Minimalism means different things to different people. Most aesthetic descriptors do, after all. While I wouldn’t say that I would never take the “all black” route to a minimalist aesthetic, it’s not generally my preferred approach. I like colours too much. And prints. And sparkly things. So this is a good example of “minimalist, Adina-style”. A small colour palette (but featuring one bright colour) heavily reliant on black, with a bit of visual interest — some bling, some mix of textures.

I enjoyed this casual outfit a lot. It was comfortable but made me feel put-together without it being either too “calculated” or too boring. This is, basically, the closest I’ll ever get to the mythic French style. I have no idea if an actual French woman would wear this, but that’s kind of besides the point, in the end. I think what everyone is really chasing is the feeling we associated with those images or the idea of effortlessly cool women. Tell me, peeps: what do you think?

I’ve been lusting after Issa dresses for a long time, but I’ve never thriftspotted one, and they are hella pricy on eBay. So. No Issa for me. But! I did recently find the next best thing, which is this Michael Kors dress that has a very familiar cut. You may remember it — it’s the same style of dress as the one which the former Kate Middleton wore at the announcement of her engagement. That dress? Issa.

This is such a comfortable, flattering style, you guys — way more so that actual wrap dresses. If you are able to track down this MK version on eBay, do it! The brand resells for way less than Issa, and while this dress isn’t silk jersey, it looks (and feels) like a nice poly-spandex blend. I got quite a few compliments on it too, which is always nice. As much as my closet is overrun with dresses at the moment, I think this one will be safe from the dreaded purge for a good, long while.