Today’s post is going to be more about the outfit and less about the story…
THE STORY
…We wrapped up our final track and field event with my students yesterday and I didn’t get home until well into the evening since it was about an hour away. I had still planned on working on my post when I got home, but alas it was not meant to be. All I wanted to do was crawl under a pile of blankets and/or wrap myself in a full body heating pad if such a thing existed. Of course on the day we were going to be outside for hours, the warm weather decided it had had enough of Pennsylvania and apparently went elsewhere. It was only 42 degrees with a steady cold rain the entire time. The. entire. time. Even though I was bundled in about four layers of clothes, coats and gloves, and wrapped in a blanket (no, I’m not referring to some super cute blanket wrap, I mean a blanket) I still looked like a frozen drenched rat by the time it was all said and done.
THE OUTFIT
This dress. Need I say more? When I first saw this floral halter dress pop up in my Instagram feed I knew I had to own it. The colors are so vivid and juicy it almost looks 3 dimensional. It is actually intended to wear to my friend’s wedding in August, but there was no way I was going to be able to let it sit in my closet until then. No sirree my friends, it just wouldn’t be fair for something this gorgeous to sit unloved until the end of summer. Obviously the cut of the dress made it inappropriate for work without either an under or over layer. I opted for the long cardigan because, well, we all know I have a thing for long cardigans. The red suede ankle boots were the perfect pop of color to play off of the vivid red in the flowers. Can I tell you something that perhaps you won’t believe? I do not own a pair of proper red pumps. Can you believe that? I do have a pair, but I’m no longer a fan of the toe; it’s like a pair of pointed toe pumps and a pair of square toed pumps had a love child. No bueno. They are actually on the shortlist to go to the donation box. I went with only bracelets because the neckline didn’t lend itself well to work with a necklace. When I dress it up for the summer wedding, I’ll throw in a pair of standout earrings to kick it up a notch.
THE TIP
Depending on what type of environment you work in, a summer dress can be made work appropriate with a few simple changes. You can add layers underneath, for example a plain white tee or a lightweight turtleneck for colder months. Or the even easier route is to throw a cardigan or blazer over top. Depending on the cut of the dress, a pullover sweater or even a sweatshirt can be layered over the it.
THE LINK UPS
Check out the weekly link ups I participate in for even more fashion and style ideas…
Dress: Townhouse Boutique (Same, different retailer); Boots: Aldo (Similar); Cardigan: JCPenney
