Pants, AG (via Kijiji), top, J. Crew Factory; necklace, House of Harlow; shoes, Old Navy
As you might remember, this is the top for which I broke my June shopping ban (on June 3rd or something equally ridiculous). Not the only thing for which I broke the ban, mind you – just the first. Ahem. I regret nothing. It’s cute, and blue, and stripy, and cheapish, and I stand by my regrettable-but-not-regretted decisions.
Are you getting bored of my predictable colour combos? Sorry, if that’s the case. Not sorry about wearing them, though. Blue + tan is my jam. It even rhymes.
This guy’s also my jam:
My fave (little) guy
He’s turning 3 soon. I’m in denial. It doesn’t help that he recently discovered the hair on his legs (“like daddy!”), and proudly announced that he’s going to be a man, and go to work, and have his own tools (“like daddy!”).
Kiss me! Kiss me! Kiss me, dammit! OK, fine, let’s just hug
I. Am. Not. Ready.
Siiiiiigh. Oh yeah, style blog. Once more with feeling.
Shirt, Old Navy; skirt, Anthropologie (via eBay); necklace & shoes, J. Crew Factory; bag, MbMJ (via eBay)
If these photos look weird, it’s because I was trying out a new photographer. A three-and-a-half foot one. (He had some help from dad, although he certainly knows his way around an iPhone. Parenting fail or genius blogger move? You decide. Just don’t tell me.)
Still working on the whole timing-of-photo-taking business …
So, the title. I have had terrible luck with Anthro skirts in the past. I adore them, but I always seem to buy ones that just don’t work. First, there was the Eva Franco skirt I bought … twice. I loved it, but I just couldn’t get it to mix with the rest of my wardrobe. Next, there was the Leifsdottir skirt I fell in love with on eBay. I should have read the reviews first, and realized that my “optimistic” sizing decision was, in actual fact, just plain insane.
Leifsdottir Heartsease Skirt
The skirt I bought was a size 4, and although I can technically zip it up (under my boobs, more or less), it poofs out weirdly and barely covers my ass. I’m selling it, if anyone is interested.
With all that history, I was wary when I saw this skirt on eBay. I immediately adored the print, but I held off on pulling the trigger for a couple of months, waiting for a price low enough to make any eventual disappointment bearable. I also sized up, just in case. I got a size 10, and thank the lord. Even though it’s an elastic waist, the 10 just barely fits. I have to wear it pretty much around my natural waist (I.e. higher than I like) for it to feel comfortable. But it does fit, and this is only a minor grumble. Although … the colours are quite neon-y, far brighter than the stock photos had me believe. So … that would be two minor grumbles.
I mean … right? “Technicolor” is the best way to describe this, I think. It’s a perfect summer dress for me because (a) it’s some type of rayon jersey, so it feels nice against the skin in hot weather, (b) it’s comfy and flattering, and (c) it’s a colourful print. Pick a colour, any colour, and it’s pretty much guaranteed to work with this dress. Just swap out your accessories, and you have a bazillion outfits.
Good angles, this dress has them in spades
This is not my first colourful BCBG schmatta. I buy at least one every year. (See (a), (b), and (c) above.) They wear well, but I like to cycle them out regularly for some variety. I bought this one on eBay for under $40 shipped, which is the right price range (for me) for that sort of exercise. For anyone inclined to give it a try, this dress pops up on eBay regularly, although you have to search around for it because descriptions on BCBG dress listings generally suck. (Try “geo print” or “multi print” as additional search terms. I’ve also seen it described as a “mod print”, which … ooookaaay.)
Purty dress
Just one caveat. I hand wash all of my BCBG dresses, and never had a problem.* Until this dress. This dress ended up with significant water marks. (Not quite full-on colour transfer, but these sort of greyish watermarks/lines.They come out in the wash … only to reappear somewhere else, depending on how the dress dries. Note: I’m afraid to put the dress in the dryer, so I’m not sure if that would solve the problem. Anyone?) I washed it 2 or 3 times to try to get the marks to be as unnoticeable as possible, but they’re still visible up close. So, moral of my caveat: if you buy this dress, dry clean it.
But, listen, it’s still a perfectly workable dress. See:
Shoes, Pour La Victoire; bag, MbMJ (via eBay)Last one, I promise
* My other two BCBG dresses have tags indicating “hand wash cold, lie flat to dry”. This one came with a missing care tag, so I’m not sure if the instructions were different. The material feels the same.
