Serendipity

One of the things I love about travelling is finding beautiful pieces to add to my wardrobe.

I don’t spend too much time shopping with intention on a trip. But I love to go for long walks in new places, and that means I stumble across great finds.

I do have two rules I stick by these days. One is to consider quality. The other is not to binge-buy. It’s too easy to end up with luggage problems, and a number of garments I will never wear again. (Being on holiday can play havoc with good sense.)

This dress is a result of serendipity. I was on holiday in Paris, it was my last day and I was having one last walk when I saw the dress in a window. I fell instantly in love.

It wasn’t cheap, but it ticked all the compulsory boxes. 1. I had nothing like it in my wardrobe, yet it’s my style. 2. I love the colour. 3. It’s made of silk.

Silk is always worthwhile. Good quality silk lasts, and is not as delicate as a lot of people think. Also, you can wash most silk by hand, which I prefer to dry-cleaning. (Dry-cleaning is very hard on your clothes.) You do have to be careful with patterned fabrics, and also if the silk is mixed with a synthetic fabric as the latter will often shrink.

This dress has a silk lining, which is an added bonus. I always look for silk or cotton linings. They feel so nice next to the skin and breathe better than synthetics.

But perhaps what I love best about these travel finds is the discovery that they complement other things in my wardrobe. For example, the red Alice shoe from the María Perón range looks as though it’s made to go with this silk dress. It’s the same red, and the cream contrast exactly matches the polka dots. Serendipity is a wonderful thing.