops the tell-tale orange knees.
Work upward in sections, and do feet last. Whatever is left on your hands at the end goes on the tops of your feet, which need the least.
Wash your palms immediately. Every time. This is the single most common giveaway.
Give it eight hours before water. Overnight is easiest, on old sheets you do not care about.
Build slowly. Two light applications on consecutive days beats one heavy one, and there is no way back from too dark except a week of waiting.
Gradual tanners (the ones blended into a body lotion) are much more forgiving if you are nervous, because the mistakes are small and correct themselves.
Shoulders, and sunscreen
Baring shoulders is the next BIG thing in fashion, so make sure you’re lathering on the sunscreen, girls, to protect your delicate decolletage.
I mean that more seriously than it sounds. The decolletage and the backs of the hands are where sun damage shows first and where nobody thinks to protect. A tan out of a bottle does nothing to shield you from anything, which is worth remembering, fake tan is a colour, not a sunscreen, and it is not a base layer for anything.
Living in Melbourne makes this easy to forget in September, when it is nineteen degrees and lovely and the UV is quietly higher than it feels.
On set with Portia de Rossi
I’m still recovering from working on a comedy movie on Friday. Called Now Add Honey and starring Portia de Rossi, it’s due for release at the box office in 2014.
The AD. That’s assistant director, popped me right next to Portia in one scene, and I was determined to strut my stuff alongside the star. Look out for the on-trend Pantone green top and matching heels, which I paired with my shiny black Sass & Bide jeans.
We were filming the second scene later in the afternoon in the city and the AD again popped me right in front of the lens. Loving the background work, but can’t wait for the lead roles!
I looked up to see the pastors of my church, Rob and Christie Buckingham, humble television stars in their own right, who were checking out the action. That was definitely a God-incidence.
I’m planning to show you a wardrobe newbie tomorrow. A sheer leopard print tank dress. But don’t hold your breath; you know how fickle this fashion thing can be.
(This is from September 2013. The tanners named here have all changed formula since, so treat the brands as a snapshot and the method as the useful part.)
If spring in your wardrobe means one floral dress you never quite reach for, that is a very fixable problem and a good afternoon’s work in a styling session.
And now you’re Looking Good Girls.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14.