Boohoo's Dress of the Month

If you hadn't already taken note, gingham is a big trend for SS17. Designers such as House of Holland, Shrimps and Molly Goddard went full-on with the print on the runways last September, taking inspiration from the Wild West, school girl pinafores, and The Wizard of Oz protagonist, Dorothy.

Gingham wasn't on my radar this season as, unless it's a stripe, I'm not a doting fan of all-over patterns. I didn't particularly want to look like a saloon barmaid, or a tablecloth. But then I was contacted by Boohoo to style their Dress of the Month on my blog, and this happened to be a gingham dress.

Boohoo's 'Dress of the Month' is a campaign which lets influencers receive a surprise sample dress from the brand's current collection, and style it as a source of inspiration for your readers. I was chosen for this month's campaign, and given the Jenna Gingham Ruffle Hem Smock Dress* to style.

When I took it out of the bag, I was pleased that it wasn't a bodycon affair, as I'm far too body-conscious to cope with anything skintight. Holding the dress up against my body in the mirror, the cogs in my mind starting turning. How will I make this work?

I was thankful that the dress came up larger than average - it's designed to feel oversized so that it hangs off the body for an easy, comfortable fit. In my head I was picturing an outfit along the lines of off-duty Alexa Chung circa 2014: something laid back with an indie rock vibe. However, the ruffles across the chest gave the dress a modern look, which meant that I would still look current.

I chose to keep my accessories mostly black and paired this dress with black patent boots from Public Desire, some round sunglasses from zeroUV* and a black shoulder bag from Dorothy Perkins. The only pop of colour was a Mary Katrantzou scarf, which I'm currently wearing with everything.

Since it was bitterly cold the day I shot this look, I brought a light duster jacket from Topshop with me. I'm not usually able to pair a coat with an outfit and make the whole thing look cohesive, but I think this finished off the look quite well.

What are your thoughts? Would you buy this gingham dress? Find it here.

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* Gifted for review