25 December 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas my pretties!

This is what I should be wearing on my feet today:





Or perhaps in red?:

Or, I could go all Helena Bonham-Carter on it and wear one red one and one green one. Because if there's one day you can get away with ridiculous sparkliness surely that day is Christmas Day?


The Red or Dead Shirley shoes in green or red are £65 from Schuh. And they also come in silver.


Whatever you wear on your feet, I hope that your Christmas is full of prettiness. And joy. And shoes.


Selina xx

24 December 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Colour Block Bag by Novo

It's a good thing I didn't go into the Novo store at St Lukes when I was Christmas shopping two nights ago. If I had spotted this bag the kids would be getting a couple less presents each!

Colour blocking is everywhere at the moment. In fact the term is getting a bit overused if you ask me - I saw a plain blue scarf advertised as "colour blocked" the other day. I mean seriously? A blue scarf isn't color blocked, it's Just A Blue Scarf! Anyway, I digress. Orange and pink is one of my favourite clashing colourways, and it works really well in this cute wee across body bag, AU$49.95 online from Novo Australia, or a list of Novo stores can be found here.

23 December 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Ingrid Bra from Freya

Remember the other day how I found that gorgeous bird print bra from New Look, and I was lamenting the fact that it only comes in B and C cup sizes? Well looky-look what I found!:


Here's a closeup of the print:


I love the pretty lilac edging. And being from Freya the Ingrid Plunge Balcony Bra fits D to GG cup sizes. I'll have one thanks!

Stockist information for Freya can be found here.


21 December 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Bardot Polka Dot High Heels by Red or Dead

So I was watching E! Fashion Police the other day, and they declared that the platform is dead. Apparently nobody is wearing them on the red carpet any more. Nobody!

To which I reply:


Obviously nobody has told the shops, because platform shoes are alive and well in their hundreds. Thank goodness - because I love me a good platform (which I think you already know). Aside from looking so damn good, they're just so much more comfortable on the balls of your feet.

What about you my pretties? Is the platform dead to you? Or will you continue to wear them in direct defiance of E!'s Fashion Police? If you're feeling defiant the Red or Dead Bardot Polka Dot Platform Heel is £70 from Schuh.


20 December 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Fly Away Bra from New Look

If (like me) you have big boobs you might want to look away now. Because this pretty only comes in B and C cups:

Isn't that print gorgeous? The Fly Away Padded Balconette Bra is £11.99 from New Look and comes in sizes 32 B-C, 34 B-C and 36B.

And there are matching knickers (or "Brazilian Briefs" even) too, for £5.99.

I do kind of wish I hadn't seen the bra though, because I really want it!

19 December 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Betty Knit Dress from Fever London

One shop I didn't get to check out on our trip to England last year was Fever London. I did see a couple of their dresses in a boutique in Leamington Spa when I met up with the gorgeous Lauren of The Zombie Wears Vintage and they really are stunning.

Next year Eccentric English Boyfriend and I are planning another trip to England, so you can bet Fever will be on my Must See (and Buy All the Stuff) List. And this dress will be one of the ones to try on if it's still in stock:

Cute, huh? There are two other colourways in the Betty Dress (pink/blue and black/camel) but this red/white/blue colourway known as Bardot is my favourite. It's crying out for a beret and a baguette and a gorgeous frenchman. Or maybe just the gorgeous Frenchman. I don't want to be too demanding.

The Betty Dress in Bardot colourway is currently £49.99 on sale from Fever London.

18 December 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Sour Cherry Vintage Tea Cup Earrings

Aren't these earrings the cutest wee things?:

I love how cartoony they look. The Tea Cup Earrings are £4.95 from Sour Cherry on Amazon, who also sell this necklace:

Which I have to have. Seriously. Because it's awesome. (Warning Necklace is £6.95 from Sour Cherry on Amazon. Buy it for me. You know you want to.)

17 December 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Crayon Rings by OhMyLuckyStar on Etsy

You know what's even better than pretty jewellery? Pretty jewellery that you can draw pictures with!


Yes folks, that really is jewellery made from crayons. How awesome is that?

Crayon rings from OhMyLuckyStar on Etsy come in sizes from kids to adults and would make perfect Christmas gifts if you're after something a little different. The 8 pack pictured above is US$40.00.

16 December 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Black & White Roses Earrings from Rubi's Art N'More on Etsy

I love the monochromatic drama of these handmade rose earrings:


Measuring approximately 3/4", the Black & White Rose Earrings are US$10.00 from Rubi's Art N'More on Etsy.

15 December 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Starry Starry Night Pendant from Kaelin Design

Did you know there is a type of stone called "Druzy"? I'm not making this up, it's an actual thing. Here's a description of how it is formed from the Kaelin Designs website:

"Druzy stones [...] are the result of a stone cooling more quickly on the outside than the inside when it is formed from its near molten state. Nearly every stone that exists has the potential to have a small section of "druse", or "druzy" in its matrix. Many druzy stones are naturally colored due to the inherent qualities of the stone [...]. Occasionally, however, the stone in question, while having excellent druzy crystal structure, lacks the beautiful colors that appeal to many people. In this case, a stone artisan will take the cabochon and a piece of metal such as titanium, gold, or platinum and vaporize the metal which will permanently deposit itself onto the surface of the stone. When using a metal like titanium, the stone artist can control the resulting coloration by the type and amperage of electrical current he uses to vaporize the metal. Some of the variations possible in titanium include blue, purple, gold, green, and every combination in between."

All of which makes for something quite pretty:


Can you imagine the conversation? "What's that stone?" "It's a Druzy." "Yes it is, but what type of stone is it?" Hours of entertainment.

The Starry Starry Night Pendant is US$85.00 from Kaelin Designs.

14 December 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: SunnyGirl at Freez Padlock Dress

Not only does this dress look like a lovely flirty style for hot summer days, what appeared at first sight to be a geometric pattern of some sort is actually padlocks:


Too cute.  I'm sure there's a joke about locks or keys in there somewhere. It's late at night and I can't think of one. If you come with one let me know in the comments!

The Padlock Dress by Sunnygirl at Freez is AU$39.00.

13 December 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Dorothy Perkins Blue Bird Ruched Waist Dress

Y'know, I never used to like bird prints on clothes. Or on anything for that matter. Birds belonged in they sky and neither they, nor their poop, should be on my clothes. Then along came those Miu Miu shoes with birds on them*, I fell head over heels in love and suddenly I find myself quite partial to a bird print. I still don't like bird poop though. Which is probably a good thing.

I love the colours in the print on this Dorothy Perkins dress; and the ruching and pleating at the waist. The Blue Bird Ruched Waist Dress is £30.00.

* "Which Miu Miu shoes?", I hear you say. Would you like to see a photo of them? Oh go on then:

Did you hear that? That was the sound of me swooning. These are my dream shoes. And one day they will be mine. Somehow. When I have a spare £368.49 which is what they currently cost on Net-A-Porter. Anybody in need of a kidney?

12 December 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Christmas socks!

Christmas sweaters are a crime against all that is good and fashionable. Christmas socks can be pretty tacky too, but these ones I would wear:






Cute, huh? I'd wear these. Although I should point out that I have been known to wear Christmas earrings. Only on Christmas Day mind. And I've never worn a Christmas sweater. Ever!

The Roll Top Christmas Striped Socks are £16.00 from Tabio.

11 December 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Sterling Blue Vintage Reproduction Dress from Red Dress Shoppe

I kind of wish I had some swanky Christmas parties to go to just so I could justify ordering this gorgeous dress.


That colour! It's not a colour you see very often and it is gorgeous. Plus that beautiful fitted waist, gathered bust and full floaty skirt - this is like my dream dress. In fact if Eccentric English Boyfriend were ever to ask me to marry him I'd want this as my wedding dress. (I've done the white wedding once, this is perfect for a second marriage!) I'm pretty sure he won't see me wanting a dress as a good enough reason for marriage though.

The Sterling Blue Vintage Reproduction Dress is US$78.00 from Red Dress Shoppe.

10 December 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Lipstik Zinga from Hannahs

I spotted these in Hannahs today during a quick trip to the mall, and being me I had to stop and fondle them. If it weren't for pre-Christmas budget limitations I would have walked out with them too.

Coral is a colour that pops up every summer and while I wouldn't choose clothing items in coral because it just doesn't suit me I absolutely love it in these shoes. These are in a gorgeous tactile suede, and they also come in a stunning royal blue which I love almost as much and a go-with-everything nude. Unfortunately there are no photos of either of those colours on the Hannahs website so you'll just have to pop into a store to see for yourself.

The Lipstik Zinga is $99.95 from Hannahs stores nationwide.

09 December 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Bella by Kurt Geiger

As a rule I try to keep the products I showcase here within a price range that I wouldn't baulk at paying myself. In other words the cheaper end of the spectrum. But sometimes I see something that's too gorgeous not to show you.

See?


You're probably all well aware that a mary jane stiletto-heeled platformed shoe with a bow is bound to have me excited, but what does it for me with this shoe is that stunning colour combination. Seriously, I came over all swoony - a bit like all those times I watched Bridget Jones' Diary just for Colin Firth.

The Bella by Kurt Geiger is £140.00. Which means I have about as much chance of owning a pair as I do snogging Colin Firth*. Just don't make me choose.


* Apologies to Eccentric English Boyfriend. Who, in my defence, is well aware of my feelings about Colin Firth.

08 December 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Ella Balconette Bra by Curvy Kate

You've got to love a lingerie site which specialises in bras for bigger cup sizes and has the slogan "Big Bras at Small Prices". A quick browse through the offerings at brastop.com revealed a wide range of gorgeous lingerie for those of us with boobs in a D cup and above.

This bra caught my eye because I just love the bright colours used in the embroidery detail:


Curvy Kate Ella Balconette Bra £16.95, available in 28"-38", DD-H cups. 

And because matching knickers are a must:

Curvy Kate Ella Thong £6.95.

07 December 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Sweetheart Shoes by Miss L Fire

These shoes are a lovely example of how to do white shoes without them looking wedding-ish or (shudder) 80s-ish. The combination of red stitching, chunky heel, ribbon and heart detailing and mary jane style - they're pretty much designed especially for me as far as I can tell.

The Sweetheart Shoes by Miss L Fire are currently reduced from £89.99 to £65.00 on Dolly Dagger.

05 December 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Wiggle Dress by Pixie Pocket

I spend a lot of time sighing over reproduction vintage dresses I see in online stores. Occasionally I cave in and buy them too, but not as often as I'd like because international postage to New Zealand makes them just that little bit more expensive.

But this dress. This dress is from a New Zealand store. I may have just died of happiness. And Eccentric English Boyfriend may have just made a frenzied dash to hide the credit card.


The Black and White Striped Wiggle Dress is a very reasonable NZ$95.00 from Pixie Pocket on Felt.co.nz, and it's not the only gorgeous dress in their store. Now where did EEB hide that credit card?

04 December 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Big Knickers from Knickerocker

Browsing through an Etsy seller's lingerie listings, a section entitled "Big Knickers" may not seem particularly tempting - inspiring as it does thoughts of skin-toned granny knickers in practical cotton knits.

Knickerocker's Big Knickers are anything but granny. Their clever use of fabric and colour has resulted in a range of fun, quirky and cute knickers with something to tempt almost everyone. Including your granny.

Bright colours, lace and picot trim, and polka dots in the High Waisted Pink Polka Dot Panties (US$25.00):


Cute daisy print panel front and back in the Daisy Print Panelled Retro Knickers (US$25.00):


Nautical theme and colourway and a cute mix of prints in the Nautical Sailor High Rise Panties (US$24.00):


And my personal favourite, the Retro Style Floral Panties (US$20.00). I love the tropical print and colourway - that vibrant blue is one of my favourite colours:


So what about you my pretties? Would you buy Big Knickers? Would your granny?

19 July 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Vintage Telephone earrings from Art Divine

I'm old enough to remember having a dial telephone as a child. These new-fangled push button whatsits didn't come in until I was a teenager, and they were almost as exciting as video players.

Our dial telephone was a particularly nasty shade of pond scum green. I would have much preferred a red one.


I'll settle for the earrings though. Because I'm good like that. The Vintage Telephone earrings by New Zealand designer Art Divine are NZ$38.50 on toggle.co.nz.

18 July 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Water Balloons tshirt from Threadless

I love the print on this tshirt from Threadless, even if my brain is screaming "what's keeping those balloons up in the air?".


I'm going to pretend I know nothing about the laws of physics. Which actually is not entirely untrue - Physics was never my strongest subject at school. Here's a close-up of the design:


It's currently on sale on Threadless too (US$10 for the girlie tee, and US$15 for the girlie boat neck tee), so laws of physics be damned!

17 July 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Pink & Blue Flowers lingerie from Purrfect Pineapples

Purrfect Pineapples not only produce gorgeous hand-made lingerie, they are also cruelty-free. Which is all the more temptation to buy. As if I needed any more temptation - I'm head over heels for this gorgeous Pink and Blue Flowers limited edition set:


Flirtatious, pretty, frilly, completely impractical. What more could a girl want? Well, aside from a raise in her allowance so she can buy it?

Prices for the items (in Canadian dollars): Corset (custom made) $250, Soft Cup Bra $85, Garter Belt $64.

16 July 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Grace dress from Hubba Hubba Vintage

Sometimes I wish I'd lived in an era when a woman's wardrobe contained "occasion" dresses. House dresses and cocktail dresses and formal day dresses. Especially "formal day dresses" - there's something about that I really like the sound of.

Here's a lovely formal day dress from Hubba Hubba vintage - who do some gorgeous repro stuff.


What I love about this dress is that up close you can see the fabric has a tiny spot print.


So pretty. And that belted waist and full skirt is to die for.

The Grace dress is £150 from Hubba Hubba Vintage.

15 July 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Pleaser Emily Mary Jane from endless.com

15 Year Old Daughter has been a vegetarian since she was 10 years old. Her commitment to vegetarianism has only increased with time, and her beliefs now extend to her choices in clothing. Wherever possible she avoids leather, so it's really nice to visit endless.com and see that along with the standard search terms such as "boots" or "pumps" they also offer the ability to search for vegetarian shoes.

In a rush of blood to the head I left 15YO with the search results open on my laptop and told her to pick a pair for me to post about. Which she did, but now of course I have to endure the "I really love those shoes they're so pretty please can I have them pretty please mummy dearest who I love very much" face.

Admittedly they are really cute, and since 15YO and I have the same size feet I could always borrow them. Which is not a justification for buying them.

The Pleaser Emily Mary Jane is US$64.95 from endless.com.

14 July 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Showgirl Antoinette Corset from What Katie Did

Hello my pretties! I have been remiss - I promised you a month ago that I'd be back to regular blogging, and, well, that was a month ago. Sorry.

Anyway, I'm in a sexy underwear kind of mood at the moment. A trip to the mall yesterday with the singular intention of visiting the Chinese massage place saw me come home with two sets of pretty underwear. Which were on sale, so obviously I can be forgiven. Eccentric English Boyfriend might not agree but he's been away in China for the last month.

One lingerie item I would really love in my wardrobe is a corset. And What Katie Did have some beautiful examples, including this one:


This is a corset designed to be shown off - inside or outside the bedroom! At £189.50 it's not cheap, but then you should expect to pay more for a good quality corset.

The Showgirl Antoinette Corset is available at What Katie Did.

08 June 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Miss KG Minnie Bow Front Platform shoes from asos

According to the latest email from asos "The brightly coloured stiletto heel is back". I wasn't aware it had ever gone away. I mean why would you want something this gorgeous to go away?

That bow! They had me at red platform stiletto anyway, that bow is just the very pretty icing on a very very pretty cake!

The Minnie Bow Front Platform Court by Miss KG is £80.00 from asos.

07 June 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Red Poppy peplum top from Dorothy Perkins

The Cold That Ate Manhatten is fading gradually. But I'm still defying winter by browsing pretty floral summery styles. I love the oversized poppy print on this top from Dorothy Perkins:


Gorgeous. The Red Poppy peplum top is £18.00 from Dorothy Perkins.

06 June 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Symphony for a Mermaid t-shirt from La Fraise

I'm still in the throes of The Cold That Ate Manhatten, so today's post is going to be short on words because my head hurts and is possibly about to explode. Plus I think I have a fever and my grip on reality may or may not be slightly tenuous. Does anybody else see the goblin in the corner?

So: t-shirt; mermaid; pretty:



The Symphony for a Mermaid t-shirt is €23 from La Fraise.

I'm going to go to sleep now, wake me if the goblin does anything suspicious, kthxbai.

05 June 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Betty dress by Natasha Bailie

Winter has started here in New Zealand. After a warmer than normal May the start of June marked not only the official beginning of winter, but also the beginning of the cold, wet, windy weather. Oh and another head cold for me. So, ummm, yay?

Miserable weather and a miserable cold can mean only one thing - browsing the internet for pretty flowery spring dresses. Of course. And look at this one:

Look at that plunging vee back and that gorgeous oversized bow! The Betty vintage styled dress is £120 from Natasha Bailie, a Singapore-based stockist of vintage clothing who have recently started producing their own range of vintage-styled dresses, of which the Betty is one.

01 June 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Copper Daisy Flower Earrings from Cinnamon Jewellery

Thanks to 12 Year Old Son (who spends more time watching videos on YouTube about his favourite video games than he spends actually playing the damn games), we've reached our internet cap for the month. Which means we're now reduced to dinosaur age dial-up speeds*. Pictures of pretty things take a very long time to load for me right now. Loading a picture goes something like this:

"Oooh, that thumbnail of a pretty [insert name of pretty thing here] looks lovely, I think I'll click on it to make it bigger." Click. Wait. Wait some more. Look at watch. Wait. Decide to make coffee. Realise we're out of coffee beans. Go to supermarket to get more coffee beans. Return. Grind coffee in ridiculously expensive coffee grinder that Eccentric English Boyfriend bought because he's a total coffee snob. Make coffee in coffee machine that cost considerably less than the ridiculously expensive coffee grinder that Eccentric English Boyfriend bought because he's a total coffee snob. While coffee is brewing check screen. Notice a sliver of picture has loaded. Get excited about apparent progress. Nothing further happens. Get annoyed at self for premature excitement. Drink coffee. Wait. Decide to change cat litter. Regain consciousness. Check watch. Considerable time has passed. Make mental note to change cats' diet. Check screen. Picture has loaded. And here it is:



Aren't they gorgeous? Totally worth the wait. The Copper Daisy Flower Earrings are £15.00 from Cinnamon Jewellery on Folksy.

And now I'm going to click "Publish" and make lunch while this post uploads. I'll probably have time to grow my own vegetables for the salad.


* Yes I realise they didn't have dial-up in the dinosaur age. I'm pretty certain they still had faster internet than what we currently have though.

31 May 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Marks & Spencer Limited Collection High Heel Bow Platform Shoes

I have a very long list of English shops which I would love to transplant to New Zealand. High on that list is M&S, and not just because their 5-pack cotton briefs are the best knickers ever. Although maybe not the sexiest.

One thing that surprised me about M&S was their shoe range - I didn't expect them to produce pretty shoes like these:


Bow and polka dots and platform oh my.

The Limited Collection High Heel Bow Platform Shoes are £29.50 from M&S, whose delivery charge to New Zealand is at the higher end of the spectrum at £15. Never mind, they'll have a whole variety of new summer shoes in when we go over next year. Also, did I mention we're going to England next year? Is it too early to be getting excited?

30 May 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Victorian Framed Rose Hips Necklace from Fable and Fury

When I was little I thought rosehips and roses were two different plants. Mind you I also thought toadstools were actual toads' stools, so my gardening knowledge was hardly to be relied upon.

Now that I'm older and slightly more knowledgeable about gardening (only slightly, my dead plants outnumber the ones that have managed to stay alive), I appreciate rosehips because they're pretty. As is this necklace:


The Victorian Frame Rose Hips and Leaves silhouette necklace is made from silver satin stainless steel and is US$26.00 from FableAndFury on Etsy. It's also available in black or red stainless steel.

29 May 2011

Some changes at Pretty Clever

Hello my pretties. You may have noticed that my posting at Pretty Clever over the last few months has been a bit sporadic, for one reason and another. During this time I've been mulling over the direction I want to take Pretty Clever in. When I first started Pretty Clever over two years ago my intention was to write a makeup and nail polish blog, but of its own accord (yes, my blog is sentient) Pretty Clever seemed to take itself more and more in the direction of being a blog about pretty things in fashion. And so I started to feel that posts about makeup didn't quite gel with the feeling of this blog.

Well in the serendipitious way that these things have of happening, Joanna from Pretty Pretty Pretty approached me and asked me to write for them. Now I've been reading Pretty Pretty Pretty since about the same time I started writing Pretty Clever. It's a New Zealand-based beauty blog that I love, and I've been lucky enough to become friends with a couple of the writers there, so writing for them seems like a great fit.

So what that means is, Pretty Clever will continue, and will be the place I blog about shoes and dresses and jewellery and all other things pretty in fashion - and hopefully the Daily Dose of Pretty will actually go back to being, you know, daily! Meanwhile, if you want to read about my nail polish and makeup adventures, join me and the other gorgeous ladies at Pretty Pretty Pretty.

Selina xx

05 April 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: ASOS PREMIUM Pleat Shoulder Dress With Full Skirt

I'm couch-bound and slowly disappearing behind a mountain of wadded up tissues today my pretties, because I have a cold. If I had the energy to do anything other than reach pitifully for another tissue I'd be roundly cursing the universe for giving me this cold so soon after the last one. Obviously someone somewhere thinks I enjoy sneezing and sniffing and coughing. Great. Thanks.

Anyway, luckily for you the pretties don't have to stop because the always gorgeous and delightful Amber over at Fashion Police has posted a dress which I am utterly in love with, and I'm sure she won't mind me sharing it with you. The link that is, not the actual dress because that would cost an awful lot in postage.


The colour above is called Deep Peacock, which is gorgeous. I am also in love with the version in black - so much so that I would dearly love to buy both:

I just love the slash neckline and fitted waist. I find myself wondering if I could get away with buying both and claiming some sort of fever-related amnesia.

The ASOS PREMIUM Pleat Shoulder Dress With Full Skirt is £50.00.

02 April 2011

Your daily dose of pretty: Brighton Belle Polka Dot Swing Dress from Dollydagger

There is a particular sound I make whenever I see a new pretty, that sounds something like "heep", said in a squeaky voice. It is also the same sound I make when I see cute puppy pictures.

This is not a puppy:

Ok so it's not the first retro-style swing dress I've shown you. It won't be the last either. But it has a bow people, which increases its awesomeness by eleventy-twelve percent*.

The Brighton Belle Polka Dot Swing Dress is £79.00 from Dollydagger, and also comes in blue and black.

* I totally used my calculator to work that out.