What I Wore: End of June 2021

The Long Wait

I have been hunting this dress for over a year, no joke. Finding it in my size, for a price I was willing to pay, proved something of a journey. But … I triumphed! And it was worth the wait. My goodness, I love this dress so much. It’s not a fancy designer (just Topshop) but I adore the unique pinafore style and the whimsicality of the contrasting polka dot patterns. It’s fun without being juvenile. I think it has a lot of layering potential, but I wore with a “safe” option this time — a white H&M swiss dot tulle top.

Column Style

One of the reasons why I love this style of elongated pencil skirt (column skirt?) is that it makes one look taller than one is. Platform shoes help too. A sleek mock-neck top in a coordinating colour completes the trifecta. As someone who always aspired to be a willowy Nicole Kidman type (and wasn’t), this is some serious fashion magic.

Casual in Black

I don’t wear head-to-toe black very often anymore, but it does look quite sharp and cool, doesn’t it? Especially with a few touches of bold, bright colour; red and blue are probably my favourite accent colours, and they work so well here. This is an outfit that worked well for a hot day — cotton muscle tee, sans muscles, plus linen pants — but still looked pulled together. I think the pants were the key; they are lightweight linen but cut like a dress pant, which makes them appear dressier than they are.

Layering Achievement

This is my favourite iteration of this Phillip Lim dress I got in a swap from one of my IG friends. Inspiration struck me randomly: I’ve worn a tulle skirt under this dress, why not one of my tulle dresses? This cream one was prefect because the colours are so similar, plus the black swiss dots are a subtle but pleasing contrast to the pattern of the Lim dress. It all works so wonderfully well, even the different length sleeves.

Exaggeration

This is a love-it-or-hate-it kind of skirt, but I won’t hear anything against it because I LOVE IT. I love the audacity of that exaggerated hip line; as someone who didn’t always love her wide hips, it brings me a weird joy now to lean fully into this aesthetic – like a modern version of the 18th century pannier look. Let the hips breathe! Let them take up room! I kid, but only sorta. I decided to double down on the exaggerated effect with my peplum belt, and I have to say, I was quite pleased with myself, hah!

Atonement Green

Ok, it’s not quite the exact colour … but it is ever so close. You know what I’m talking about, right? That famous green silk dress that Keira Knightley wore in Atonement. I (along with many, I’m sure) have dreamed about that dress for years. The style isn’t especially practical but, my goodness, the drama! I thrifted this Tara Jarmon dress for its quality (the heavy silk is heavenly, and it’s lined!) without thinking much about the colour. I don’t wear green a lot, and used to have a bit of a bias against it if anything. But once I got it home and tried it, I was hooked. It’s a beautiful colour, and the dress does have a bit of that dramatic quality to it, except in an updated, wearable style.