Fabulous Plaid

It's the time of year that I look outside and sigh at how ugly everything is.  The beautiful autumn colors are gone and we rarely get snow, so everything is just gray.  But this year, I decided to try a little harder to find beauty in the woods and in the world.  And of course, if you look for something hard enough, expecting to find it, you usually do.  The woods aren't so bare this year, or maybe I'm just looking at them with different eyes, but there's this lovely orange hue to everything still as the oaks hold on to their leaves.  

Today the temperature was quickly dropping.  In the morning all the woods were wet with the previous night's rain and had that rich deep hue that rain gives the earth and leaves.  By noon everything was crystallizing and tiny flakes were swirling.  At 2:00, when I went out to take some photos, it was well below freezing and ice glazed everything except, thankfully, the roads. It was worth the cold, of course, just to be outside for a bit and take in all this loveliness.

We tend to think of red plaid as a Christmastime fabric, but I think it easily carries over through February.  It has such a warming affect on the viewer and the wearer that I think it can help ease the dreary days a bit and the added layers and length of this dress make it a great cold weather choice.   

I would recommend if you are average height, like me -5'6"/1.67m- that you choose a nice heel like the peep toes I'm wearing that has no ankle straps.  This is such a long dress that the ankle straps cut off the length of the legs, making the wearer look shorter and the dress overwhelming.  If you are on the shorter side, or petite, I would recommend having this dress altered for your height.

Shopping Info: Fabulous Fit and Flare Dress with Pockets from ModCloth