The £10 challenge - silk maxi

I apologise for the slight delay in this, our second £10 challenge posting. It was due on Sunday, I know, and three days late isn't really that slight, but let's move swiftly on.
There will be some interesting guest challengers coming up soon, but in the meantime I'm afraid you're stuck with me. Here we're going to look at an item of clothing I wouldn't usually wear - the maxi dress.
This summer is supposed to have been all about the maxi dress. But the truth of it is that most maxi dresses make most women look bigger than they really are. Yes, maxi dresses have a nasty tendency to make you look fat.
I particularly enjoy it when people write in to magazine fashion advice columns saying they need a nice dress but are not a size ten and the woman writing the column tells them that a maxi dress is very forgiving and glamorous. They are lying.
My very forgiving and glamorous friend B tells me than her bias cut maxi dress is frankly lovely, but that the ones that stick out from an empire line are "fucking vile" and that all the cheap ones that get from New Look with the empire line waist with pouffy pleated skirts that you're supposed to wear on your holiday are going to make you look big, especially if you have boobs. I'm paraphrasing slightly here, but you get the gist.
Maxi skirts are a whole other prospect - easier to wear and less of a commitment. We may talk about this in another post.
The flattering maxi dress is a rare find. If you do find it, hang on to it, regardless of what the style mavens tell you about the longer length being in or out. A flattering maxi dress can do almost anything sartorially speaking.
Sadly the maxi dress I am wearing here is not one of those. This is mainly because it is actually two sizes too big for me. But it is beautiful and would look quite spectacular on the right woman.
It's by Hoss Intropia and is made of the lightest silk. It feels a little bit like wearing expensive air with a couple of fancy corsages attached. It even has the original price tag on it, but its former owner couldn't be bothered to remove a couple of small marks that she had mysteriously managed to sully it's silky loveliness with.
Please excuse the stupid poses, I have been drinking.

£10 challenge outfit;

Dress - Hoss Intropia - car boot sale - £3

Denim jacket - Gap - car boot sale - £2

Total - £5

Shoes;

 Studio TMLS - car boot sale - £5 

(I know shoes aren't technically included in the challenge but I am super pleased with these. They are the kind of shoes that men don't really understand - slight platform, black suede, gold studs on the heel and a ridiculous heel-less ankle bit with insane straps at the back. I'll give you a better view in another post soon.)

postscript: I will probably be selling the dress on ebay, but will let you know when I get around to that.