Dress: Banana Republic (old, love this vibrant drop-waist dress)
Coat: Tory Burch (similar)
Purse: Tory Burch (similar, this small bag is also great)
Shoes: Ferragamo
Sunglasses: Karen Walker
Necklace: c/o Gerard Yosca
Nails: YSL “Day Bloomer”
Lips: Stila “Bella”
Sometimes coming up with copy for an outfit post is painful. While I wanted to write, “I bought a dress and I’m wearing it,” that’s glossing over what’s really noteworthy about this little frock.
It broke our closet.
I came home with the dress, eager to pack it in my suitcase for our trip. However, packing over 30 days early seemed a little premature, so I stuck it on a hanger and pushed it into my overstuffed side of the closet. I heard a rumble when I shut the door, but I figured it was just the closet settling at night. (That’s reasonable, right? I mean, a house settles…) Shortly after, I heard a loud crash and threw open the closet door to discover an avalanche of dresses carpeting the floor. Apparently my dress collection had reached critical mass and this eight-ounce piece of polyester (I weighed it) put the closet over its weight limit. I looked at Dave and whimpered, “I think I have a problem…”
The problem, of course, is a shoddy closet in our rental unit that we now have to fix. Because there’s no way I’m going to give up on dresses.
Dress: Old Navy | Jacket: Lands’ End (old, similar) | Shoes: Louise et Cie (sold out, similar) | Bag: Tory Burch (similar) | Sunglasses: Karen Walker (take 15% off with code BIGEVENT16) | Necklace: Gorjana | Earrings: Vrai & Oro | Bracelets: Hermes, c/o Julie Vos (similar) | Ring: c/o Julie Vos | Lips: Stila “Bella” | Nails: Zoya “Blu”
I’ve been looking for an easy travel dress over the last few weeks to bring on our trip to Denmark and Belgium in April. I wanted something that wasn’t fussy, could be worn more than once, and would stay wrinkle-free in a suitcase. Of course, Diane von Furstenberg came through — and it’s awfully appropriate that this dress will be on its way to DVF’s hometown of Brussels in a few weeks. Purchasing this dress was my first experience with MatchesFashion.com. The dress made it from London to Madison, Wis. in just two days and was packed beautifully in a marbleized box (which is now housing scarves after this weekend’s closet clean out). The best part? It wasn’t wrinkled at all. I have high hopes this dress is going to be the hero piece in my vacation wardrobe.
Dress: Diane von Furstenberg (also comes in navy, cobalt, turquoise, black, and a print; go down a size) | Bag: Tory Burch (similar) | Shoes: Ferragamo | Necklaces: c/o Suzanne Kalan, Gorjana (similar) | Bracelets: Hermes, House of Harlow (similar) | Rings: Lulu Frost, Monica Vinader | Sunglasses: Karen Walker c/o Shopbop
I’m usually opposed to buying something at full price from LOFT, but I couldn’t help myself when I tried on this tunic tee on Friday. I actually stopped at the store to try on this skirt and pulled the shirt to wear with it, assuming that it was just another striped shirt and I’d go home without. The skirt fell short of expectations. It didn’t have enough of an a-line shape for my hips and the quality seemed a bit shoddy. This shirt, on the other hand, is amazing. It’s the softest long-sleeve tee I’ve ever worn (as I admitted in this weekend’s Instagram). It runs large, likely due to the tunic-inspired loose silhouette. (I’m usually a size 8 and I went with the small.)
And, in other shopping news, I went ahead and purchased the loafers I mentioned a couple of times over the last few weeks. I wanted a pair of shoes to wear on our Europe trip that weren’t ballet flats, wouldn’t get ruined by rain, and would be versatile enough to wear with pants and dresses. The Louise et Cie loafers fit the bill. There’s a lot going on with them: brogues detailing, metallic patent leather, and tassels. I adore them, though, and they’re incredibly comfortable with a decent amount of padding inside. I wore them for a two-mile walk on Saturday and didn’t end up with sore feet or blisters.
Top: LOFT | Jeans: Old Navy (with a short inseam and cuffed) | Bag: Tory Burch | Shoes: Louise et Cie | Sunglasses: Karen Walker c/o Shopbop | Necklace: c/o Helen Ficalora | Rings: Lulu Frost, Monica Vinader | Bracelet: Hermes | Nails: Essie “Fiji” | Lips: Stila “Bella”
If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you’ll know that I don’t particularly enjoy wearing pants — and it’s especially true in the winter. I rely on a uniform of skirts or dresses, tights, and wellies to keep my real shoes safe from precipitation and road salt. I know Hunter boots get a lot of criticism for being worn in colder months. And, no, rubber isn’t exactly the warmest material. However, when they’re paired with thick hiking socks (and a short walk to the car from my apartment and office), they’re really not that bad for a Wisconsin winter.
Coat: J.Crew (old, similar here and here) | Skirt: T by Alexander Wang (similar here, or buy it secondhand in a small, medium, or large) | Sweater: J.Crew Factory (similar) | Boots: Hunter | Bag: Rebecca Minkoff c/o Shopbop | Sunglasses: Karen Walker c/o Shopbop | Rings: Monica Vinader, c/o Julie Vos (similar) | Lips: Stila “Bella