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Eternally Elle

31 Dresses•Spring / Summer

04. Sunday Stroll

9th June 2019
The best dress to wear for a relaxed Sunday stroll in the park. How to look polished and put-together on a casual day outside.

Wisteria Hysteria, London. House instagrammable places. Kensington. Ted Baker. 31 Dresses. Black white outfit.

How to look polished on a relaxed day out


Have you ever found it exceptionally difficult to construct a great outfit for a casual event that still looks refined and put-together?

As someone who loves dressing up and looking polished all day every day, typical casual outfits aren’t really my ‘thing’. However, contrary to popular belief, I only wear clothing that I feel completely comfortable in. Yet this seems to be a difficult concept to grasp for many as I am usually wearing a dress.

Dresses have gotten a bed rep over the years. I totally get it. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I dresses were very uncomfortable thanks to corsets and female oppression but this isn’t the 1600’s. Today’s modern dresses can be the most comfortable clothing you wear, especially a well-made day dress. They can work great for a casual get-up and their dressy impression means that you can easily achieve a polished look that is still comfortable.

Here is how I look sophisticated for a relaxed day outside that is still comfortable to wear…


The vibe – Casual, Basic, Comfortable.

A Sunday stroll in the park or around the village isn’t for a high maintenance outfit.


The best dress to wear for a relaxed Sunday stroll in the park. How to look polished and put-together on a casual day outside.

Wisteria Hysteria, London. House instagrammable places. Kensington. Ted Baker. 31 Dresses. Black white outfit.
The best dress to wear for a relaxed Sunday stroll in the park. How to look polished and put-together on a casual day outside.

Wisteria Hysteria, London. House instagrammable places. Kensington. Ted Baker. 31 Dresses. Black white outfit.





The Perfectly Polished Day Dress

Although Ted Baker has went very commercial with their seasonal collections over the past few years, what remains is darling daytime dresses that work perfectly for pretty casual wear.

Admittedly I’m a little biased when it comes to this brand because their designs are very on the money for me in terms of personal style. However, even if you are not an avid Tedsetter, when it comes to casual dresses this is the place to look.

I personally feel that the key to a great casual outfit is looking put together but still remaining somewhat basic in styling, shapes and prints. When I am going out for a Sunday stroll, I want to feel polished, refined and without making any statements or dressing in eye-catching colours. My chill out Sundays are mellow and this is what I want to reflect in my outfit. Therefore, this Ted B woodland printed dress, I’ve had in my wardrobe for years, ticks all my Sunny Sunday boxes.


Belt it

Adding a simple accessorise to your outfit can really tie everything together and polish off your look. Adding a belt to your outfit is such a simple thing to do but has the power to completely transform your look. However, it can also totally ruin your look if you get it wrong so I think it is important to share some of my own personal tips and tricks I love to implement.

When wearing a dress, there is a possibility of bunching up too much of the fabric and it can make the wearer look a little frumpy. Therefore, I suggest having a look at the silhouette the dress creates. If it has little shape to it then a wide belt will perhaps be best or you may need to ditch the belt idea completely. However, if your dress is similar to the one I am wearing with an aline skirt, a belt will add a little extra shape and visual interest. Further drawing the eyes to my favourite body part; the waist. As this dress has intricate detailing in the print, a thin belt which is minimally designed is going to work best. This is because a small belt will help simplify the printed dress and ensure it is not too busy for the eyes.

The best dress to wear for a relaxed Sunday stroll in the park. How to look polished and put-together on a casual day outside.

Wisteria Hysteria, London. House instagrammable places. Kensington. Ted Baker. 31 Dresses. Black white outfit.
The best dress to wear for a relaxed Sunday stroll in the park. How to look polished and put-together on a casual day outside.

Wisteria Hysteria, London. House instagrammable places. Kensington. Ted Baker. 31 Dresses. Black white outfit.







Coordinate your accessories

The most important thing to consider when putting together a casual look that is still polished and refined is to ensure that everything you are wearing works harmoniously with one another. No piece is contrasting with another. This is why it it is important to co-ordinate your accessories with the clothes you are wearing.

Here I made sure to stick with the monochrome colour palette, choosing a pair of black shoes, my sustainable black mini bag and a black velvet bow hair clip. Complimented with a matching silver bow jewellery necklace and earrings set and topped off with my Essence Pandora charm bracelet. Note how all of my accessory choices are delicate and discrete. They are not demanding attention. Ensuring all my accessories compliment one another keeps the outfit looking simple.

The best dress to wear for a relaxed Sunday stroll in the park. How to look polished and put-together on a casual day outside.

Wisteria Hysteria, London. House instagrammable places. Kensington. Ted Baker. 31 Dresses. Black white outfit.
The best dress to wear for a relaxed Sunday stroll in the park. How to look polished and put-together on a casual day outside.

Wisteria Hysteria, London. House instagrammable places. Kensington. Ted Baker. 31 Dresses. Black white outfit.





Always ankle boots

My reason for loving ankle boots is simple: they’re the comfortable chic alternative to high heels. I like to think of a good pair of ankle boots as that happy medium. They look a little more dressy than a casual pair of flats and you can walk miles in them, which may be a struggle for a pair of stilettos. With this said, finding a great pair of ankle boots isn’t always easy.

As a conscious consumer living a vegan lifestyle, finding those perfect ankle boots was much harder than I initially thought. Admittedly, I am very fussy when it comes to shoe shopping. I loved the Ted Baker ankle boots but unfortunately they are made with real leather and thus do not align with my moral compass. Therefore, I noted what I liked about the Ted B boots, they release each year, and kept this in mind when browsing for my perfect booties. Somehow, I managed to find a vegan friendly pair with a similar style by Principles. Despite this, it actually took me almost 2 years to find these babies so I recommend staying patient. When you do find them… stock up!













It is entirely possible to look polished but still feel comfortable. It is simply about making practical choices and choosing detail over colour and prints. Regardless of their reputation, dresses may feel like they are only for special occasions but they require less effort to style.

The best dress to wear for a relaxed Sunday stroll in the park. How to look polished and put-together on a casual day outside.

Wisteria Hysteria, London. House instagrammable places. Kensington. Ted Baker. 31 Dresses. Black white outfit.

View all dresses

Expressions NYC Ted Baker vegan fashion

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Instagram post 2173352083837866826_192156291 Dancing on the Spanish Steps ✨

Last month I had the privilege to take my first aeroplane ride to beautiful Roma. This photo was a quick spontaneous shot taken in the late hours of a Thursday morning and unsurprisingly it was very busy. As I don’t currently own a wide angle lense, we had to take the photo in two shots and merge them in the editing process. A lot of hours were spent on Photoshop to get the place looking empty and into one full frame but fortunately the result was worth it! 
Swipe to see the two original photos. ❧
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#romeandyou #travelrome #mytinyatlas #igersrome #spanishsteps #italiabella #thefairytalebloggers #beautifuldestinations #seekthesimplicity #solovelysofree #thisisitaly #sodarling #thatsdarlingmovement #welltravelled #thegirlgang #italiainfoto #worlderlust #italy_hidden_gems #postcardsfromtheworld #myunicornlife #passionpassport #inspiremyinstagram #blondesandcookies #italy_creative_pictures #blogginggals #prettylittletrips #explorethepretty #beautiful_world #persuepretty #tasteintravel
Instagram post 2171354739839818151_192156291 No matter how you live your life. There will always be someone disappointed, disagreeing and think they know better. So just live your truth and make sure you aren’t the one who is disappointed in the end. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ *the bag in this photo was gifted to me for a previous collaboration.
Instagram post 2167701003980356288_192156291 If I’m ever having a moment of doubt, whether this be wearing what I want or saying ‘yes’ to a new opportunity, I think about what I would say if I came back from the future as an 80 year-old woman. The answer I fall up on is usually ‘go for it!’ Throughout my life, I have been surrounded by people older than myself, who hold too many life regrets and talk about the things they wish they had done. I don’t want to be one of those people who looks back and says ‘I wish I had done that’, I want to be able to say ‘I did that’. 🖤 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ *the bag in this photo was gifted to me for a previous collaboration.
Instagram post 2164125389994086445_192156291 It’s time to initiate. 
Life is too damn short to live in a mediocre way. Wake up with a purpose and make the best of each day and your short time on this earth. Stop saying “I will do this when I have more money” or “I’ll start when I’m more settled.” Stop making excuses. What if I told you that all you need is what you have right now. That’s all you need just to make a start. It doesn’t matter if you’re 27 or 50, set your alarm for tomorrow morning and wake up with purpose. Always give your best and life your best life. Don’t let the years just pass you by - because we don’t get another chance. This is it.
Instagram post 2136526776409584597_192156291 You can always trust the untrustworthy because you can always trust that they will be untrustworthy. Its the trustworthy you can’t trust.☠️
– Captain Jack Sparrow

A Throwback to when we visited a ship to do a modern pirate themed fashion shoot. We got kicked out because we were too naive and didn’t yet understand the issues around photoshoots...
Instagram post 2119857036983494419_192156291 Throughout my life I’ve had various people make fun of me for being different. I’ve never really conformed and as the years go by this becomes more apparent. Even in the way I ‘dress up’ everyday, it draws attention because it’s deemed uncontroversial. It’s resulted in being asked from time to time how I have the confidence to stand out and the courage to stand up.  I don’t even notice I’m portraying these strong qualities because I am simply unafraid to be myself...⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ 
It is unfortunate that so many of us do everything we can not to stand out. The fear of drawing attention confines us to conform. By doing everything we can to ‘fit in’ we are only oppressing everything that makes us great- great things that could contribute to a better world.

No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else. So stand tall darling. Be a flamingo in a flock of pigeons. 🌸✨
Instagram post 2117447270847993603_192156291 Finding this house in all its Wisteria glory was a small and special moment for me. Admittedly I relished in pride when we turned the corner to see it sitting peacefully there, as I had previously spent hours on Google maps street view trying to locate this beauty. Those hours were definitely worth it and this photo really does not do this house justice. This is a true example of why Spring will always be my favourite season. 💜
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