![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsgz2tsinSHMSsnCD47pkOD1SpA0lJXenkJoyj6okq8NUmZ09ldlkoeAvICw7hLO0Ajrd6XhROtDo-ze-UaXqoVyOcBxExqCSk6XMWrkDNduSipg8Si2xzQFjSwCPH0V-TezlSNcz2vTE/s1600/Erica+Garden+-+20.jpg)
isn't it wonderful what a new dress and a deluge of compliments can do to a girl's face? in this case, not two days after the wizarding world of mental health disasters, i was laughing my guts out as my friends yelled directions at me like "be a dolphin! be a kumquat! be a rainbow!" in my back garden, in between thundery rain showers. the maxi dress in question was chosen for its ability to hide a multitude of sins on a day when i planned to eat my weight in garden party foods, drink as much prosecco as i could handle, and be sat in the garden, catching up with some long-lost friends.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqWDsOpGPgL5i2R9Zh562TLByJPf_4_0_IEOlRWYA9hMfNkbi4-aSaplUivo5GonmtC5jOiiF03LUZyb9Uz4ya8oQUWBRN8lYZTNT3YvE-PmkhFWAxxtAeS8uRscdu4HED5X6Fh37burE/s1600/Erica+Garden+-+8.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbfQOi6_gbtTSXI3EO3lVB9FvOJcbGqMhFn3rvZFSbuvrZg0EOb3-jVhJThFbYSAV_12wkmQV9sQGKRVQ4htn3J3uu5v1V8u-Qy0kiNQM6hjboesZA_tgYvB1d4NrpWvmfI-Wf8JmSLBY/s1600/Erica+Garden+-+25.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMyofwW1xFWRcngiaZLanrxQh80evCPFMZBSbBnQ2rYgqF9VPO5FKzsdbEo46UcjDlG8UoYzubLmhrEDDymMQ53Ui2SCFGCM5r5OSJsKDqjp1QnjE1ZeThoDeuVToQlI_mL9CnUDNfBaw/s1600/Erica+Garden+-+4.jpg)
being the only person in london with a garden comes in handy when one of your best mates needs to throw a garden party for some #quality #content for her blog - especially when being said friend means you get a new hoover by way of a thank you gift for opening doors and helping toss salads. to be honest, if i knew being a co-host was that easy, i would have offered years ago. especially because that's the first time i've stepped foot in that garden since we moved in... more than a year ago. foolish, really, because when you hear tales from others about how small their flats are when yours isn't, how they don't have a patch of grass when you have a whole garden, and how they thought south london was going to be such a mission when it really wasn't, it certainly makes you think about how lucky you are.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXX_3dcl1A4un3BPaGQrkG0sLwlm7BsgGr0AbhQhKga7Vs0xD38pgyMTio4bZbNZXorpynKgoIdCUMZTrt1U1GpqcsZKOkSBLOYxMYYq2r37svCPTQvyrpSkqG3_bj3nVyOAnPmkoCZIM/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCTUI9dhhb4tKVjvDBTzmvzeKi_NYBYhvUCCsJwNZbItiiXCamQ-G3ZSoXsUlcB2UWA6vzV2QtEvhee_oLUJm8NCd9YrwLs-1cKtvp3pvdQkXHhGKB59KyQVzXvZ4vTsNhl7ncmw_j8O8/s1600/Erica+Garden+-+28.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGB6nQMH9fdiVS13SDS_96CYwouvSyjwhwp0gTKManzEYr-BidhNFvhR-b5qMJVd6-H4MWokUsKGXkYn9iu28ZwTzkRNtmJbZLOCv-6iXBnfvzZ-X7dTZOj6LnpkA1MopQhGiHuXxS1Kc/s1600/001.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSU1E6GeXK3ZA7DxOxSjgxxKs6z1rqwqwAPREWYvhFrRzMOhslMssY1iLdwl6g3crx52tG5GdAmYN-AqOv-9GPm9qkMgrlCWuwvvx1iPRkxijs5QOMJOq-EVIFmwXOLS-lrWOAZVmcTQ/s1600/466.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXoK6k8xOSHbva5qMlJtVe4Etmh7HXt7g7nq3jh3TLZJZ-JS6nuEaE1ScVzxDWTRApdXeHRqZZpBP-rC5FHEOsremMD2anw6wAm3HamYadrWyAQAFxFwwqDJIisIQ8zz21KUrjKUJrYXE/s1600/Erica+Garden+-+12.jpg)
maxi dress + sunglasses c/o miss pap
speaking of luck, it's just as well this magical dress arrived when it did; it was the perfect thing to wear to a garden party - in spite the weather. there's so much fabric in the skirt that it forms its own sort of tent, keeping the elements away from anything close to my skin - must be what wearing a kilt feels like! i wasn't sure what size to go for as i'd never shopped with miss pap before, and the sizing options were s/m or m/l - no simple medium. the dress has an elasticated waist and adjustable straps, so though i did go for the m/l in the end, i could happily have fitted in the s/m i think.
the colours are absolutely banging, and the ruffle/extra layer around the top is a really flattering and pretty detail that i would never have thought would suit me. the elasticated wait was just what i needed after eating first, seconds and thirds of the tastiest salads i've ever tried (thanks katy!), so all in all, very lucky find, dontcha think!
*pictures by little miss katy
Add your comment
thank you for your comment, you lovely thing you.