Renting Dresses Doesn't Always Work Out...
And other things I'd like you to know
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April is one of my favourite months, not least because of birthday (I turned 41 last week), but also the double UK bank holiday and the promise of sunnier, longer days. I celebrated another year by watching Hadestown, which was enjoyable but a bit musical-y for me (I love musicals just not all musicals - I disliked LaLa Land, for instance, but love The Sound of Music). I didn’t feel there was enough character development, everyone was a bit busy singing long songs to develop any kind of connection with each other - but it was great to see such a diverse stage telling the story of Persephone, Eurydice and Orpheus (with the brilliant Melanie La Barrie as Hermes) - and a female composer and director!
Now to my 3 Things this month:
1. Renting dresses doesn’t always work out
This month I celebrated my Specsavers collaboration by hosting a dinner at Cafe Cecilia! I don’t think I’ve ever hosted a work dinner before and it was kind of nerve wracking but also amazing seeing everyone connecting - most guests wore glasses and seeing everyone unapologetically trying the frames was so emotional - I never realised what an icebreaker trying glasses can be! Highly recommend taking some frames to your next dinner date.
My friend and collaborator Eva shot the imagery with me and I am so proud of how they turned out (I have edited 8 pairs of frames from the Specsavers collection, see the edit here):
You’ll see I ended up wearing the Stella Nova dress I bought via The Outnet after my last newsletter, I think it’ll make a good holiday evening dress too and was the perfect dressy/not too dressy dress. I wore with my Bicester Village Marni shoes from around 8 years ago which are easy to walk in and have really come into their own lately.
I did fully intend to wear a rented dress for the event, and had arranged to borrow this Ganni dress from By Rotation. But it just looked a bit, I dunno, not right? Weirdly it looks quite nice in these pictures but in reality it was quite tight around my stomach (which left me feeling self conscious), the neckline was a bit high, the sleeves a bit stiff and it just didn’t wow me. It felt a bit more like a uniform than an evening dress (but looked so lovely on the lady I borrowed it from!).
The downside about renting is you don’t get the money back if the dress doesn’t fit/you don’t like it/ the event cancels. Usually, I’d recommend trying the brand in store before taking the plunge but this time I was too busy and didn’t follow my own advice, I rented from another Influencer (from whom I’d rented before) so just assumed it’d be alright. I am such an advocate for renting dresses (and By Rotation is the best for size inclusivity, in my opinion, as it’s peer to peer) but, like most sustainable options, it’s not always the easiest route. But it wouldn’t deter me from trying again, I’ve had so many ‘wins’ from renting, I was due a not-so-great one!
2. Colourful side tables are an underappreciated finishing touch to a room
I’ve been looking for an affordable side table for a while, mainly because I use our kids’ Ikea kitchenette next to our sofa to rest my coffee on. I have been looking at this John Lewis ANYDAY ‘Pebble’ table (I often search JL by the ANYDAY seal of approval): I like the green and red, the added shelf and the soft corners, both excellent value for £35 (especially if you’re going to go with two by the bed):
Or the Ikea ‘Gladom’ is a classic for £15, the tray comes off for seemingly no reason (maybe for easy storage? Carrying over coffees?).
The La Redoute coffee table in our bedroom, I love it but the price meant I couldn’t justify another one in another room any time soon (it’s called the ‘Matmat’ and they often do 40% off discounts, which we waited for). I am quite decisive with fashion purchases but because the home is a shared space, Chris and I always take a long time to come to any agreement on final purchases.
3. The M&S period pants are just as good as all the other period brands
I am at a beautiful period of my life (excuse the pun) where my periods are not only relatively short (compared to my awkwardly heavy younger years) but I have also accumulated enough period pants to get me through an entire stint. I still use back up pads for the first night (I subscribe to TOTM) but now I just switch in and out of comfy pants and I feel so accomplished and smug. I have a mix of Modibodi (which I did just spot in my local TK Maxx), Snuggs (which are the comfiest in my opinion) and my most recent top-up purchase has been a £16 for 3 pack from M&S which are great (an all-black heavy absorbency 3 pack are here). The only other High Street ones I’ve tried and wouldn’t recommend are the Uniqlo ones (a bit shiny and tight for me).
I love sharing my random thoughts with you here, and I have one more for you before I go. I can’t stop thinking about Nike Rifts, they just look so comfy and think they’ll go well with my culottes this summer. Am I mad? These have sold out in almost all sizes so maybe I’m not the only one:
See you soon!