Summer outfit guide

Hi my lovelies, today I'm coming at you from a different angle and that's fashionnnnn. I can't explain how excited I am to put together this little look book for you guys. I usually compile these outfit inspiration guides to gear you up for your upcoming holidays which doesn't look like its on the cards for anyone this year and that's absolutely fine (I guess its something we all have to accept and come to terms with). But who's to say we can't look or feel good whilst being quarantined. I've also noticed that a lot of stores online have got some amazing sales and offers going on so it seems like the perfect time to seize that opportunity and start revamping your summer wardrobe. 

I've always really enjoyed incorporating a pop of colour in my summer outfits especially this beautiful yellowy/mustard throw on jumpsuit that compliments tanned skin exceptionally well. This outfit requires minimal effort whilst making you feel very put together and is perfect for the summer as its loose and extremely comfortable. I paired this jumpsuit with minimal accessories such as this cream bum bag with gold detailing allowing the jumpsuit to do all the talking. Bum bags are not only practical (especially when on holiday) but really sinched this jumpsuit around the waist providing a more overall fitted appearance. Both items were grabbed in the sale last year the jumpsuit being from New look and the bag being from Zara but a similar jumpsuit can be found here and a similar bag can be found here.

         

Satin skirts were one of the biggest trends of last year summer and is a prominent trend that refuses to be left back in 2019. I absolutely love how they drape across your bottom half ever so effortlessly making your outfit look so expensive. I find that satin skirts can be styled in so many ways whether that's with an off the shoulder top for the summer, or paired with a grey jumper for autumn making satin skirts a VERY diverse piece in your wardrobe. My skirt was grabbed from the Zara sales for a bargain price of £9 but a similar skirt can be found here.

I paired this pink with straw accessories which has been such a MASSIVE spring/summer trend for the past few years. I find that a neutral straw handbag is such a timeless piece adding texture to an outfit and can be paired with absolutely anything due to its neutral nature. I brought mine from the markets in Bangkok but a similar bag can be found here.

Carrying on with the theme of straw accessories I absolutely fell in L O V E with these beauties. I just adore how these were SO different and unique to any pair of sandal that was out there and for me its so important to have pieces in my summer wardrobe that the majority doesn't have. I am beyond excited to pull them out this summer!! A similar pair can be found here. A good thing about the company BOHOpeach on Etsy is that they can custom make your straw sandals to your preference!

         

This was by far my favourite summer dress that I was fortunate enough to design myself, all the way from sourcing the fabric to producing a rough idea of how I wanted the dress to look like. I based the style of the dress on the infamous high low style where the length of the dress would be slightly longer at the back compared to the front. I also decided to added ruffles at the bottom of the dress giving it that extra flow at the bottom and lastly flowy arms to match the bottom of the dress. I've always been so passionate about creating my own clothes as I've come to find that its extremely hard to find pieces that fit me really well, unique fabrics and clothing that is compatible with my style.

         

Would you believe me if I told you that I got this dress from H&M for only £9? That is the power of shopping in the sales you honestly find the best bargains when you're least looking for it. I absolutely loved this bright red dress that had this pleated detailing on the lower half of the dress. This detailing continued with a subtle frill around the neck and with the sinched wrist detailing. Again I find the easiest things to style especially in summer to be dresses as they're so easy to throw on. A similar dress can be found here. Equally this dress can also make the perfect evening dress if you swap out the sandals for a pair of nude heels and the bag for an evening clutch.

I paired the dress with a mustard/yellow pair of sandals from Primark. Just as a top tip Primark release amazing pair of sandals every year which are super affordable so your never really paying a fortune for your summer sandals. A very identical pair of sandals can be found here.

I don't know if you remember around 3 years ago these wooden structured satchel's made an appearance and literally every fashion blogger owned one. But they were so expensive priced at around £300. I've now realised that you don't necessarily have to jump on the bandwagon there and then because most likely stores like miss guided, Boohoo and PLT will always bring out knock off versions for a fraction of the price. Again this can literally be paired with anything although I have to say its not the most practical or comfortable bag to carry around all day but hey we do it for the gram, am I right? A similar version of the bag can be found here.

I absolutely love bold prints but at times they can be most difficult prints to style because the print itself can be so overwhelming. I brought this dress from markets in Bangkok and love the relaxed fit to it and its powerful flowy sleeves which gave me HUGE inspiration in creating some of my summer dresses last year. I find with bold prints its important to find a print that can be easily styled with similar coloured accessories to tie the whole outfit together. So when looking for printed pieces try keep this in mind. I coordinated this dress with a small delicate gold necklace, plain black sandals and this beautiful wicker boxed bag which similar one can be found here.

Following with the theme of bold prints these pair of trousers were another one of my creations. I instantly fell in love with this fabric when my grandma brought it home to make herself an Indian suit out of it. Even though the trousers are more of a subtle print than the one above I matched the trousers with this simple cami from Asos but these types of tops can be found anywhere (cheaper alternatives can be located in Primark). I matched my trousers with yellow sandals to highlight the tiny bit of yellow within the print but alternatively you could either wear white or cream sandals with this allowing the trousers to be brought into the limelight.

       

If you haven't already guessed I'm all about comfortable clothing and this red jumpsuit is no different.  This comfy flared jumpsuit from New Look is the most comfiest yet flattering jumpsuits I own. I'm wearing a size 8 here for reference but I would have sized down to 6 to give it a more fitted look. I love how the belt sinches in my waist giving my top half a more tailored look. Again because of the bold colour its best to coordinate more neutral accessories with it.

Item numero 3 that was made by yours truly. I naturally gravitate towards bright colours, bright prints when it comes to summer especially when it comes to my holiday wardrobe and find that they're so effortless and extremely enjoyable to style. Sticking with my styling rule of pairing similar coloured accessories with bright coloured prints allowed the entire outfit to possess an element of consistency. I wholeheartedly believe that handbags and shoes can upgrade your outfit significantly. My go to top tip for bags is if you're not into holding your handbags you can easily attach a long gold chain turning it into a crossbody bag making it more practical and hands free. A very affordable yet similar bag can be found here.

As you've seen satin slip dresses were a colossal trend last summer and I freaking lived for them. Holy shit they looked classy, effortless and expensive as hell. Although I didn't get my hands on the typical style slip dress I did get my hands on this very diverse version of the trend. This beauty of a piece was from Zara which encompasses this subtle, small keyhole slit with the neckline wrapping around your neck. This is one my all time favourite elegant dresses and I will never tire wearing it.

I wanted to quickly touch on a topic that's not fashion related whatsoever but thought it was an appropriate time to quickly discuss it. As a lot of you may know I don't remove my hair due to being a practising Sikh so I bet that your all wondering how do I wear sleeveless stuff? To all my ladies out there this isn't something to be embarrassed about and I know that's so much easier said than done. God knows it took me the best part of 5 years to start feeling comfortable with my body hair and eventually embracing it. I used to have to wear leggings underneath my trousers because I was under the impression that it wasn't a social norm to not remove my hair. But to my beautiful ladies that are going through this struggle my advice would be embrace your hair because boy its so empowering and to trust the process because its a long and gradual journey.

Majority of my outfits have revolved around dresses and jumpsuits so here's a more casual outfit that can be worn on holiday, popping to the shops or even to a family barbecue. Wide flared trousers are a must in summer and can LITERALLY be combined with anything. When working with flared bottoms you always want your top half to be more tailored/fitted giving the whole outfit the perfect balance. A cream version of these trousers can be found here. (These trousers are in my basket!!)

Last but not least, off the shoulder has been in craze since forever and is a trend that I don't ever plan on dropping. I just feel like you can never go wrong with off the shoulder and can either dress it down or dress it up. Like this simple dress is so versatile and can be worn to evening drinks like it was here or just chucking it on to a family gathering. I just feel like you can't have enough dresses and an off the shoulder dress is one of those. A similar dress can be found here.

I hope you enjoyed my summer style guide and although all these looks were worn nearly a year ago, I've tried linking affordable and very similar items that you guys can shop. Although these outfits were last year trends I 100% would wear them over and over again! All these outfits can be also be found on my instagram @davinderkaurr_

Bangkok Travel Guide

For those that are in Thailand for a reasonable amount of time it makes sense travelling up North to Bangkok from Phuket and making the most of your trip. The best way to travel to Bangkok would be by catching a flight (I've also heard that you can get an overnight train which is cheaper but this takes up a lot of your travel time). Internal flights in Thailand are super super cheap so I would make the most of this as they cost around £20-£30 if you book in advance. 

The flight time is no more than an hour to an hour and a half which is the perfect way to maximise your time in Bangkok especially if you catch a flight first thing in the morning. 

The one tip that I would highly recommend is that you pay for your baggage before your flight which can often be done through the airline app on your phone. DO NOT make the mistake of thinking you can pay at the airport...well you can but this will cost around £200 for a 23kg suitcase. By booking in advance on the app you'll be paying around £15 so its a literal no brainer. 

In my case I thought I could pay at the airport not anticipating these crazy prices. However, we was lucky enough to purchase a brand new flight (as the original one) which included baggage for £60. This is something you don't really want to be doing so make sure you've got your baggage already booked.

Where to stay...

When it came to booking our hotel in Bangkok we didn't really base it on location but simply on the basis of which one we preferred. I would endlessly be searching for hotels on booking.com and remember being in the cinemas waiting for my film to come on when I stumbled across YOLO Bangkok boutique hotel and instantly fell in L O V E. I absolutely loved the minimalistic yet chic vibe it had. This hotel for 2 nights cost I'm in inclined to say no more than £60 per person and was definitely a nce we got there we was upgraded to this B E A U T I F U L room that had a bathtub right in the middle of the rosplurge in comparison to our last hotel but it was worth every penny. Oom and an outdoor garden area with a swinging chair. I genuinely couldn't rave about this hotel enough all the from the staff being amazing answering our every question and boy let me tell you we had 100's all the way to the no shoe policy that they had once entering the reception/lobby area.

1. Visit Wat Arun

Wat Arun also known as the temple of dawn and is definitely a must see when visiting Bangkok with the visiting hours between 8:30am-5:30pm and an entry fee of 50 baht (this may have gone up as it was just under a year since I last visited). Now you might have heard Wat Arun and Wat Pho but for me Wat Arun trumps Wat Pho with its majestic vibe so, if you are short on time in Bangkok you can't leave without visiting here. I would also suggest either visiting first thing in the morning or just before closing time to avoid the burning midday heat.

2. Visit Wat Pho

To visit Wat Pho you simply have to take a boat ride across the Chao Phraya river and your there however, due to the extensive grounds of Wat Arun it can take some time to find the pier for the boat so your best bet would be to ask around. The boat ride literally costs as little as 50p and run frequently so you won't be waiting around for long. Wat Pho is famously known for hosting the largest reclining buddha therefore their entry prices are little more expensive being at 200 baht (which is hella steeeeep) but if it makes you feel better you get offered a free bottle of water. Personally, looking back now I would have opted out not seeing this attraction as for me it wasn't worth the money but hey you do it for 'the culture' right?

3. Visit Chinatown

If you've just finished up by Wat Pho then it makes sense that your next stop to be Chinatown . For those wondering how to get around Bangkok a lot of people recommended Grab when I was doing my research. For those that don't know what Grab is its Thailand's version of Uber. However, let me tell you its IMPOSSIBLE to get a Grab in Bangkok due to its high demand and dense traffic (as you can see above). I also found Grab to be much much cheaper in Bangkok than Phuket so if you can get your hands on one then you've truly hit the jackpot. 

Therefore, your next best bet of transport would be Tuk Tuk's but your wondering what's the ballpark price to pay for a ride right? Listen up homies my top tip would be to use Grab to cross reference how much a ride should cost. So I would enter my destination and see what price Grab was offering and use this as my absolute maximum when negotiating with the tuk tuk drivers. If they were offering anything higher then let me tell you ladies and gents your getting ripped off and its time to walk down to the next driver for negotiations. 

Another thing to be careful of is, that they will try guilt trip you about getting stuck in traffic but this DOESN'T affect the cost of the ride so stick to your guns.

I would recommend visiting chinatown at around 8pm as that is when all the food markets start coming out and serving locals and hungry tourists. I absolutely loved the hustle and bustle of chinatown, families setting up their livelihoods cooking up the most delicious and authentic meals ever.

But I want to iron out a misconception especially for veggies and vegans that its really difficult locating food so don't expect to be grabbing your dinner here and I would recommend coming here already well fed. We had to learn this the hard way, thinking we was going to feast on tofu pad Thai's, veggie spring rolls and fresh fruit juice. But boy that wasn't the case at all your girl was HAAANGRY. 

But there's always a silver lining to every story and for us that was patience is truly a virtue because we eventually after a few hours found this beautiful family of three making tofu pad Thai's! I couldn't believe my eyes, so much so that we ordered three plates full. The whole experience was so authentic and one that I would never forget, sitting on the edge of the road watching the hustle and bustle whizz past, tucking into our dish that cost 90 pence. So my word of advice would be to persevere because you never know what you'll stumble across. 

4. Grab a drink at The House of Eden

For those that don't know, Bangkok has a large cafe scene, so large that it would take days to go through them all so I'm going to show you the highlights and one of those being House of Eden. This literal pink paradise is located in this beautiful shopping mall in the food court. For you instagrammers out there this is the perfect spot to get your gram but I would recommend coming during the day instead of the evening. The drinks are also on the pricier side of things so I'd also suggest sharing but other than this definitely has to make your list for cafe hopping.

5. Tour the famous floating markets 

If you guys are looking for a comprehensive tour of the infamous floating markets then I would highly highly recommend booking with Klook. Our whole day tour allowed us to see 3 very different food markets all for less than £20. If that's not a bargain I don't know what is. You can book your tour here.

Your first stop will take you to the most famous and oldest floating markets to exist which are Damnoen Saduak where you get to hail down vendors selling food making it such a fun and interactive experience. The tour guides are also amazing, super informative not only giving you facts about the markets but providing a more overall history of Thailand.

The second stop is the Maeklong Railway Market where a train runs every hour through the markets selling fish, spices, food and other objects. You get to stand inches away from a train whilst it makes its way down the track and is so fun seeing the vendors having to pack and reassemble every time the train passes.

The last stop of the tour will take you to the Amphawa floating markets where your allowed to go off for a few hours to feast on as much food as you like. I personally would have opted for the tour option where this stop wasn't included, otherwise its such a looooong day and by the end of it you are exhausted. So it's just something you want to take into consideration when booking your floating markets tour.

6. Cafe hop at Cafe Reverie 

This monochromatic, fairy tale inspired cafe is a known instagram hotspot in Bangkok and makes the perfect place to grab a hot drink, cake or a meal. It's located in a very random location and not very central so I would recommend getting a Grab here.

7. Grab dessert at Unicorn Cafe

I absolutely loved how eccentric and colourful unicorn cafe was, their whole concept from their decor all the way to their desserts and drinks were super quirky and was definitely my favourite cafe. This place really brings out your inner child and is quite a fitting place to bring your kids.

8. See Bangkok from above 

Bangkok is also famously known for their sky high rooftop bars allowing you to see Bangkok from above. There's quite a handful to choose from but we ended up going to CRU Champagne Bar which gives you insane views. Mocktails were priced at £10 which is pretty expensive but if you think about it its your entry price and let me tell you it was worth it. We spent hours here engrossed in conversation to the point where we lost track of time (as cliche as it sounds). The atmosphere was such a vibe where they would constantly be playing RnB classics.

And that's a wrap! I hope you enjoy reading my travels to Bangkok and hoping that some of my tips and tricks come in handy. Can't wait to come back to Bangkok and for those that have been there already I would love to hear about your travels to Bangkok or Thailand for that matter!