Dress code : Culottes

Discovering new places often means that you can be a little unsure about the dress code. 

For our first evening in Carmona, I wanted to ensure that I could remain cool but without revealing too much flesh. Firstly as I was yet to catch the sun, but more importantly because Carmona is a traditional Spanish village and I didn't think that my mini lace hot pants would go down terribly well with the locals! An elegant but demure option which I'd packed on a bit of a whim are these rust coloured crepe culottes from New Look. I'd been a little nervous to try out culottes but the gorgeous subtle colour of the New Look pair (and the fact that they are under �20!) gave me the perfect opportunity to see if I could pull off the style. The culottes have a beautiful drape and movement when you wear them, which you can see for yourself in my Carmona Outfit Diaries video here!

If you're petite like me, it's helpful to find some heeled sandals to wear with culottes, and I chose my favourite summer-lovin sandals from Next. Although the culottes take centre stage in this holiday outfit-of-the-day, my favourite piece from this look is the incredibly versatile cami top which I picked up from Topshop. It seems to go with everything, whether it's embellished shorts or a pair of denim jeans - it's a wardrobe essential. 

I became such a fan of this outfit while on our weekend away that I even wore it during our (mini!) heatwave last weekend in the UK with a little blazer to pop over my shoulders for some extra warmth during those shady moments.

You can see this outfit, and the others that I wore on our weekend in Seville in my latest video!

What are your favourite looks for holiday? Have you tried Culottes?

Streets of Seville

During our long weekend in Carmona, Mum and I spent plenty of time exploring the town through shady winding streets between the white washed buildings. I'd heard how beautiful the town was, and can confirm that there is something so dreamy about an all-white town, we fell in love as soon as we stepped foot there.

Strolling through idyllic backstreets, taking in the scenery and discovering hidden local tapas bars, it was picture perfect! If you're planning on heading to Seville, then a day in Carmona is an absolute must.

Lime shorts by ASOS   |   White Cami by Dorothy Perkins   |   White Sandals by Tory Burch   |   Necklace by Boohoo   |   Sunglasses by Ray Ban at Sunglasses Hut

The Casa de Carmona

You've been subjected to severe #holidayspam across my Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat, and now, the blog too. Nowhere is safe. But when you sneak away for a long weekend to sunny Spain and absolutely every part of the trip exceeds your expectations, you just want to tell the world. I took Mum along to Carmona, a beautiful white wash 'pueblo' close to the Spanish city of Seville, where we stayed at the Casa de Carmona -  a traditional Spanish Palacio building in the heart of Carmona.

 Usually, I'm all about the five star luxury, and the little details that make a stay perfect, but our stay at the Casa de Carmona was perfect in a different way. From the moment we stepped foot in the Casa, we were treated as one of the family by the incredibly hospitable owner, Felip�, his wife Reina, and manager Elaina. It was clear that despite the bureaucracy (or lack of...) in Spain, Felip� wanted to retain control of the hotel, which meant helping out (or taking charge!) in the kitchen, airport transfers, catering for events and more. The friendliness of the hotel family extended to the locals too - we didn't come across an unfriendly face in Carmona, everyone greets you with a smile and a 'Buenos D�as' and who can blame them for being so cheery? This place is beautiful.

I chose this beautiful blue print blouse from Oasis to wear on our first afternoon. The gorgeous birds and blooms print works 18th century prints into a beautiful timeless top, and is part of their V&A collection. I kept the trousers plain and simple, wearing my New Look white jeans, and I chose my Kurt Geiger wooden block heels to complete the look.

As you'd expect from a traditional Spanish Casa, the hotel interiors are warm and inviting - terracotta walls, intricate tiles and timeless artefacts including giant ceramic pots, statues and paintings. Never have I stayed in a place as homely as the Casa de Carmona, and it seems that the other guests felt the same way, many of them returning year after year.

I'll be posting several more posts on our stay in Carmona, as well as a video on Sunday, so keep a look out for that!

Have a great week darlings