Wednesdays in White

Thank you for all of your feedback on getting back to the DSLR photos! Kevin has been a champ dealing with taking these every morning while holding Harper on his hip, so if there's anyone to thank for no more mirror photos, it's him!

I pretty much compulsively buy white dresses and this J.Crew bow-back dress from a couple of years ago is a favorite. I paired it with a navy blue cardigan (not shown) when I got to the office.

The one thing that's tricky about this dress is that the fabric wrinkles like crazy. It's a cotton linen-ish fabric. I always have 20 or 30 extra minutes in the morning before we leave the house, so I just get on the floor in my work clothes with Harper so we can have a little quality time before we have to start our commute. This isn't ideal for the outfit situation, but I'd rather have those moments than a perfect-looking dress.

dress- j.crew (white dresses I love  1 |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6)  |  shoes- nordstrom  |  necklace- tiffany & co.  |  earrings- baublebar

 Here is a closer-up shot of my gorgeous earrings!

The Boldest Stripe

Can I just say how thrilled I am that I got this dress? And how it's even more awesome now that I've had it lengthened?

It's a lovely, stretchy, thick fabric and the bold print is fantastic. Unfortunately, it's no longer available, but I have three other BR options posted below that I think are great alternatives.

dress- banana republic- similar:  1  |  2  |  3  |  shoes- nordstrom  |  necklace ? dolceave

They had this dress in black and white stripes recently and I'm kicking myself now for not getting that version too...

Have a great Thursday!

Another White Dress

This white dress from Gap is another one I recently had altered to make the hem a little longer. The thing I love most about this dress is its textured stripe pattern. The fabric feels substantial/high quality.

I did order this one in a tall size, but it still needed an extra inch or so of length. I've noticed this with a lot of Gap's tall sizes---some of them still aren't long enough, which is a little frustrating. But, when you buy at 40% off, it's still cheaper than the full price of the dress, even with alteration fees, so for me, it's worth it.

If you order this, size way down. It fits very large in the waist. I may have that taken in too, but for now, it's fine the way it is just with the extra length.

dress- gap  |  shoes- nordstrom  |  sweater- j.crew  |  necklace- F21(similar)

Have a great night!

Three [Great] Purchases

Lately I've been really trying to pare down my closet. What I notice is that I tend to wear the same pieces over and over and some are left collecting dust�sometimes for a year or more (cue my embarrassment here). I've been giving away pieces I never wear to friends or donating them to charity. The items I give away actually prompt me to evaluate future purchases.

When I shop nowadays, I'm much more likely to pass on things I might have purchased in the past. If it's "just cute" it may not make the cut anymore. I'll even carry items around the store or put them in my cart, only to decide that I really don't need the item, or have something like it already, or that it's simply just not fantastic. I still make a purchase or two that I end up regretting, but I'm working on it.

The outfit I wore yesterday is literally the perfect example of closet keepers. I have worn my navy blue J.Crew sweater at least 100 times. The striped pencil skirt is my most-worn pencil skirt for the past year. The marled gray top, a newer purchase from Madewell is simple and classic. Most importantly, I love the way it fits and drapes. Sometimes it's worth it to pay a little more for something that just works on your body.

 sweater- j.crew |  skirt-  j.crew (almost identical on sale) |  top- madewell  | shoes- nordstrom  (true to size)  |  necklace- dolce ave, ?  

USE THE CODE VSTYLE15 FOR 15% OFF OF YOUR DolceAve PURCHASE

I'm so glad I invested in these three pieces--- I know they'll be long term staples that will be worn for years to come.

Do you have pieces that you've owned and loved for years? How does reflecting on those purchases shape your future purchases?