Bloggers Spring Meet Up With St. Davids

Last week I popped along to Wahaca, newly opened in Cardiff, for a little Spring blogger meet-up arranged by St. David's shopping centre.  Stylist Claire Rees, who is the fashion journalist for Wales Online, was there to give us a brief overview of Spring trends, and there was quite the assortment of garments from M&S, Vivienne Westwood, Miss Selfridge and more hanging around to give us some inspiration.









I got to wear another Christmas present for the first time, the 'Tiffany' dress from Lindybop.  I'd been putting off wearing it because it's short-sleeved, but the fabric is super soft and cosy and incredibly comfortable.



Now that I shop mainly second-hand, vintage and vintage repro, I don't intentionally do much of a seasonal wardrobe refresh, but there are a few key items that I will be looking for on the high street this Spring.

1) Bikinis
As much as I love retro styles with their high-waists, available from repro boutiques such as Bettylicious, they aren't actually that flattering on my body shape.  After my holiday last year I posted about how I discovered that I only had one functional bikini left - the rest are too old, too big, too small, too impractical.  I bought a fab one from New Look last year, so I'll see if they have a similar style this year.

2) Shoes
Being a UK size 8 in footwear, the only kinds of shoes I tend to find second-hand are boots, of which I have a vast selection.  The more ladylike and elegant styles are harder to find, and I'll confess that I'm really, really fussy!  I choose from a handful of retailers on the highstreet who I know go up to my size (lots of retailers don't - Dune does an '8' but it's only a European 41, when I'm a 41.5 to 42), and also that have decent enough quality.  I would like some block heel ankle-straps to go with my more '60s dresses, and a pair of platform wedges in a '70s style.  Clarks always come up trumps for me.

3) Basic tops
Finally, I have some 'basic' tops that need replacing - some of them are 10 years old.  I would like some 'Bardot' off-the-shoulder style tops for Spring, and as much as I love some of the ones from repro brands, I just can't justify the price difference for an item that's all over the highstreet.  I would also like to snag some polonecks in the sale as I realised this winter that they would be incredibly useful for putting under dresses.  I hope there's some left.

4) Flared jeans
They're back, apparently.  I have a hard time finding jeans to fit my body shape and leg length, but I really am keen to try some flares this year.  I am not committing to buying any, but I want to go and try some on at least.  I've really warmed to '60s and '70s looks in recent years and am enjoying exploring different things.  It's a lot more fun to break out of a style rut.

Are you going to be doing any Spring shopping?  Do you have a list of what you're looking for?

If you've not been to a Wahaca yet, I recommend it.  A chain of Mexican street-food restaurants, the food is a world away from Tex-Mex!  I've previously visited the one in Westfield, London and was very impressed.



If you are about to do some Spring spending and you're in Wales or close by, the shopping centre at St. David's has a 'Spring Treats' offer this week, where if you spend over £70 in the shopping centre, you get a goody bag.  There are lots of vouchers included in the bag, so if you intend to spend big over the next month then it might interest you as you'll then be able to get 20% off at brands such as Coast.



Thanks to all the lovely staff at Grayling PR and St Davids - it was great to have a catch-up with bloggers and staff alike, and meet some of the new staff members!