Shake it out, shake it out!

Last night was unquestionably one of the best nights of 2012, and possibly one of the best of my entire life, thanks to the stunning Florence Welch. Along with two amazing friends, I went to see Florence + The Machine at the BIC (Bournemouth International Centre) and was literally blown away by her. Even after a long & entertaining drive and two support acts, when she came on stage I went more than a little bit crazy! I absolutely adore her albums and cannot dislike a single song she sings, so I was desperately excited to see her. And I wasn't disappointed.

She played all of my favourite songs, and even finished off with No Light, No Light (my absolute favourite), as well as skipping and twirling around the stage all night like a little pixie, doing all those theatrical, dramatical moves and poses that would look ridiculous if anyone else did them, but somehow just work for her and her music. Her already powerful, breathtaking voice was even better in the flesh - I think I melted to the floor and died during some of the songs. And the entire audience went crazy during Shake It Out!

I managed to edge my way into the second row, so I got a pretty good view of Florence and her Machine, especially when she skipped on over to our side of the stage. Here's a few photos of the girl in action..

Just after she came on..

This cape is show-stopping.

Her set design was amazing.

Looking gorgeous.

Preparing to tell us all to jump..

Stunning.

She's so dramatic!

In the encore.

These might not be top quality, but I absolutely love them, especially the one of her spreading her cape out! Of course, while I was there because I love her music and basically wanted the sheer joy of being in the same room as Florence, I was paying attention to what she was wearing. And she was dressed in typically quirky Florence style, with an incredible patterned, embellished cape over an embellished, skintight jumpsuit type thing in velvet, along with bare feet. Only Florence could make that work, but make it work she did, and she looked simply stunning. She is just all-round beautiful in my opinion - and now hearing the CD will never compare...

Here are a few gorgeous snaps of me and my friends, being the beautiful bunch of people we are!

Windswept & interesting.

Pulling our best photogenic faces.

In the queue.

Waiting for Florence!

In the crowd!

In the car, just before leaving.

And finally, here's a quick run-down of what I wore to rock with Florence!

Dress - New Look; Cardigan & Necklace - Dorothy Perkins; Tights & Bag - Primark; Shoes, Earrings & Bracelet - Topshop; Ring - Temporary Secretary; Belt - Malene Birger.

The prerequisites for this look were: 1. Be able to dance in it. 2. Be able to drive in it. 3. Look good day to night. 4. Not freeze in it. So, I ended up opting for this red lace skater dress, which I have already worn to a party back in December, and dressed it down and quirky with large dot tights, glitter flats, my ladylike cardigan and some cute jewellery. I met all of the requirements and was comfortable, happy and stylish all day.

Love and kisses, Tara xox