Setting Sail on Ladbrokes' Floating Casino

I really struggle with formal wear. I'm much more of a smart casual person: a pair of well-fitting jeans and some heels is what I'm most comfortable in on a night out, plus I'm rarely invited to something with a dress code. I had a slight meltdown when Emma (Miss Pond) invited me along to the #LadbrokesPartyLife event and there was talk of dressing up all fancy. I bought, and subsequently returned, three potential dresses from ASOS and eventually decided on something I already owned.

I'm wearing:
Dress - H&M
Wedges - Kurt Geiger
Ring (seen in later photos) - Accessorize

I bought this H&M dress on a whim just before Christmas and have worn it a handful of times with opaque tights and clompy black boots as it was Winter and I was still in 'cover everything, shave nothing' mode. I warned other attendees on Twitter that I would be attending as a goth incarnation of Stevie Nicks and embraced the chiffon style sleeves with gusto. I bloody love the marble print too; it's something that is rarely done well on the high street, but H&M pretty much nailed it.

While drinking prosecco and getting ready, I was promptly told by Emma that clompy boots would not do this time around, so I dug out the silver metallic wedges from Kurt Geiger that I wore to a wedding in Beijing last year and lo and behold, my Winter outfit was almost looking a tad Springlike. The chiffon-like floaty layers weren't ideal for being on a blustery boat trip down the Thames, threatening to reveal my pants to all when we were on the deck taking tourist photos. The views more than made up for that though. I forget sometimes how lucky I am to have some of the world's most famous landmarks so easily at my disposal.

Ladbrokes held their first ever floating casino and we were presented with £100 of fake money to gamble on roulette, poker and my favourite, blackjack. I'm a rubbish gambler, I play with my gut rather than applying logic to any move, and once I'm the tiniest bit in profit, I haul arse and run. I'm also convinced that I'll win big and when I don't (obviously), I get stroppy or just downright baffled. It won't surprise you then that I did not win a thing, but having only fake money meant I didn't mind quite as much. Luckily for my fellow bloggers (including the wonderful Emma, Katy and Milly who are always a pleasure to hang out with), I held back on my signature dance moves (I'm alllllll about the sassy hand movements) and instead made the most of the beautiful evening with good company and an open bar.

Thanks to Ladbrokes for inviting me (via Emma!), and remember, always gamble responsibly.

Photos are a mix of my own or provided from the professional photographer on the night, or the awesome Miss Pond.

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