OOTD : Panicking Over Pastels

Well, my first blog post. Here goes nothing. 

I feel ridiculously in over my head; I turn 30 in a few months, mix prints like it's still the 90's and haven't bought a fashion magazine since I was in my teens. What qualifies me to create a blog like this, I hear you ask? Nothing. Nada. Zip. Yet here I am, laughing (well, perhaps sniggering) in the face of mainstream fashion and doing it anyway.

I've been designing and creating jewellery for the best part of 6 years and although I don't actually wear much of it myself, when I do, I relish the chance to create an outfit around a specific piece. I figured I'd dive right in with this first post and show you what I came up with today. It's a fairly tame ensemble (comparitively) but pastels are always something that I've found intimidating so colour me surprised when I got dressed, looked in the mirror and didn't turn away in disgust!

The necklace is one of my own, which sadly doesn't show up too well in the photograph (I blame the boyfriend and his limited skills when presented with a camera) but if you're curious, you can find it here. It's a pink Watermelon necklace that I've been wearing quite a bit lately as it co-ordinates pretty perfectly with my hair.

 I decided to team it with a Primark dress (sold out in stores in Summer 2011), a gold swallows belt from Peacocks and some dark green brogue pumps from George @ Asda. Did I mention I'm incredibly thrifty and shop exclusively on eBay/high street/online boutiques? My outlook is that if I pay more than £50 for an outfit then I need to re-evaluate. 

Anyway, let me know what you think, give me a nudge if you think there are any blogs I should be following and keep it pastel, kids!