I’ve noticed a rather strange interesting pattern in my Instagram feed…
THE STORY
…I’ve dubbed it “the blanket scarf phenomenon”. I’ve mentioned before how I find it intriguing that photos I really think are good don’t get as many likes as others that aren’t necessarily my favorites. To each his own, right? Now though, I’ve actually spied a pattern. Any photo that I’ve posted recently that was a “from above” selfie involving a blanket scarf gets far more likes than other photos. Here’s an example:
The top photo was what I wore to Walmart Saturday; trust me, nothing fancy. An old gray sweatshirt, boyfriend jeans, and Bearpaws…but add the magical powers-laden blanket scarf and bang! Substantially more likes than what was one of my favorite outfit photos ever. Hmmm…I’m truly fascinated by this. And it would appear that the magical blanket scarf only has these powers when it’s part of the from above selfie. Case in point: shots from my last blog post. The from above selfie of that outfit received over 100 more likes than shots of the actual outfit. So weird. I can’t explain it. Hence the term “blanket scarf phenomenon”. I guess it’s kind of like crop circles and Stonehenge; interesting to think about, but you’ll never puzzle out an explanation.
THE OUTFIT
How gorgeous is this floral fit and flare dress from Bitter Lollipop? The photos don’t really do it justice; it’s a mix of floral and subtle leopard print dispersed throughout. The are areas where the print looks almost 3-D…so cool. And the colors are so vibrant and unexpected for winter. What makes Bitter Lollipop special? The dresses are designed especially to fit women with more going on up top. Anyone with a larger bust can attest to the fact that buying dresses is tough. That is one of the reasons I don’t wear dresses very often; I’m tiny on the bottom and not so tiny up top. It’s a combination of the girls and I also have very broad shoulders and lats for an elf. Hence, dress buying is just too much work.
When Kelly from Bitter Lollipop approached me about a collaboration I was intrigued with the idea so of course I agreed. When the package arrived and I opened it, I may or may not have squealed out loud when I saw the colors. The fabric is soft, but substantial and has some stretch to it and the seams are done perfectly to accommodate a larger bust. The dress is a bit too big on me; there’s some gapping at the neckline and under the arms, but that is 100% my fault. I always size up in dresses because I need more room in the top. Since Bitter Lollipop’s dresses are specifically designed to alleviate that problem I should have went with my normal size. Because I love it so much, the dress is definitely worthy of going to the seamstress for a little tweaking. Heed my advice. If you normally size up in dresses so they fit the girls, don’t do that with Bitter Lollipop dresses.
Since it’s obviously winter, I layered the dress over a turtleneck and tights. Originally I was going to layer a sweater over top, but that would’ve hidden too much of the beauty of the dress. I went with black ankle boots to coordinate with the tights and keep the leg line longer. So many of my necklaces would have worked well because of the myriad of colors, but I went with the pink because it picks up the more subtle pink throughout the pattern.
THE TIP
It’s super easy to make a spring/summer dress work in the winter. Simply add layers; whether it be over or under. In this instance I went with all black because I wanted the dress to stand out on it’s own. I had considered a striped turtleneck for some print mix, but decided against it because I wanted the dress to be the star. So this is actually two tips in one; layer up to make a summer dress winter appropriate and keep the base of your outfit neutral if you want one piece to stand out.
THE LINK UPS
**Be sure to take a minute and stop by to visit the lovely Julie at juliemcqueen.blogspot.ru for an interview with me. C’mon…you know you want the answers to such burning questions as “What movie character do I most identify with?”…the answer might surprise you…
Check out the weekly link ups I participate in for even more fashion and style ideas…
Dress: c/o Bitter Lollipop; Turtleneck: Old Navy (Similar); Boots: PacSun (Similar)
Disclosure: Dress was gifted to me c/o Bitter Lollipop. All opinions are completely my own.
