Burgundy & Mint (Debbie's Duck Dress)

Continuing on with the #frockswapuk, after i sent Erica's goodies on to Donna i received Debbie's array of goodies plus Erica's George goodies which actually made for a great outfit all together!
 I took Debbie's duck dress with Erica's George mint fluffy cropped jumper and this is what i got...

Debbie handmade this dress with her totally awesome dress making skills, she is one talented lady i tell you. The fit was comfy and the length perfect, i actually wore this a couple of weeks ago and just felt great all day. I was Sunday comfy yet looking as if some effort had at least been made. 

It seems i'm doing this formula with cropped fluffy sweaters layered over the top of dresses a lot lately. But, now we're officially on Summer time here in the UK, maybe its time to put away the knitwear? Or maybe not.. i mean i am in the UK after all, winter could still continue knowing our climate, but with fluffy cropped sweaters i have to admit, i don't mind all that much at all!

 Dress: Debbie's

Cropped sweater: (erica's choice) c/o George at Asda

Shoes: Matalan

Hat: New Look

Bag: Modcloth

Here's how Debbie and Erica have styled it so far, and on to Donna it shall go!

Relaxed Trousers

 Sometimes I try a new-to-me trend and in the mirror i think yeh this is great, i love this new{insert item here}, i can totally work this new trend. Then I get outfit photos back and i have the reaction of.."eeek, i did not realise i looked like that"
Case in point; the new relaxed trouser, or the fancy-jogger if you will. I had seen these on many, they looked like a nice alternative to my trusty jeans and once i tried them on well, heck they sure were comfy. But honestly? Maybe i'm a bit too hippy (in the bodily sense not the free-spirited traveller sense) to pull these off. My legs are..well, shapely, shall we say, I have hips (and an arse and big ol' thighs whilst we're talking about it) Maybe, just maybe these suit ladies with pin straight legs more? Lesson learned, yes. HOWEVER, they sure are comfy!! I mean they are literally like pyjama bottoms for day-wear, i felt smug thinking i could wear these oh-so comfortable bad boys and actually claim it to be fashion dharling. But unfortunately these hips don't lie, so as much as it might be fashionable, maybe i should stick to pyjama-like-bottoms for bed time only.

Maybe i shall try a different approach to these, any suggestions?

In good news, i got these nude shoes and laser cut bag from the new Spring line at Lotus Shoes. The reason it is good news? Well duh, bags and shoes never make you look hippy and they always make you feel good.Win win! Plus nude pumps= instant leg lengthening! I can not wait to wear them with a pretty chiffon skirt come the warmer weather. Have you checked out Lotus' new spring line? I could see me in this pair  of Naturalizer sandals all summer long!

So ladies, share with me, have you ever tried a trend that just hasn't been right on you? Or do you win every time?

Ps ladies have you entered the £200 of Hush clothes giveaway yet?
Be sure to head on over and enter HERE!!

Fashion is for everyone. 

Whether you're single in the city or a stay at home mum from the country...

we all have a passion for fashion!

Every Friday Lena & I will be co-hosting a fashion free-for-all linkup!

Anything fashion goes!

Link up your outfit posts, a fashion recap, a fashion wishlist, get your kids or hubby in on the fun... if you've got a passion for fashion, this is the place to be!

Celebrate your style with us every Friday!

We'll be pinning our favourite looks to our Passion for Fashion boards on Pinterest!

You can find the board HERE 

Follow both hosts Lena and  Me so we can come visit you!

If you could link back to us via text link or button and help spread the 

Passion For Fashion word.

Then go visit, blog hop, follow and comment on all the fabulous ladies you are meeting!

{this linkup is very NEW we would love for you to help us spread the word! }

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Discovering Hush of London (and £200 of Hush Goodies GIVEAWAY!)

Recently I was introduced to the most wonderful brand; Hush. A London based company that takes comfort and style and meshes them together to create a collection of beautifully designed clothes, from the wonderful fabrics they use, to the cuts of their designs. Not very often am i blown away by a brand with their quality and style but Hush.. well, consider me blown away. When i chose a couple of pieces from their new Spring collection i went for a dress that is the softest t-shirt material with stretch and comfort but still very stylish with its fantastic dip curved hem. I can not wait to wear this is in warm sunny days with some tan sandals, a little beaded bag an some wavy hair. Sheer easy summer style!

My second piece was this wonderful jacket which will be my complete go-to for spring summer, swapping out my dark biker jacket for this sweatshirt material cream beauty. 

And added bonus it was so comfy, like wearing a hoodie but so so much more stylish. 

I am excited to try out a pair of their trousers, maybe the relaxed trouser or the slim-leg smart jogger. 

Once the shopping ban ends Hush are a brand i will most certainly be spending some of my hard saved cash. Comfort and style... it really doesn't get any better.

BUT it gets better my friends.. The lovely people at Hush are giving one reader of Rachel The Hat £200 worth of hush goodies, yep that's right. These goodies below as picked out by me, will be yours for the keeping... amazing right? As i've been really thinking of 'capsule wardrobe style of late, the pieces i've chosen fit the bill perfectly. Timeless, stylish pieces that you will want to wear again and again!

To enter just simply click on to the rafflecopter below!

Good Luck!

(fyi this is open internationally, if you are outside of the UK i shall assist in the delivery of the goods by sending onwards to the winner)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

linking with:

 http://transatlanticblonde.blogspot.co.uk/

http://thepleatedpoppy.com/blog

Cuffed Jeans with Red & Mint

Remember this dress? When i first received it i knew that i wanted to wear it open like a long shirt/jacket. I love the flow of it over the basic outfit of boyfriend jeans and a white tee. Perfect for casual but still feeling pretty snazzy. It was so windy today the shirt was blowing in the breeze, which was lovely, but my gosh... my hair was going c-razy!! Quite frustrating as half the photos came out making me looking like a. i had grown a beard or b. had stuck my fingers in an electric socket. Seriously, i think i need to do a bloopers post with crazy hair!haha!

So super cuffed jeans. 

I have been seeing these in the fashion mags of late and i kinda love it. It just adds a great update to something you already have in your wardrobe, which to me is cost effective and also very cool. 

Me likey!

I've cuffed jeans (not as much as here) for years so this is a welcome trend in my books.

The idea is to have a fairly loose fitting straight leg jeans (as opposed to a skinny or a flared jeans) and cuff away.

Have you tried the cuffed jeans trend yet?

 Another new to me trial is red and mint. After seeing it recently on Atlantic Pacific (who can do no wrong in my eyes!) it looked like a fun colour combo i had never tried before. Cue an old mint bag and a mint/neon statement necklace, all finished off with a bit of leopard.
Lovely jubilee.

 Shirt: c/o Front Row Shop

Tshirt: Primark

Jeans: Next

Sunnies: New Look

Necklace: Gifted

Shoes: Dorothy Perkins

Bag: Modcloth

Have you tried any new trends lately that you've 

loved or loathed?

Wearing: Erica's Dress (& Passion4Fashion)

 #FrockswapUK is bringing some excellent pieces my way lately. Today i bring you the lovely Erica's pinafore dress c/o George at Asda. Now if you've been reading this blog a little while you will know that my style has changed fairly substantially over the past 12 months, where i once loved vintage quirky and colourful , i now love a more minimal, sometimes edgy side of style. So when i received this dress i did kind of panicked. You see i love pinafore dresses on others but just not on me so much.So, with a little layering think i've made it work for me in my own way.

What d'you think?

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See how the gorgeous Erica styled it HERE.. i love how differently we've approached this dress.

Fashion is for everyone. 

Whether you're single in the city or a stay at home mum from the country...

we all have a passion for fashion!

Every Friday Lena & I will be co-hosting a fashion free-for-all linkup!

Anything fashion goes!

Link up your outfit posts, a fashion recap, a fashion wishlist, get your kids or hubby in on the fun... if you've got a passion for fashion, this is the place to be!

Celebrate your style with us every Friday!

We'll be pinning our favourite looks to our Passion for Fashion boards on Pinterest!

You can find the board HERE 

Follow both hosts Lena and  Me so we can come visit you!

If you could link back to us via text link or button and help spread the 

Passion For Fashion word.

Then go visit, blog hop, follow and comment on all the fabulous ladies you are meeting!

{this linkup is very NEW we would love for you to help us spread the word! }

Building a Capsule Wardrobe

capsule wardrobe by rachel-the-hat featuring high rise jeans

Dress, $165 / Mango black blouse / Zara coat / Capri, $160 / Zara high rise jeans / Zara skirt / Short Sleeve Breton, $36 / Zara high heel sandals / Color block shoes, $98 / Michael michael kors handbag, $365 / River Island hat, $36 / Christian Dior pink lipstick / OPI nail care / Dorothy Perkins Black Stone Collar

The whole #100shoppingban has got me thinking about fast fashion v's classic pieces. I have to say i am a culprit of buying into something if i've perhaps seen it in a magazine or on another blogger.
Normally my thought process is;
"Oh wow that looks amazing, ooh oh ooo i must try that and look totally awesome and my life will be complete and all will be right with the world", or something along those lines. Then once purchased I find it does not fill all my hopes and aspirations, I feel a bit meh about it and it goes to the back of the wardrobe...So it goes.
The amount of times i've thrown things away/given to charity new or barely worn items is actually quite scary. The spoilt brat syndrome of the modern world is not a good quality i hold and I'm not afraid to admit that.
So with nearly 100 days of no shopping nearly under my belt (27 days left and counting), it got me thinking about what i will buy once D-day (or S(hop)-day) finally arrives.
The simplicity of a timeless, classic capsule wardrobe appeals to me. All the pieces above are interchangeable, to make different outfits which would be suitable for any given occasion.
As a 'style blogger' just having the same few items may get a leetle boring after the first initial few blog posts and i know i'm definitely not 'cured' from ever buying the latest this or that, but i think when the time comes i will be buying key pieces, items that can be worn and remixed and worn again.
To me those things are:
Classic red dress
Trench coat
Good quality & size black bag
the perfect Breton top
Floral trousers
Chiffon Skirt
Simple black shirt
Boyfriend jeans
Statement necklace
Black Statement shoes
Leopard print pumps
Statement necklace
Fedora
Red lips & Nails

What do you think about capsule wardrobes? 

What would you have in yours?