You might have thought that delicate florals and sporty trainers are just too much of a contrast but Nigella Lawson has proved it works a treat. The cook, who some have mentioned they’d love to see become a new judge on BBC’s MasterChef, loves spending time Down Under.
She was there in May and attended Australian Fashion Week wearing a fabulous Lee Mathews monochrome floral dress and chunky trainers. The Cherry dress is one of those designs that shows you don’t have to wear vibrant colours to stand out.
Unlike many floral summer dresses, it’s black and white, with subtle hints of dove-grey. Made from a cotton-silk blend, Nigella’s luxurious frock has elbow-length puff sleeves with elasticated cuffs and this creates a dramatic silhouette.
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Affordable and striking, you can wear this shirt dress on it's own or over a bikini on holiday for a pool-to-café outfit. It has a collared neckline, short sleeves and an adjustable belt, with buttons to fasten it at the front.
Currently reduced in the sale, this black and white floral dress is a gorgeously timeless piece. It has short puff sleeves and a Tea Dress silhouette which will never go out of style. Pair with white or black accessories for a full monochrome look.
This streamlined floral midi dress has a square neckline and feminine puff sleeves. The fitted bodice flares out ever so slightly into the A-line skirt and the floral motifs are illustrative and striking.
The sweeping V-neckline helps to balance the coverage of the sleeves - as do the pleats at the waist. The Cherry Dress falls to a maxi length with a full skirt, though it wasn’t so long that we didn’t get a glimpse of the cookery writer’s trainers.
Keeping to the black and white theme, Nigella Lawson wore chunky-soled white trainers underneath her dress. Anyone who’s watched her series Nigella Express and Nigella Kitchen will know that she’s a heel-wearing pro, but trainers are comfier.
With a feminine, flowing dress like this, your best white trainers can help to bring a more androgynous edge to an outfit. Although you could wear colourful trainers with your frocks too, more neutral shoes are easier to style with different dresses and if you’re going to pick something brighter, I’d advise matching your outfit.
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Platform trainers might not be for everyone, but if you love elevation with the sole of your sneakers then these are well worth adding to your summer wardrobe. The design does all the talking, with the chunky sole and they'd look great with a floral dress.
These white Puma trainers are reduced in the sale right now and they have a sleek silhouette with subtle silver branding. The uppers are made from leather with a perforated vamp and the midsole and outsole are rubber.
Also available in a neutral hue, these white trainers are set on chunky flatform soles and have a croc-effect detailing. The Dune branding is gold-toned and they lace up simply at the front. Wear with everything from dresses to tailored co-ords.
Nigella Lawson’s combination worked especially well because her trainers tied in with her black and white floral dress. This gave her Australian Fashion Week ensemble a sense of cohesion and showed she’d deliberately opted for contrasting styles.
Many of us will already have white trainers in our summer capsule wardrobe and if you don’t already own a black and white floral dress, you might now be considering it. The minimal colour palette makes floral patterns really stand out and - like the trainers - makes a dress feel less girly and more fashion-forward.
There’s an inherent sense of smartness that you get with a dress like Nigella’s and this means you can dress it up with heels or wedges for a date night or event, as well as wearing it more casually with chunky trainers. If puff sleeves aren’t for you, then look for a design that’s more timeless and simple like a shirt dress.
This will help you to feel more comfortable wearing a bold black and white floral dress day-to-day. The cookery star didn’t appear to be carrying a bag at Fashion Week, though a black or white one would’ve finished off her look perfectly.
It’s perhaps no surprise that even in summer she sticks to monochrome tones, given what she previously wrote about her everyday uniform in a piece for The Sunday Times in 2019. In it, Nigella explained that black jeans or trousers, black T-shirt or jumper and white trainers is her go-to outfit.
"I prefer a uniform. Mine is pretty unchanging, too: black jeans (AG) or black wide-legged stretchy (and yes, elasticated waist) trousers (Asos); black T-shirt (Gap) or black jumper (Zara); white Ash platform trainers. I don’t want to have an existential crisis every time I get dressed," she declared.
