Whenever people ask me about the success of my blog, I tell them that I have a small, but high-quality readership. That’s you, Directorate. And when they ask me if I make any money or receive any free clothes for all my efforts, I explain, “The blog isn’t really set-up for making money because it’s conceptual. It’s intended to help people think about clothes rather than buy them and I am rarely wearing something that is currently available for sale.”
I think it’s true.
I certainly feel that it is incumbent on me to share ideas and tips on how to use what you have in addition to helping you think about what you might acquire.
Case in point! Do you remember this orange silk-seersucker dress from 2019? Great color, texture, silhouette. But the maxi length is tricky. I think maxis are casual and only for weekends and evenings. As a result, by 2022, I’d only worn this dress a few times.
It occurred to me that if this dress were a little shorter — say, mid-calf — I’d wear it much more.
Child’s play for Fatima!
Everyone is entitled to her own opinion, but I think this dress is more flattering and loads more versatile at this length.
See how well it looks with sport sandals and the Disappearing Jacket? I was in Seattle for a conference in July and wore this for one of my afternoon meetings. With a mask, bien sur.
As an alternative to black sandals (I don’t think they read “Halloween” but others might), I tried some fun Camper sandals. Sandals that you could buy by clicking on this non-affiliated, totally gratis link. If you do click through, an action that will bring absolutely nothing to me, look at all the Camper sandals at Nordstrom right now. There are many delightful colors and fabrications.
Cut on the bias, this dress looks very nice at mid-calf length. It reminds me of this very old Eileen Fisher dress, which I decided to have made into a skirt, for reasons I will explain at a future date. Even though I keep things for years, the closet is a constant renewal project.
What’s that? You see that I put on a necklace at some point? And you want to take a closer look?
I did and you may.
I found myself drawn further into the maker’s website and happened across this delight.
It’s not going to work with a suit, but you can understand how I couldn’t resist?
I wear this necklace all the time. Thank you, BFF!
Old dress: Ganni; Sandals: Camper Oruga Up Sandals; Necklace: Don’t Let Disco
As always, a delightful rumination! The orange looks perfect on you and the length means versatility!
I agree that the dress is much improved!
BFF here (though not the only one, I know!) So glad you like the jewelry-maker. I love the dress but I’m sitting here still struggling with your first point – maxis are only casual and for evening/weekend?? That seems unfair somehow, and counterintuitive. Why is it so??
I hear your distress, BFF, because I’ve laid down a seemingly inconsistent edict. Maxi = long and long = formal. But let me try to explain! When I say “casual,” I really mean “not work.” I don’t think a maxi dress can be worn to work (unless it were an act of insubordination or final gesture preceding a grand exit). That means (to me) the maxi will only be worn after-work in the evening or on the weekend. The fabric and cut of many maxi dresses also tends toward informality — cotton and jersey with looser lines. I think of a maxi dress as something different from a gown, which would be the dressiest of dressy. At some point, I think retailers were calling maxi dresses “patio dresses.” I don’t think it caught on, but it was a useful cue. It could be, today, that retailers like Anthropologie are calling gowns and patio dresses “maxi dresses” and letting the consumer make her own decisions about when, where, and why to wear them.
This necklace reminds be of the detritus left in my purse years ago after being out and about with my children. They would run up to me and say “Hold this” and this is the collection I would gather. So, needless to say, I’m a huge fan of the necklace.
I’m also a proponent of you changing the length of a garment to get more wear… however I’m still stuck on you wearing it as an act of insubordination…and making a grand exit… 🙂
This necklace reminds be of the detritus left in my purse years ago after being out and about with my children. They would run up to me and say “Hold this” and this is the collection I would gather. So, needless to say, I’m a huge fan of the necklace.
I”ll probably also like this dress with the sweater you have on with the soon-to-be EF skirt.
I want to hear the story about that as it’s always been one my my favorites.
I do sometimes see people out in a casual way in long dresses, but it’s not a look that everyone can pull off, particularly if you are on the shorter side. Anyway, with inflation and all we’ve got to do our part by using what we already have, so it’s good you went ahead and made it more wearable.
I think you’d be able to scare off a bear in that dress. They are cowed by the color orange, you’d stand gracefully before them and they’d scamper off (I made up the bit about them not liking the orange). I agree that midi dresses are not for work — in other words casual. The Camper sandals are fun!