BEDKNOBS & BAUBLES

Tory Burch in Brussels

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Tory Burch Ponte Dress

I bought this Tory Burch dress last summer when my foot was broken and wore it quite a bit with sneakers while I was on the mend. It wasn’t until I spotted this Michael Kors version that has many of the same features — a batik-inspired design and a flattering center stripe — did it dawn on me that I never did share photos. In the Brussels-bound suitcase it went! In these photos, you’ll see that it was an easy choice for sightseeing, but it has really been a versatile piece overall. I’ve worn it on weekends with sneakers or sandals (just snagged these), and to work with loafers (also ordered these last week). I suspect the Michael Kors dress would be just as lovely.

In other news, we went on our first house-hunting adventure with our real estate agent yesterday morning and toured four duds. I guess I naively thought we’d find “the one” on our first day out, especially since one of the houses looked so perfect online and it’s in our ideal area. The panic isn’t setting in yet, but we are on a tight timeline to find something. Our lease is up on Aug. 1. It takes around 35 days to close on a house, so we’re looking at finding something before mid-June — which is when we’ll need to resign our lease. If we have to stay in our apartment another year, it wouldn’t be the worst — we’d just live as frugally as possible to increase our down payment or save up renovation money — but it’s not ideal. Please send good house-hunting vibes our way!

Tory Burch Ponte DressTory Burch Ponte Dress
Tory Burch Ponte DressTory Burch Ponte Dress
Tory Burch Ponte Dress

Dress: Tory Burch (similar)
Sunglasses: Karen Walker c/o Shopbop
Bag: Tory Burch (similar; obsessed with this new arrival)
Shoes: Louise et Cie (also love these metallic flats)
Ring: Lulu Frost
Bracelet: Hermes
Lips: Stila “Bella”

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Comments

  8. Hi Jessica!
    I am sending you good house hunting vibes! You’ll find something great!

    By the way, your outfit is really adorable. I love how casual and wearable this dress is and the shoes are perfect with it!

    http://www.districthilo.com

    Love, Mary

  9. You look so beautiful, Jessica! I love your dress, the print and shape are so lovely! I also love your loafers, which look great paired with it. I’m sending plenty of good vibes your way, hoping you find the perfect house in no time! Thanks so much for sharing and I hope you have a great week ahead!

    XO,

    Jalisa
    http://www.thestylecontour.com

  13. Good vibes going your way ! I hope you find a place that you “click” with.
    After buying several properties, I can say that the moment you walk in YOU KNOW. Hugs.

    • I REALLY hope that’s the case. We did a few open houses last fall before we were ready to jump in. There were two that I walked in and just knew that if we were ready to buy, it would have been the place … aside from less-than-stellar locations and price. Haha. We have another house tour today that I’m really excited about. It’s an adorable 1920s bungalow. It has wall-to-wall carpet, but at least that’s easy to fix! (And a rough kitchen, but that can be what we save up for!)

  15. Photos online are always so deceiving! Of course everyones got their wide angle lenses and rooms look so spacious and pristine until you get there and discover what the camera so effectively hid. Then there are the unfortunate hangups like a newly redone kitchen, that was done as cheaply as possible to sell the house which couldn’t be further from what you want, or house with no closet space, or wall to wall carpets EVERYWHERE or a fuse box located in a crawlspace you can only get to from outside… anyway, good luck house hunting, and really you only saw 4, think of it like shopping for a swim suit. You’ve got to try on a lot.
    (not that I’ve bought a house, and only did about a month of house hunting last summer when I was insanely entertaining that idea).

    OH and this dress is adorable, loving it with the loafers, those really are the most perfect loafers I’ve ever seen.

    Chic on the Cheap

    • I had to laugh at this — the house we’re seeing today has wall-to-wall carpet! It’s a 1920s home and the bones of the house are so good (arched doorways!). I imagine there’s hardwood underneath the carpet, so I’m off to investigate after work today. Dave’s parents ripped out their carpet a couple of years ago and refinished the floors. It wasn’t terribly expensive. They have a smaller home — like this one will be — and it was under $2k. (Still a lot of money, yes, but totally doable before we move in.) It’s hard to look beyond those things sometimes. (The kitchen isn’t great, but we can save for a few years to change that. The house is in our preferred location, which is the most important thing.)

  17. Love the unexpected loafer with the look. Wait, are you moving to Brussels??? Best of luck with the house hunting. It’s the most stressful/emotional time but so worth it once you move in and it’s yours!

    • Oh man, I wish! I edited my post above for clarity. I brought the dress on our trip to Brussels last month. Now that we’re back in Madison, the house-hunting adventure is in full swing!