I’ve written on the topic of friendship a few times in the past, but in more general terms…
THE STORY
…We all have a variety of friends I’m sure; new friends, old friends, work friends, friends from high school and college even friends that we’ve met via blogging and social media. They are all necessary and special in their own right, but the one type of friendship that’s pretty hard to beat is the “old friends” category.
Old friends by definition, have been around for a sizable chunk of your life. They know secrets. They know where the bodies are buried. They are the ones who in all likelihood know you the best. They know the good the bad, and the ugly. And yet they still love you. Unconditionally. No holds barred.
Heidi (my drop dead gorgeous photo shoot partner) is one of those friends for me. She is the one who first introduced me to the lovely ladies who own Boutique 16063. We’ve been partners in crime for over twenty years. We first met when we were both high school teachers at a tiny backwoods school district where we began our teaching careers. Believe me, back in the day we were bad girls; we went places and did things that if I told you about I’d have to kill you.
Eventually she and her husband started a family and moved back to where she is from which is about an hour away from me. There was even a brief period where we had an utterly absurd falling out which eventually led to, at least for me, one of the most memorable moments of our friendship. I’m sure most of you remember how badly 9/11 shook us to the core as human beings. It seemed that every single American was united in unbearable heartbreak. Very shortly after 9/11, very late one evening there was a knock at my back door. I went to the door and when I looked out the window, there was Heidi. I opened the door and we just fell into each other’s arms. We stood there hugging, crying and babbling like idiots for what seemed like hours. That was truly one of those defining moments that I will remember with absolute clarity until the day I die.
Fast forward to the present. We don’t see one another nearly as much as we’d like. But alas, that is the way of life sometimes. We now have an annual date night each summer that we both look forward to each year. She is my standing date for Styleweek in Pittsburgh every August; we choose one of the events and go together. It’s perfect because we are both fashion obsessed and it gives us girl time to catch up on everything we’ve missed.
The nice thing about true solid old friendships is that you can be apart for weeks, months or even years, but the minute you’re back together it’s like not a single moment has passed. You don’t miss a beat. You simply pick up where you left off. And this photo shoot is an example of that. You can tell from the shots we were up to no good the entire time and loving every second of it. And the true beauty of friendships that have withstood the test of time? In an uncertain world, one thing that I can be absolutely sure of is that in another twenty years we’ll still be up to no good…and still be loving every second of it.
THE OUTFIT
Seriously, how pretty is this sweet little floral print dress; rose print if one want’s to be exact? I am in love with it. Not only is it so soft and lightweight it’s like wearing a whisper (there’s a visualization for ya), it also has two well placed seams that start under the bust and curve down around the hips. This nifty little trick gives my favorite boho style tunic dress more of a fitted look which is nice. Believe it or not though, I do not own this dress. Yet. I was modeling it for a photo shoot with Boutique 16063 and it didn’t come home with me that day because there were a couple of other pieces that I had to nab. Notice that I said “yet”. Because it will be mine; oh yes, it will be mine.
One thing that did come home with me that day was my “badass” necklace because c’mon, who do you know that needs a necklace that says “badass” more than I do? Well, me and my beautiful friend Heidi. She snapped up the gold version while I went with silver.
THE TIP
Sometimes simple is best. This floral print dress is certainly pretty enough to stand on it’s own with a killer pair of shoes and some delicate jewelry. Had I been styling this at home though, I would have probably added one of my lace or chiffon skirt extenders underneath to give it a little more length and a touch of frou-frou.
THE LINK UPS
Check out the weekly link ups I participate in for even more fashion and style ideas…
Dress: Boutique 16063; Sandals: Boutique 16063 (Similar)
