Ruffles and Flowers for Summer

Hello, and thank you for joining me on my blog today!

The summer is starting to wind down,

 and as usual, I am scanning my wardrobe

 for items that have not been shown much love this season

I'll bet many of you are doing the same thing-

looking at the pieces that have not been worn much,

and maybe evaluating why

 This bright and colorful, floral fit and flare dress

by Betsey Johnson, is one of those pieces for me

It has not been worn all summer,

 so I think at least, it's time for it to come out

of the closet for a remix!

It is a classic style, not trendy,

so it never goes out of fashion-

 is it's a keeper even though this is

 it's first wear this season

I don't adhere to the thought

 that if an item hasn't been worn for a year,

 it's not going to be chosen, and it's time to let it go

Maybe the perfect time to wear it 

has just not presented itself so far this season

How about you, 

what do you think about the one year rule?

This is definitely a spring and summer dress,

in the past I have generally worn it 

    with a light layer underneath or over top,

 because it has quite a low V neckline

Today I am wearing it

 with a soft white cotton batiste blouse underneath

to fill in the V

 The blouse is so sweet with a ruffled neckline

 and gathered elbow length sleeves

with crochet edges

  I think this blouse steers the outfit towards a romantic look

Wicker and raffia are warm weather go-tos,

and this little bag is a summer favorite of mine

It has been in my wardrobe for several years 

 and I continue to love it!

 The wicker combined with the seashell motif 

give it such a fun summertime vibe

For jewelry with this outfit,

I chose some old favorites

 A gold tone bow design bracelet that fits with the

 romantic ruffle and flower theme so well

 Also wearing a gold tone collar necklace

 and double faux pearl earrings

I am not so sure how much I love these sandals, though

 They are new this season and were an inexpensive purchase (from Target, for $40)

I really wanted to try some raffia sandals this summer,

so I thought these would be an affordable way 

to see how I liked them

  I think these are just adorable with the rosettes

After wearing them though, 

they are not as comfortable or stable

as I originally thought

We'll see if I am still longing for raffia next summer-

I will start hunting for a better quality pair

earlier in the season

Here is one of the previous wears of the floral dress,

 in the summer of 2022

Just a little different look,

pulling out the light blue in the print

for the blouse and belt

Notice I'm carrying the same wicker bag

as the current outfit!

Below is the last item from my big summer

closest clear out

It is very unusual for me to cull a dress,

 but here is one that is leaving

  I have loved it over the years, 

 it has been great for the summer months

 for the base of an easy one-and-done outfit 

 I like the wavy blue and white print, and nice detail

 of the draped faux wrap waist

 It has been washed and worn many times though,

 and is getting quite droopy as the elastic fibers

 in the cotton jersey blend are losing their stretch

 I love a wrap style dress, 

and there are quite a few in my wardrobe,

 but I will miss this one

 I donated it to charity, and am hoping

someone will be able to use it

 I think it would make a good slip-on beach cover up,

 with the wavy water like pattern

 

Hope everyone enjoys their week!