At the beginning of June it was my birthday. These days I tend to not want to think about birthdays that much as A. my family are not that great at recognising it as a day to spoil me and perhaps give back a little for all I do for them throughout the year and B. being over 50 is a really scary though when in my head I am still 21 ! So it was an absolute thrill to receive an email offering me a dress from the beautiful collection that is Damsel in a Dress ! I first came across this classic brand several years ago when I was offered an opportunity to be dressed for the MAD blog awards final, so I knew I was in for a treat.

I tend to be a little conservative in my clothes these days but on seeing the gorgeous array of choice on the Damsel in a Dress website I just had to go for some bright, summery colour. I absolutely loved this Lavender Fusion dress and although it was sleeveless (not a style I usually wear ) I told myself I could always throw on a cardigan if necessary. I was not disappointed when it arrived, beautifully packaged in its own box.

Shocking photo ! Apologies I am still suffering from a dreadful lurgy that will just NOT go away after two weeks and my photographer was a very reluctant 10 yr old ! It is a lovely dress I would say slightly larger than the standard size. I wear size 14 at the moment and could probably have got away with a size 12 in this make. It is though, perfect for me as I no longer like to wear clothes that cling to every lump and bump, a classic shift shape.

The fabric is 96% cotton and 4% elastane which means its both cool to wear and also has that little bit of stretch to maintain its shape. I'm not sure if it would have been helpful if it had been lined but then if it had been, I probably wouldn't have been able to wash it. Its such a great bonus when you find a beautiful dress like this one that you can actually wash. Definitely adds to its affordability . Talking of price Damsel in a Dress is in the mid luxury category with this dress retailing for £129 . Perfect for a special occasion but then also a style and colour you could wear again and again afterwards.

Being a quality brand the attention is in the detail. I love the zip pull ! Also very astutely they have added pockets to this dress which really adds to its versatility. I'm thrilled to bits with this dress and would highly recommend you pop over to their website for a browse. A great choice of special occasion and daywear to suit every age and shape.

Many thanks once again to the lovely people at Damsel in a Dress.