A Hanky Hem In Holland

It was the hemline of this dress that first caught my eye, followed closely by the pink ribbon trim. The ribbon trim draws the eye to the narrowest part of the body and the handkerchief hemline draws the eye down which optically lengthens the line. It’s very flattering. I love the colours in the print and I knew this hanky hem dress would work well with my navy suedette biker jacket. I wore it on my birthday last week when we were in Amsterdam. We spent most of the day ambling around the Nine Streets in the Jordaan district and I wanted to feel comfortable and look stylish.

It’s the “Holly Hanky hem dress” from Boden. It comes in a white and pink colourway too, and in regular and long lengths. For information, I’m 5 ft 9 (175cm) tall and am wearing a size 12 long. As you can see, it reaches my ankles.

My boots are a gift from Van-Dal. The design is called Mercer and it comes in several different colours and textures, (some of which are currently reduced). Mine are in the midnight croc colourway. I got the same style last autumn in green, so I knew for certain they’d be comfortable enough for walking for hours on end. They have underfoot cushioning and are made of soft leather. Even after covering 15km, my feet were still intact.

My navy leather hobo bag was ideal for carrying around Amsterdam. It fit my camera and lenses in along with make-up bag, purse, canvas shopping bag, umbrella and sunglasses. The bag is also currently reduced and comes in at under £60, an excellent price for a leather bag.

My silver and tourmaline earrings were a birthday gift from Hersey and Son, a London-based silversmith.

Tourmaline is the birthstone for October so of course it was lovely to wear them on my birthday. They go beautifully with the colours in my dress but are subtle enough to wear with any colour. The charms are detachable and are available in every birthstone. They’d make a thoughtful, timeless gift for women of all ages and for any special occasion.