Orla Kiely Sample Sale: Grey Wool Dress

Orla Kiely does whimsical, ultra-feminine dressing like nobody else. Floaty frocks, retro prints, girly collars… you get the picture. On the other hand, this grey wool dress shows just how Kiely has got immaculately cut feminine tailoring down to a tee as well.

Perfectly fitted with its carefully placed darts and nipped-in waist, this dress does all the work. The weight of the wool hangs just so, and the full skirt, collar and oversized buttons give an ultra-feminine spin to clever cutting – power dressing for the retro-loving girly girl.

This dress was another bargain from the sample sale I went to back in February and has quickly become one of my top go-to dresses, a dress that you can throw on and instantly feel ‘done’. Doing up the zip is an instant boost, making you sit up straighter and put your shoulders back. It has served me well – perfect for work as well as play.

Here I paired it with my tweed Crombie coat (Next), tartan scarf (Urban Outfitters), heeled ankle boots (Clarks) and beloved oxblood Cambridge Satchel, and finished off the look with ruby lips and Heidi hair.

If you want to get your mitts on an Orla Kiely bargain yourself, their latest sample sale kicked off today and runs until Saturday. Hotfoot it to The Music Rooms in Mayfair for abundant pretty dresses and ladylike bags (I’m drooling over their Facebook and Twitter previews). I’m no longer in London, so make sure you do some serious shopping for me!

These shots were taken a few weeks ago during one of the first, albeit short-lived, ‘Golden Hours’ of the year. Sundays are made for baking, blogging and strolling somewhere leafy, and on this particular Sunday, Highgate Wood beckoned. We had been before, but only in driving sleet and a howling gale; the sunshine-dappled leaves and snowdrops peeping tentatively from the undergrowth made for a lovely Spring walk.