Watermelon Dress

Hello, welcome to my blog, 

and thanks so much for joining me!

Today, I decided to dress

 in the color watermelon-a little tribute to summer!

Every summer I look forward 

to the fresh local, seasonal fruit

available at the farmers' market

July is the best time ever for delicious

 ripe watermelon 🍉

 I love it, but recently I have discovered

 an allergy to one of it's ingredients-bummer!

At least I can still enjoy the rest

 🍑🍒🫐🍓

What is your favorite summer fruit or veggie?

The dress in my outfit today

is a classic and straightforward style,

a sleeveless fit and flare 

 with a V neckline and sash tie belt

The special part about it is the color-

It is a bright, practically neon watermelon hue!

Today I am wearing the dress

under a cropped, white lace topper

Carrying a special aqua color velvet bucket bag,

 with a fold over top that looks a bit like

 a picnic or lunch box

I love this vintage bag from the 1950's 

Although it doesn't get a lot of wear,

 I like to admire how sweet and fun it is

I would love to have a glimpse of it's life

 before it wound up in my closet!

 I chose some light and cool silver tone jewelry

to complement this look

A twisted pavé decorated necklace,

 and open cuff bracelet

I wear this bracelet a lot during the summer, especially

 I'm not sure what it is about it that I love so much!

It is shimmery and a substantial size,

but a very light and open design

 For earrings, turquoise colored posts

 with irregular shaped stones

to mimic the color of my bag

For shoes to finish this outfit,

 a pair of nude sling backs

 with metal decoration

Roger is joining me today

with a coordinating outfit

I realized when I loaded this picture

 his paisley tie was not visible at all...

so here is another

 

Although not a match,

 (surprisingly, no watermelon colored tie in his collection),

 a very nice blend

with orange, red, blue and white

There are not many items of clothing 

in my closet in the color watermelon,

but quite a bit of the similar color coral

Here is an outfit with a coral color jacket  

from summer 2020 that I still wear and enjoy

And here is the white lace cropped topper

worn over a different dress,

 an aqua butterfly print, from summer, 2023

I'll be back next week with another summer outfit

 and an item leaving my closet,

from my long overdue purge!

Hope you all have a great week,

appreciating all of your favorite summer pastimes!

☀️ 🏖️ 🛶 🌊 ⛵️☀️

 

Pastel Geometric Print

 Hello, welcome and thanks for stopping by my blog!

I chose this outfit for today's post,

 because it seems like such a good example

 of how a dress in a basic silhouette

 can really be ramped up when done in a print!

Plus, a one and done dress

is perfect for the hot summer season

This dress has a simple shape,

with a mock neckline, puffed elbow length sleeves

and a cool side slit on the skirt

The wild and wacky multi-colored

  geometric print makes it special

I was attracted to the fun color palette, 

 with turquoise and aqua, purple and violet, 

along shades of orange and pink-

sort of an extended orange and blue

 complementary color mix!

  This design is a little "extra"

even for me, the lover of geometric prints!

Are you a fan prints, in general?

How about geometrics? 

 Imagining this dress in a solid color,

 It would be a perfect backdrop

 for making special accessories pop

The dress was a bit of a challenge to style,

 since the pattern is so busy,

 so I chose a neutral light tan bag

 Interestingly, the half moon shape and box quilting

 echo the curves and rectangles of the dress

I chose a few simple accessories

 in a color that blends with the dress' palette

A wide cuff bracelet with a turquoise color stone,

   and stud earrings with irregular shaped

blue-green stones

Also wearing a top knot taupe headband

I used my jewelry

 and this turquoise scarf as a waist tie

 to pull out one unifying color

Wearing natural tan woven sandals 

with two straps, one clear plastic,

 and block heels to finish the look

Raffia has been especially big this spring and summer

 It seems a natural fit with all of the shades of brown

and neutrals tones that are currently trending,

plus it goes with brights and pastels-

everything summery, really!

   

Here is a previous outfit from May 2023,

that also has an unusual pastel color and pattern mix

It is a vintage 1950's gathered skirt in a pink, aqua, and

 citrus yellow print, with a black and white

graphic background-

love an interesting color combo!

In my continuing series of what has been purged

  in my big spring and summer clean out,

here's something leaving my closet

 This white blouse has such pretty details,

with dainty rows of pin tucks down the front

  I have not worn it often, mostly on hot summer days

I looked back to see if I could find

 a picture of me wearing this blouse in a blog post

 but I could not locate a one,

so clearly, not a favorite 

I love the sweet details,

 but it is not a very good silhouette for me

 Anything that has dolman sleeves looks droopy on me,

  because I have narrow shoulders and a small bust

The blouse is very cool and comfortable

 in the hot summer months, though

 due to the lovely lightweight rayon fabric

  I hope someone whose body shape it flatters

  picks it up from the consignment shop

 and starts enjoying it this summer!

Pink and purple Petunias

 are a favorite summer flower

they just keep blossoming and getting better

as the summer goes on

🩷💜🩷💜🩷💜🩷💜🩷💜

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

Asymmetry

Hello, and welcome to my blog-

thank you for stopping by today! 

I have a fondness for quirky asymmetrical styles

There are a number of skirts, dresses and tops 

with high-low and asymmetrical hems

 that stay in my closet regardless of trends

 This post is dedicated to one of the wonky hem skirts  

that I have been wearing recently

Do you wear asymmetrical hem tops or bottoms,

or do you prefer a straight hemline?

I find the one type of hemline that always

looks strange on me, is the one that is long on both sides

and short in the middle

This hem style was wildly popular for a long time,

I see it in both tops, skirts and dresses

It looks great on some women

Maybe the length(s) have to be just right,

or the rest of the outfit needs to be proportioned perfectly

I tis a mystery, because in always looks odd on me

Anyway, the asymmetrical skirt I am wearing today

is not that style

The hem goes from knee length on one side,

 to midi length on the other,

and has a deep ruffle at the bottom

It is covered in an abstract geometric, stylized print,

  in a complementary range of colors, including

 peach, dark orange, slate blue, lavender and ivory

I wore it today with a simple slate blue V neck top,

since there is so much interest in the skirt

I have worn this skirt styled differently, in the fall, 

 also, as the print includes an autumnal rusty orange

There is a photo of the autumn version further down the page 

Carrying a faux suede bucket bag

 in a yummy peach color

 It's a great pastel for spring and summer

Here are the accessories and jewelry in this outfit

Wearing a blue and white polka dot neck scarf,

 taupe top knot hairband,

 and blue reptile embossed belt 

The belt is a miraculous match for the outfit, by chance,

bought at very different times

Isn't this type of Kismet a wonderful wardrobe surprise?

 

For jewelry, a bold oval stone bracelet,

and large silver tone hoop earrings

Buff color dip front low cowgirl boots to finish the outfit 

This is the only way I can wear low in the front,

and higher on the sides-it boots!

Previous wear of the asymmetrical skirt,

from last October in my post titled "Autumn Palette"

Here is a skirt that I have let go of,

in my continuing series

 of what has left my closet this season

 It is a midi slip style skirt in a tiny ditzy floral print

 I ordered it online, and though the fit was fine,

 the colors looked more vibrant than in person,

 and it just seems kind of muddy 

The background is gray, and the little flowers

 are mauve, pale pink, and white

 Each time I try to style it, it just comes out dull,

 and a bit if a washout on me

 I think it will be perfect on someone who looks

 good in these muted tones

I definitely struggled with styling this one,

 and although it was not very expensive, 

I did not get a very good cost per wear

 

Best to bid it farewell,

 so it is not another thing that just takes up space 

 in my wardrobe, and gets passed by time and again

 Live and learn

Here is one of the few times I wore it,

 last spring, in March 2024

Hope you all enjoy your week!

Jacket Over Dress Formula with All the Summer Blues

Hello, welcome, and thanks for stopping by my blog!

For this week's post, I am styling a lightweight jacket

 over a sleeveless dress

 This combination is a great option for a summer day,

 when you know you are going to be in and out

 of overly air conditioned spaces

Do you have this dilemma where you live?

Today it is humid and steamy,

with a forecast of 7 straight days of rain!

  This is a little unusual for this time of year, for us

  I chose this bright blue three-quarter sleeve blazer

 to wear over a retro 70s look stylized floral print dress

The dress is a true wrap style and the outfit is very classic,

 but the print is a little bit "extra"

 The colors are in shades of blue, violet and white

All week, I will be wearing brights

to cheer me up during the gloomy weather!

☔️🌧️☔️⛈️☔️🌦️☔️

 The jacket can go on and come off, 

as the temperature dictates,

 and I still know I will be presentable

in the dress underneath

I also wore this dress back in the spring on the blog,

for my Easter post, styled with a cardigan over it

Swirling psychedelic print!

My accessories are a bit mid century modern in style,

 in keeping with the retro look print of the dress

Carrying a white boxy handle bag with square closure detail

For jewelry, a white true vintage 1950's

expansion cuff bracelet,

 and silver tone loop design earrings

 Also, a white wired crinkle fabric hair band

All the white details in this outfit! 

White patent leather Mary Jane sling backs to finish the look

In my continuing series of items 

 leaving my closet this spring season,

  I am consigning this white blazer style jacket 

 The jacket is lined, and a heavy cotton duck fabric,

 that is very stiff. It is bright white, and really

 only looks right in the spring and summer,

 but it is too warm and heavy for summers in Maryland

 I purchased this jacket on Poshmark, several years ago

It is a classic, and I love the two large flapped pockets,

and the quality is there, it is from Banana Republic 

This purchase was a lesson for me,

 in the need to get all of the details

 possible before purchasing

 Some things, like fabric weight

 can be a bit difficult to determine in photos

Here is one of the times I wore this jacket,

 over a sporty short sleeve dress in spring 2023

Why not play with your food?

Roger created this impromptu palm tree

 design plate for us with summer fruit-so cute!

Hope you enjoy your week!