It goes without saying that fabrics often feel like they just belong to a season. And when it comes to linen, I couldn't imagine spending a summer without wearing it almost every day.
Soft, breathable and even cuter when crumpled, it has to be the perfect fabric for travel. There's nothing that looks chicer than a crisp linen shirt thrown over a bikini at the beach, or a cute linen top with a pair of Levis cut offs. And for the next week, you can get your hands on some beautiful linen pieces on BrandAlley (which is where most of the pieces shown are from!) so I thought it would be a great time to share some of my Santorini snaps and show you the pieces I'm a little obsessed with right now.
If you've followed me for a while now, you'll know I've been the biggest fan of BrandAlley for years! It's where I found some of my favourite designer pieces, including my Gucci Disco and a couple pairs of Celine glasses. So obviously I jumped at the chance to work together, and they very kindly sent me some gorgeous pieces before our Santorini trip.
For full disclosure, the links I'm using for products throughout this post aren't affiliate links and all opinions are my own.
For those of you that aren't too familiar with BrandAlley, it's a members site (meaning you just have to sign up to and create an account - and if you sign up using the link here, we'll both earn £20!), that gives you access to amazing designer sales. Stock changes regularly and there's a huge range of fashion, lifestyle and homeware products available.
Before my trip, the lovely girls offered to send me some holiday essentials from their current sales (some of which have ended or had products sell-out) and from some upcoming sales (which have just launched), so I thought I'd do a little run down of my favourite pieces.
The perfect travel bag
This beautiful buttery soft, blush leather Longchamp bag has to be one of my new favourites. I've been using a classic Longchamp as a travel bag for a while now, and I feel like this new leather one is a serious upgrade. It came with a beautiful cross body strap too making it super convenient for an airport bag that has plenty of room for all your essentials. I can already tell it's going to be one of those bags that just keeps on getting better with age.
Sadly this is sold out now, however it's worth keeping an eye out what stock they have as this bag in particular had more than 50% off its RRP! If you see something that you like, this really is the sort of site where you need to move fast. In my experience, their stock can sell out really fast - especially when it's well-known and well-loved brands.
A Chic white linen shirt dress
Possibly an even chicer option for a beach cover-up than a white linen shirt, is the white linen shirt dress. Whether it's just walking to the beach a swim, or stopping for lunch an afternoon of sunbathing, it's such an easy piece to pull on.
Crumpled into a bag, it feels very effortless to thrown it on and the super light weight and breathable fabric makes it easy to keep cool on a particularly sticky day. In general, I find I'm quite fussy when it comes to linen shirts and dresses, preferring a boxy cut that won't stick to my skin or make me sweat.
This Linen by Laycuna shirt dress is the perfect combination of boxy and tailored: loose around the torso and arms, but with enough shape to make you not feel swamped by material.
With its slightly asymmetric shape, I found it cut in a very flattering way. It's the sort of piece you could find yourself wearing everyday (with the correct underwear of course because it is unlined linen!) as a stylish summer dress for days where you don't want to try too hard.
I found the slightly longer back perfect making you feel like it wasn't too revealing as some more beachy items can feel sometimes.
Confidence Boosting swimwear
I have to admit, as I'm creeping closer to 30, I'm definitely not as confident when it comes to the swimwear department as I used to be. But I can honestly say that this Seafolly piece has changed my mind now entirely.
If you're not familiar with the brand, Seafolly is an Australian swimwear brand, and their quality is incredibly good. I've had one of their bikinis for years now and while it's definitely a little tighter than it used to be, the colours and fabric still looks great! But it is pretty pricey. So when I spotted Seafolly on BrandAlley, I was super excited! This is swimsuit is the Seafolly Peach Modern Love wired one piece and I have to say, it has got to be one of the most flattering pieces I've ever worn. The subtle wiring means your boobs look great and it skims in a very flattering way over your curves, plus the detailing on the back is a lovely little touch.
For me, I've started preferring to wear a one-piece and I've found it really hard to get one that isn't either super high or super low cut. I'm a size 10 but on the curvy side when it comes to bum and boobs - so super high and super low cuts can be very unflattering for me. And I by no means have the confidence to wear a thong in public! What I love about this one though is that it feels sexy and flattering but in a subtle way that leaves you feeling super confident that you can jump around and have fun without 'the girls' popping out to see everyone!
A cute ruffle blouse perfect for every day
I have to say, when it comes to the linen pieces, this cropped frill blouse is the one I've not taken off since we got home. Since the Linen by Laycuna sale hadn't launched before our trip, the pieces were picked for me from the range by the lovely girls at BrandAlley. And I have to say, I couldn't have chosen better myself!
This blouse is the sort of thing you can wear in almost every way: casual with a pair of cut off Levis or smartened up with a cute pair of paper-bag shorts or skirt. Since I've got home, I've been pulling it on over high-waisted jeans.
If you're not someone who is super confident with the tops of your arms, the sleeve length is nice for giving you a little coverage, and the boxy cut keeps it light and airy. I love the frill detail - effortlessly feminine but not too girly. And the cute crop means they're perfect for styling with something higher waisted but without the need to tuck them in to create shape.
It's available in three different classic colours: grey, white and blue. The girls picked out the grey version for me, but honestly I'm tempted to order myself the white version too because it's such an easy to wear, effortlessly stylish piece.
Big thank you to the girls at BrandAlley for sending me these beautiful products for Santorini! All views are my own.