What's in my basket...Boohoo S/S 14

The glimpse of sunshine we've recently had has made me long for summertime to hurry up! The weather has influenced the sort of clothes that are now catching my eye, as you can probably tell my selections from Boohoo below:

Though drop waist dresses remind me somewhat of the dreaded peplums, there was something about these two dresses that I really liked. The short sleeved pink dress is only £12 and also comes in lime and navy; I'm quite tempted to get all three colours! It's a bit longer at the back which I appreciate, as you know there's no risk of an unsightly bum flash.
The red long sleeve drop waist dress is £18, still really reasonable, and comes in black and navy as well. I love that lots of websites now provide a video of the garment being worn, as you get a much better idea of the movement and how the fabric looks on. With Boohoo the fabric can be hit and miss, and I was concerned this dress would be that horrible thin jersey material that clings. But in the video it looked really flattering so I'm definitely considering it.
The floral slip dress (£20) is a bit 'sexier' than something I'd usually go for, but I think it has potential to be 'grunged' up with boots and an oversized denim jacket.
Finally, the lime and metallic shoes (£30)- I think these are incredible! I'm still trying to think of something in my wardrobe that I could wear these with to justify purchasing, but I'm struggling. They also come in white; maybe that would be a more sensible choice?

Making a statement #1: Tops

Despite my original intentions to have this as a fashion-focused blog, I'm not the best person at putting outfits together. So I usually pair a statement piece with something more plain. Here's a selection of statement tops I've recently bought- any interesting fabrics or textures always catch my eye:

Metallic Jacquard top- Boohoo

I was so impressed with this top from Boohoo. As much as I like some of Boohoo's designs, I feel the quality can be a bit hit and miss. However, this top is so well made and looks a lot more expensive than it is. The overlaid stitching and colour of the fabric makes it look almost like burnished metal. See the close up below.

The piece looks great over skinny jeans for a simple dinner outfit, or with leather shorts or a pencil skirt for a more dressed up look. It was £18 when I purchased, but you can get it right now for £15

Waffle-textured leopard print top- Topshop

Again, another great top for dressing up or down. And do you see what I mean about loving texture? This has a 'waffle' sort of texture with the leopard print design over the top. It's quite out there, and when I picked it up I had a brief moment of trying to decide if it was hideous or amazing! Obviously, I decided on the latter. I think this was £20, it's not on the website anymore and last time I went into a store it had gone in to the sale for £12, so there might be some knocking around still.
Below is another close up to show the texture.

Teal Jacquard top- Topshop

Stores at the moment seem to love labelling pieces 'Jacquard'- I have to admit I don't really know what this means! But in this case, it is almost like a tapestry-like effect because of the weaving of the fabric. This was the statement top I bought first, as my eye was drawn to the colour and unique fabric, which has a slight sheen to it. This was £28 and is no longer available, but Topshop have some  similar styles here, here, and here

White Leather Look Tee- Missguided

I was umm-ing and ah-ing over this for ages and finally bought it. I got a 10 (as I tend to find Missguided sizes a little small) but because of the cut I should have got an 8, as it looks a bit big in the shoulders. However, I still really like it and looks great with a statement necklace (post to follow soon...). This is still available on the site for £17.99, but I think I got it a bit cheaper as Missguided is very generous with dishing out discount codes!

So that's my first post on statement pieces, more to come soon!