Daisy Chains and Daydreams

 As summer slowly creeps upon us, my mind affectionately drifts back to summers of old. There was the  last summer at university, before any real responsibility had set in. When the long days spent sitting in  the park with a guitar, a small BBQ alight, and an abundance of friends, would seep into even longer  evenings fuelled with artistic freedom, alcohol, and contentment. This was when I lived next door to a  vintage shop that sold clothes by weight! Suffice to say bought a lot of  very light dresses!

 There was the summer I spent in Bali where I dreamt the days away whilst relaxing in a hammock  watching the sun sink into the purple sea, where new tastes and smells alighted my senses. Shells, feathers and other beach finds were added and accessorised with my daily wardrobe of long floating maxi dresses, and short silk tee’s.

There was the precious summer before I turned 20, the last summer I had with my dad before he died.  I would wear his over size Willy Nelson t-shirt as a dress (and still do). He was a sailor and his Nordic style inspires me still, his rustic outdoor intuition encourages me to forage for nature’s best accessories, which must explain my crazy obsession with pheasant feathers and shells.

So now a new summer begins, with a whole new list of adventures to have, experiences to encounter and trouble to cause. We celebrated summers slightly premature arrival on Sunday with a trip to Sefton Park. Somewhat dishevelled and maybe ever so slightly intoxicated from the previous evenings shenanigans, we packed a homemade picnic and walked from my house to the park! To the delight of many, Sefton Park has just had its old, derelict, Victorian bandstand revamped and rejuvenated.

  This is the bandstand that apparently inspired the Beatles when writing the Sergeant    Pepper  album, and it’s definitely inspiring once again. They’ve painted it in toy      greens  and reds almost  resembling and old-fashioned carousel but with out the  horses! With a  sun-trap of a hill that looks  straight onto the bandstand, we felt this  was the perfect  place  to lay our blanket on the ground.  To our complete glee, just as  we began to unpack  our  pending picnic of delicious refreshments, a  group of slightly  scruffily clad chaps  turned  up carrying a drum kit, two guitars a mouth organ  and a  crate. They set up in the  bandstand and all of the lucky observers on the hill were  treated to a fantastic three-hour  set of live music. They played everything from Bob  Dillon to Britney Spears. As I washed    down the salmon and cucumber sandwiches  with a much-needed shandy, the sun warmed my wintered skin and I blissfully melted into daisy chains and daydreams.  

Anything from the 'Hazy Summer Collection' by Looking Glass would look fantastic accompanying you to the park on your next summer’s day. However the Kathy shirts teamed with either a pair of long denim shorts or denim pedal pushers and a basket full of delicious treats would be simply divine. When the sun is shining the Maddie skirt and Alix skirt are too good to be left behind, team them with a vest top, belt, open toe sandals or flip flops. Or if you’re feeling a little more brave, wear the skirts with a frill sock, mid heel dolly shoe, red lipstick and go full out 50’s!