Time for a Tea Dress

I've always been rather dismissive of Dorothy Perkins.  Their sizing has, in the past, been a little offish and their designs quite boring. 
Yet when I received a code for 30% off with free delivery I thought 'what the hell?' and set about trawling their site for something worth spending my money on.  
I was not disappointed! 

This seasons range is brimming with pretty fit and flare tea dresses in some amazing patterns so I was really spoilt for choice.  

I've always loved a tea dress - they have a relaxed elegance to them and are one of the most versatile dresses on the market:  Pair a tea dress with chunky boots and cardigan and it's great for a shopping spree with the girls; add a blazer and Mary Jane's and its perfect for the office; throw on some red lips and sky-high courts and your perfectly kitted out for cocktail hour.  You really can't go wrong with a tea dress - which is why I chose this amazing number:

The Floral Keyhole dress comes in both tall and regular sizes and runs from a size 8 straight through to 22. 

I'm wearing an 18 in the tall version and it fits beautifully.  I could have gone smaller at the waist but I feel it would then have been tight across my shoulders and chest area. 

The length of the tall is perfect on my, sitting a modest couple of inches above my knee. 

I love the muted greys printed on top of the soft pink.  To me it screams of vintage tea parties and I quite feel like tucking into a pile of cucumber sandwiches when wearing it. 

It has a nice swing to the skirt when you walk and the cotton-elastine blend holds the soft folds that you can see in the pictures. 

I'm wearing the dress here with my faithful Phase Eight courts, bought many a moon ago.  Unfortunately, the lawn was more than a little soft and I spent most of my time trying not to sink ungracefully into it. 

The dress is priced at just £18 and, at such a teeny tiny price, I really cannot fault it. 

Have you check out Dotty P's any time lately?  Let me know any favourites you've found there!