Outfit of the Day (In My Head)

It's finally warm in SoCal!  Woohoo.  I've pretty much been a bum in my house these past few days (made a strawberry-rhubarb crumble today!), but if I had gotten out of the house today I would have worn something like this:


Spotted Around Town Dress, $67.99 at modcloth.com, J. Crew Patent-Tab Skinny Belt, $32.50 at jcrew.com: Yup.  Still in the middle of my retro fix.  I think what I really like about '50s style sundresses like this one are that they have a lot of personality.  You don't need to add a lot to them to get a great, unique outfit because they have inherent sass.  The cut of this dress is very flattering, with emphasized waist, fitted bodice, and a-line skirt, and I love the little polka dots.  They're a high-impact pattern, but since it's black and white it's still pretty versatile.  I'd pair this ultra-girly dress with a down-to-earth, masculine brown leather belt.  It adds a little twist and a little visual weight to the look.

Me Too "Princess" Espadrille Slingback, $58.90 at nordstrom.com, J. Crew Jenna's Cardigan, $70 at jcrew.com: With a dress like this one you have to wear a cute little wedge.  The naturalness of the jute straw gives the outfit an earthy twist, and the pop of red works really nicely with the monochromatic palette of the dress.  The bow-slingback combo is just so sweetly retro, too, and perfect for summer.  I'd top it all off with this plum cardigan.  It's a close enough shade to the shoes that they don't fight, but it's not so close that the outfit becomes matchy-matchy.  The cut of the cardigan is perfect, with the sweet 3/4 sleeves and the cropped body--doing a long cardigan with an a-line skirt can make you look wider and swallow your waist.

Sometime this week I'll have a review of MAC's Harmony blush, which I use for a contour, so stay tuned for that!


Images via modcloth.com, jcrew.com, nordstrom.com.