Style Not Age: Autumn Florals For September

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend 🙂 The weather has been pretty dreadful here, but I managed to find a break in the rain to take these photos. It was Anna’s turn to set the theme for this month’s Style Not Age challenge and she chose Autumn Florals for September.

A charity shop find for Second Hand September

Floral prints work all year round, but as we go towards Winter, darker colour palettes feature more prominently. I have a few skirts and dresses in dark floral prints that I’ve featured on the blog before, such as this flared midi skirt and this mixed print dress. However, as it’s the last day of Second Hand September, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to wear this charity shop find.

I love trawling through charity shops and eBay looking for bargains

You’ve probably seen the hashtag #secondhandseptember over on Instagram – I’ve loved seeing the fabulous preloved outfits pop up in my feed. (I was gobsmacked to see Jimmy Choos and Manolo Blahniks among the second hand bargains…I need to know where these people are shopping!) The campaign, organised by the charity Oxfam, is aimed at encouraging people to avoid buying new clothing for the entire 30 days of the month. While I did buy a few new things (I had a Debenhams gift card to use) I have mostly bought second hand. But then I do anyway; I love trawling through charity shops and eBay looking for bargains. It makes shopping more fun!

It was 50-50 as to whether it would be a success or total disaster

I’ve hadthis dress a while, probably a year now. When I saw it I really wasn’t sure about it, but something kept pulling me back to it. I didn’t bother trying it on (I rarely do in charity shops unless it’s a jacket or coat) so I took a gamble buying it. It was 50-50 as to whether it would be a success or total disaster. As there’s no label in it I have no idea what brand or size it is. It is a bit too voluminous on the top half for my liking, and the waistband is a bit big. I’ve put a clip in the back for these photos, but hopefully I’ll be able to get it altered.

I’ve mentioned before how I use hats to balance out an outfit, and this is a prime example. The voluminous top and high neck makes my head look smaller and distorts the proportions. So to offset this I’ve added a wide brim hat. Compare the two photos above and below and you’ll see what I mean. Another trick I’ve used is wearing black tights and platform ankle boots to lengthen my legs. Sometimes you just need a few tweaks to make an outfit work!

SHOP THE LOOK

Dress from charity shop | Asos cat bag (from eBay) | Red Herring boots (old) | H by Henry Holland hat (old) | Finery earrings

Now let’s take at look at how my blogger friends are wearing Autumn Florals for September…

Anna, who chose Autumn Florals as this month’s theme, is wearing a fabulous maxi dress and mustard jacket. See more on her blog Anna’s Island Style.

Jacqui is keeping things on the lighter side with a gorgeous floral print skirt teamed with a white shirt and boots. Head over to Mummabstylish for all the details.

Hilda is showing us some clever layering with a roll neck top under her beautiful maxi dress. Visit her blog Over the Hilda to see more.

So that’s all for this month’s Style Not Age Autumn Florals! Do you love to wear floral prints throughout Autumn and Winter?

This is where I link up!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliates links which means I may earn a small commission for any purchases made through them, at no extra cost to you. This helps towards the running costs of the blog and is very much appreciated.