Girl In The Pretty Dress

I can't say I've ever really shopped for a beach towel before. The last one I had was bought at the last-minute without much consideration. It was going to get covered in sand anyway, so what did it matter what it looked like? Right? I have never been more wrong. When I looked at my trusty old towel the other day it occurred to me that it might not see me through another summer. So I started looking online for other options - and a whole new world of shopping opened up to me. Tall tip: Beach towels come in different lengths (who knew?) so it's worth checking the item description. The longest one I found was the Sunnylife towel (via ASOS ) which is a lengthy 175cm. Row 1: John Lewis Basics / Sunnylife Stripe / Next / John Lewis Beach Hut Row 2: Seafolly / Biba / Ralph Lauren Row 3: Next Exotic Floral / Accessorize Floral Union Jack / Accessorize Vintage Row 4: Linea Polka Dot / George Anchor Row 5: Linea Flamingo Stripe / George Ice Lollies / John Lewis...

Dress: Joy | Necklace: Joy | Shoes: Dorothy Perkins | Bag: TK Maxx Yay for Summer. And hurray for Summer Sales. I bought this dress from  Joy  for a bargain price (and it's still available online  here ). I love the scooped back, (scroll down for a pic) it's the perfect dress to keep me cool, yet covered. Stripes always say 'summer' and 'seaside' to me... so of course I  had  to buy an anchor necklace to complete the look (also from Joy and available  here ). I've just booked my summer hols - to Corsica! I can't wait to get back out to the med and enjoy a week by the sea. I've never been before so I'd love to hear any tips you guys have... Happy sales shopping! xx

I'm a big fan of America - In fact it's my dream to do a coast-to-coast road trip across the States one day. Last week it was Independence Day on the other side of the pond. (It was also, coincidentally, a year since I completed on my house, so I like to think of it as my own day of 'independence' ...more about that coming soon!) The star-spangled banner is the main image associated with Independence Day, and this summer it's something that's really influenced high-street designs. So here's my pick of the best stars and stripes still out there at the moment...    Star Denim Hotpants , £28 from Topshop wear with: Stipe Crop Top , £10 from Topshop & Ring , £8 from Urban Outfitters Flag Vest , £20 (on sale) Hilfiger Denim via ASOS Skinny Jeans , £45 (on sale) Kill City via ASOS Flag Shorts , £15 from boohoo.com wear with: Emroidered Blouse , £20 from Dorothy Perkins & Cowboy boots , £110 from Kurt Geiger   Ski...