Gustavia: The Summer Dress

Summer is the season of white cotton dresses, cool early mornings walking in the still woods, and long afternoons sipping lemonade under the shade trees, so it wouldn't be fitting to let the summer slip by without at least one post with a white cotton dress.White cotton dresses with eyelet and lace have been an obsession of mine for as long as I can remember.  I spent years searching for the perfect little white dress before finally realizing that they are all perfect in their own way.Each dress is a whole and complete vision, a work of art, a dream made real and I love them all just as they are.  This particular dress is a very exiciting thrifted find from Anthropologie brand Eri + Ali.  

Originally coming in at $178 (0r so saith the internet) I found this dress on a resale site in new condition for a meager $40.  While researching this dress, I also found that I really loved the way it was styled in the first photo below the outfit info below and decided to get as close to that look as possible.  I've already been wearing this dress since summer is in full swing and I love the loose fit and the breathable fabric.  I really miss the days when clothes were mainly made of natural fibers instead of recycled plastic dunked in forever chemicals.  Nothing will ever be so comforting to wear as cotton, especially on warm summer days like this.

Outfit Info:  Gustavia Dress by Eri +Ali from Anthropologie

Summer Begins with a Beautiful White Dress

Have I mentioned how much I love working with FemmeLuxe? Their T-shirts and joggers have been my go-to for workout clothes and their loungewear has been my comfort clothes for the past few months. But,these dresses make me feel so glamorous and beautiful, I absolutely love our monthly collaboration. I love being able to show you these dresses, how they fit, how they look and feel. And, I try to select things that really express the mood of each month and season. That's why I chose this WhiteBardot Cowl Neck Ruched Midi Dress – Malia from FemmeLuxe's collection of midi dresses. I know there are some fashion traditions that I don't think we should hold on to, but it just would not be June without a white dress. A stunning white dress is the perfect way to usher in the summer season.

Beautiful dresses deserve a beautiful location and nature has provided that this year in abundance. Summer is the perfect season for taking photos in these dresses too. The woods and fields are positively covered in flowers of every color and kind. I have spent many afternoons out exploring our little piece of the world, discovering all these beautiful places and I have spent weeks planning these particular outfits and photo sessions.

You may have seen me wear the Malia dress in rust for autumn and emerald for winter. Those rich colors enhanced the style of this dress even more and made it an instant seasonal classic. Malia is a wonderful, elegant style that I really love because it is the kind of dress that will always be chic. With so much recent uncertainty about when things will reopen, when we'll be able to gather for events and how long it may last, the idea that this beautiful dress will be on trend no matter when I have the opportunity to wear it is something that is relevant to me (and all of us, I think) now more than ever before.

As I look at these photos, it also occurs to me that this would make an absolutely stunning beach wedding dress. The Malia dress is a midi dress meaning it is meant to draw attention to the narrowest part of the waist and create a great shape.  But it's also a bodycon dress, meaning it is form fitting. As always, I want to take a moment to mention the fabulous ruching that runs down the bodice of this dress. Bodycon dresses are a source of apprehension for women of all ages. Our poor self image and insecurities make us shy away from things that show off our shape. I would really encourage you, if you've never worn a bodycon dress or it it has just been a long time, to consider trying the Malia dress. The ruching in the fabric of this slinky dress creates a perfect camouflage for trouble zones. It is strapless with draped arm cuffs and swooping front bib. Those details give take this beyond a simple white dress and give it such a look of gentility and gracefulness.  

On the subject of camouflage, a few weeks ago I purchased a shape wear half slip to wear under pencil dresses and bodycon dresses like this. I was also hoping for a little bit of tummy control, but alas it provides absolutely none. That's why I am not going to bother mentioning the brand or where I got it. It's like that old saying, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't talk about it on your blog. But, here's the great thing, even though the shape wear failed me on tummy control, the Malia dress really came through for me and I didn't feel like I needed any help thanks to the cut of this dress. I should mention that the shape wear does make a smoother silhouette even if it doesn't do much for shaping it.

Tomorrow will be the last day of my collaboration with FemmeLuxe for this month and I have something really dynamic and bold planned. It is an outfit that I have been planning for several months now. It came together exactly as I hoped it would and I can hardly wait to share it with you.   Join me right back here tomorrow.

Shopping Info: White Bardot Cowl Neck Ruched Midi Dress - Malia from FemmeLuxeFinery.co.uk, Aldo heels from ThredUp, Fresh Water Pearl Earrings from Natuloth

Picking Daisies

I haven't lived in the same place for very long in a very long time.  Ever since I was a teenager, I have had a wanderlust that has taken me all over the globe.  Sometimes with friends, sometimes with family, sometimes it's just me and my camera and suitcase.  However it has to be, I love seeing new places and experiencing new cultures.  I love finding out what is just over the next horizon.  It became a driving force in my life at a very young age.  

It was just a few years ago, that I bought my very first home.  It proved harder than I thought to sign my name to those papers.  It seemed too final.  I've been here three years now, which is is typically my maximum for staying anywhere and for the last few months, I have been feeling restless.  New neighbors moving in and out, more and more land being cleared and houses being built, and suddenly this little hilltop is starting to feel pretty crowded.  And I feel myself wondering what else is out there.....

I'm not saying that I'm getting ready to move again, because my family is not on board with that idea.  But, I'm looking around for one day.  Because one day my daughters will find the wind that fills their sails and it will carry them away from me.  That is when I'll set sail too, heading straight for that new horizon.  In the mean time, I have been paying attention to my own little slice of the world.  I've been getting to know the landscape around me and enjoying how it has changed each year.  Spring time has come again, so once again I have been making my way to all the beautiful places I have noticed over the years.  I go back to them to take in the beauty each year and season, but as I return, I have observed that these places rarely do the same things twice in a row.  

Some years the flowers bloom full and vividly.  Some years they don't bloom at all.  This little field has been full of pastel purple wildflowers each spring, but this year it decided to give those flowers a miss and fill itself with wild daisies instead.  What a nice surprise!  As I watched them grow and the buds begin to open, I knew I had to wear a white dress to photograph against such a stunning backdrop.  And I knew precisely the perfect white dress to wear.

Thanks to my collaboration with FemmeLuxe, I have been introduced to some amazingly comfortable Loungewear and T-Shirts which I wear all the time in my downtime.  But, I also love their bodycon dresses and midi dresses.  Angelica Belted Bodycon Midi Dress is the best of both worlds.  It is a style that I adore and have worn in several other colors which you can see here, here, and here.  When a style works, it just works and it works in every color!  But, this is the season of white dresses, so white it shall be for this post among the daisies.

I trust FemmeLuxe for amazing styles and I look forward to our collaboration each month.  When I first looked at this Angelica dress I couldn't help but think it would make an amazing wedding dress, and I considered buying a pillbox hat with a veil and styling as a wedding dress--maybe I will style it that way in the future--but I didn't want to limit its potential to merely a special event dress. Style features I love about this dress include: its form fitting skirt to accentuate curves, and the belt that gives it structure and draws attention to the narrowest part of the waist, not to mention that suggestive without being bawdy neckline and feminine full sleeves, it has so much style potential for any and every kind of event.  

Another great thing about the Angelica dress is that the fabric does have some stretch, so you can move and breathe in it.  Being able to live in fabric, to move in it is a must for me.  No matter where I find myself in the world, I am on the go exploring, enjoying, and taking in all the beauty the world has to offer.  Check back this week for more great looks from FemmeLuxe.

Shopping Info: White Belted Bodycon Midi Dress - Angelica from FemmeLuxeFinery.co.uk

The Merry Months of Spring

This is traditionally the season to begin wearing white.  Even though style experts agree that fashion rule is out of date, there is something about donning a white dress in the merry months of April and May that just sings of spring.

And even better than a white dress alone is a classy cut white dress with black polka dots like this Nora Dress in Cream Dots from my collaboration with KarinaDresses.  

The Nora dress is one of my go-to styles.  It features a fitted waist, gathered shoulder and bust line, sweet V detail at the back and a V neckline, and this dress has pockets!

One of the wonderful thing about KarinaDresses is that they feature a wrinkle-free fabric so you can take it on the go and wear it all day long and it will still look crisp and fresh.

Speaking of KarinaDresses, they've been busy during this difficult time.  They've been busy making beautiful dresses, of course, but they've also been busy giving back to their community by making masks for health care workers.

The longer I work with KarinaDresses, the more I learn about them.  And, the more I learn, the more I love them!

If you've never tried KarinaDresses, I encourage you to check them out.  You're sure to find something you love and that makes you love your shape.

Shopping Info: Nora Dress in Cream Dots from KarinaDresses.com

Sure to be More Springs

Quotes from Anne of Avonlea 

by L.M. Montgomery

“That is one good thing about this world...

there are always sure to be more springs.”

Afterall," Anne had said to Marilla once, "I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens,

 but just those that bring simple little pleasures,

 following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string

Shopping Info: Sydney Dress and layered dress from Free People and FP One