Wednesday 2 April 2014

Joe Browns - a review

Who am I to turn down a free item of clothing to review? When Joe Browns got in touch to ask if I would like to select an item of their clothing from their S/S 14 range I said yes (of course)!  I had heard of Joe Browns but had never bought from them. I wanted to pick an item of clothing I would wear again and again and one that could be dressed up or down. I have to have items like this in my wardrobe as I like to play around with one item in many different ways.

At first I struggled to find something to choose. Not because there isn't a lot on the site but I wanted a dress and the first few I looked at were too short in length. The great thing about Joe Browns is they give you lots of information prior to buying so you know when you do buy you're well equipped to make the right decision.

I chose this dress 'Garden Party Dress' - £34.95 (shown here by the model on their site)


And here I am showing off in it this morning, trying different shoes/colours/bag etc - it's a VERY WELL MADE dress, the attention to detail is gorgeous, the liitle pockets and badge detail etc. MY ONLY gripe is the oversized cowl neck - I bent down to do something and it flapped back in my face! I had to then re-arrange it. I wish I could chop it off if I'm honest because this dress with a simple round neck would be (for me) the PERFECT dress. I've asked a seamstress about modifying it for me but sadly the droppy neck is attached at the shoulders. That said, it does add a nice look to the front and if you don't bend down you'll be fine! The colour is as fresh as Spring and watch this space for me wearing it lots more times over the months ahead!

Pictures please!

Shoe selfie ... The dress has lots of pretty colours that suits a LOT of different colored shoes, of which I have plenty!


But first, let me take a selfie (can't stop singing that song #chainsmokers #selfie)


I managed to ask the husband this morning to quickly take some photos - he did ok don't you think?

Casual with trainers


Dressed up with heels and an oversized green clutch


Have you bought from Joe Browns before? What do you think of my dress? Which shoes are best?
Trainers? Orange? Blue? White? Raspberry? Green? ( I could have done red or nude too)!


Fiona
xoxo

35 comments :

  1. Love the colours of the dress Fiona, so fresh & pretty & it looks fab with all your different coloured shoes!!
    Jane xx
    My Midlife Fashion

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  2. That's a really cute dress Fiona and you're right it is versatile. I spy some very nice white sandals on your feet. We need a blog post dedicated to them x

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    1. Those white sandals were a BARGAIN buy last summer, they're quite high but now I have more confidence (it grows each year I blog) I shall be wearing A LOT this summer!

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  3. Such a pretty dress, I love a cowl neck but agree the are a bit fiddly at times and need constant re-arrangement!! My favourite look is with the white sandals xx

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    1. I am going to enjoy wearing this over the summer!

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  4. Very pretty dress with quite a vintage vibe! I love the white shoes with it the best, but my favourite shoes on their own are the raspberry ones - where are they from, they're amazing?!
    P x

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    1. Yes it does have a little vintage thing going on doesn't it?
      Raspberry shoes were good old M&S around 3 years ago :-)

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  5. I was going to ask about the purpley raspberry sandals too - love those!

    And it's a lovely fun length on you actually is the dress - and beautiful colours.

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    1. I find it VERY hard to get dresses that are not too short but are cute minxy short .. this one works very well.

      Good old M&S, you really can't beat them for shoes!

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  6. Great dress - love it with the sandals...so pretty and lucky you getting a free dress. What a great way to show all your readers what something looks like on a real person instead of trying to work out if it might suit from an online shop photo. Off for a look on the JB website now! Ax

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    1. I think it's VERY important to see clothes on real people, in real lighting situations and showing ways of how to wear it - dress up dress down etc

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  7. Spot on Fiona. I like it with the white sandals and the green peep toes. It looks a lot better on you than on the model picture. It just goes to show that is great to see a real woman trying it on. Just try putting a couple of slyly placed stitches to stop the cowl flapping about. I have never purchased from Joe Browns but I will check out the website. H xx

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    1. Clothes on real people and lots of different people is the way forward!

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  8. Hi Fiona! Such a cute dress and love how differently you've styled it-the colours are so nice too xx

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  9. Whoa! Just how many pairs of shoes do you own??? Ok, don't answer that!! Dress is very cute and as someone said earlier, it really is great to see what it looks like on a 'real person' .. particularly when you go to the trouble of showing different ways of styling it. And I liked the green peep toes the best!

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    1. Shoes or boots? I would say 10 heels, 5 flats and about 20 other pairs of shoes. Boots around 10 pairs

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  10. Such a pretty dress & its beautiful on you Fiona! I like the purple & the white sandals the best! Their stuff is really well made isn't it? xx

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  11. This dresses up beautifully Fiona, I love it with heels and a clutch. Gorgeous dress in fab colours x

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  12. Adorable on you! Looks so cute with so many of your shoes!

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  13. I agree, so helpful to see on a real person, I am inspired to look at Joe Browns after seeing a post like this with different styling suggestions. Really versatile, the colour is great on you. Especially love it with the white pumps. :-) xx

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    1. Joe Browns have a lot of things I don't like if I'm honest but some of their summer prints on dresses are very cute

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  14. Fab dress Fiona, the colours look great on you, agree with all above it is so nice seeing the dress on you styled in so many ways. You made me smile with your flappy cowl neck...no bending down for you!! I think the dress looks great and I love it with the silver pumps...off to check out Joe Browns website x

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  15. Great dress you really suit things like this, I love the Green clutch with it and like the look of the raspberry shoes. x

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    1. Raspberry shoes I love too - must remember to wear them again!

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  16. Love the colours in the dress Fiona & I think it looks great with your Orange sandals but equally as good with your pumps! I am definitely going to wear more dresses this Spring/Summer (weather permitting!!!) x

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    1. Me too - I have lots of dresses and there is no point in saving for best - shove on and with trainers they can look very casual

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  17. Its a gorgeous dress, and looks great on you . I prefer it not with the trainers ( :0) ) I think it looks really good with a bit of a heel. Have been looking through the JB catalogue with mrs fashmr as she has ordered from them in the past - Always had good service with them and they have some very nice items which are stand out different
    :0)
    Paul

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    1. I agree they do have some different clothes and the customer service is great

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  18. Love the print on this dress Fiona and for me it's trainers all the way! :)

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    1. Thank you Jenny - looking forward to wearing this again soon

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