Summer to the Fullest

We're not at the hottest time of the year yet, but we have arrived at the hottest week of the year so far, and on the first of these very hot days (over 90°F/32°C) our air conditioner died.  Suddenly.  Tragically.  But, as it was 20 years old, not unexpectedly.  They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and for me, it was only about an hour without a/c that I truly began to appreciate this modern convenience, especially as I had already converted my living room into this makeshift photo studio and all I had planned was organza (read-extra hot) fabrics.

As I write this post, the a/c is still not working, but we are trying to find the parts and fix it ourselves.  In the mean time my inbox has been flooded with ads for "summer essentials" and they all quite frankly look way too hot to wear anywhere except indoors with the a/c blasting.  With so many layers and heavy, synthetic fabrics, I know that we are living in a world that does not truly understand summer anymore, but I as an individual am about to get a refresher course in true summer essentials.

On that first day, we had left our house for a couple of hours, all closed up and trusting our ancient unit to keep things cool.  When we returned it was sweltering inside, and no matter what I put on, it all felt too hot.  The next day, I stood in my knickers and tank, which I'd spent an uncomfortable night attempting to sleep in, trying to decide what to wear.  I finally landed on.......can you guess?  No, not this La Belle Etoile cotton puff from Selkie; I would literally die in fabric this heavy.  No, instead, I chose a very short, very light Popsicle print cotton dress from The Other Sparrows and it kept me quite comfortable for most of the day.

Before there was Selkie, The Other Sparrows was quite an obsession of mine.  I waited for the release of each collection with much anticipation.  They only carried two styles of sundress but much like Selkie, it was the prints that really stole my heart.  Unfortunately, Covid hit TOS pretty hard and I'm afraid they are no longer in business.  But, like Selkie, TOS dresses weren't quite right for me--too short, mostly--so they took a little tailoring and styling to really make them work for me.  To that end, I am determined to wear all my short Selkies this summer, including this heavy cotton dress, but they need a little tweaking.  

I've just finished taking this dress in at the bust and it turned out pretty well.  (I'm practicing for a Secret Garden Abbott Prairie dress that I ordered from Boho-Chic.  But more about that one the way soon!)  I love this dress as-is, but with the print and the empire waist, it really reminds me of a night gown, so I've added a wide lavender wrap belt so that I actually have a waist, and I love this dress even more with just that little touch.  Now it looks like a proper summer dress and I will most definitely be wearing it to any occasion or event that has air conditioning.

Shopping Info: La Belle Etoile Cotton French Puff Dress-$310 from Selkiecollection.com, Wide belt-$5 from Shein.com, Bettie Page Tegan Heels-$35 from Amazon.com