Very cute!

Lovely! What a bargain!

ooh, yummy. I really like this too , in Wineberry.

Ooo, what a versatile dress. I also love pockets and I like how these pockets don't poof out. Nice outfit Kristen! What are you wearing under the dress? I like the ruffles.

Vani, I tried that dress on too but it didn't look right on me at all; the dress widens at the bottom so I looked like a triangle. LOL!

Cathy, underneath I am wearing a grey silk ruffled tank from Martin + Osa. I was excited that both necks fittogether, usually I don't get that lucky. :)

Both dresses from the Loft are very cute. Unfortunately for a 55 yr old they are all too short. Do enjoy while you are young! In the past I never would have thought about the length at all. Now it is the first thing I notice.

I do like that and that may be the answer to the workhorse I am seeking. Of course it is sold out locally but I see that they do have some in other stores across the country. Does the material feel like a ponte knit? Nice and thick? I hate flimsy!

San - You've made me curious - what length do you feel appropriate in for yourself? Length is so funny; I've got girlfriends who will feel just fine wearing something several inches shorter than I'm comfortable in. It's like there is a 'sweet spot' for length (for oneself) and you know it when you see it !

It's not ponte thick, but it is better-than-average knit. Like a thick t-shirt from Eddie Bauer would be my closest approximation, but softer.

San, I'm 41 so I'm not super-young myself. :) What I liked about this one is that it was a hair longer than many other Loft dresses. It felt like a dress, not a mini, you know?

The hem length looks beautiful on you Kristen. I think this dress looks beautiful and appropriate for you. 41 is much younger than 55.
For myself I would like to have my knees covered. This is not easy to find. The grey sheath I bought at NAS covers half my knee so I settled for that. Another dress that I bought at NAS didn't cover my knees at all so I returned it.
http://i477.photobucket.com/al.....0435-1.jpg

Aww, Sandy! I think the length of the dress you returned was perfectly suitable; I couldn't see your knees at all, so I would have called that knee-length at least. I do understand feeling shy or uncertain about hemlines though, so I get why you returned it.

Guess I'm off to the Loft this weekend :-D

this is really an awesome dress, pitty I'm living in Germany and can't go buy it. LBD is certainly on my shopping list for this fall...eventhough I'm not sure it will really be black but probably rather dark blue. Black just doesn't really work well for me.

I love the red belt you wear in that picture, btw!

Oops, Kristen, I meant that the dress I posted is the one I kept because it hit my knees.
The other one I didn't show a picture of.
My age has everything to do with my pickiness about hem lengths. I think if you are 41 and have great legs, as you do, go for it.

LOL, Sandy, I was wondering how long you wanted your skirt to be if that length was unacceptable! :) This makes much more sense.

Vani, better hurry, it was on the sale rack so you know how fast that goes.

It's funny how this turned into a discussion on hemlines. I'm always at odds with myself about them now. Well, usually they are great in the store, but once I wash them (in cold water on the delicate cycle and dry on low) they shrink up a few inches. The blue sheath dress that I just got did this, and I am not sure if I can even wear it now. Of course, I was looking around the park yesterday and most of the women were in short shorts. I don't know why women who are plus 30 would go out of the house in shorts with a 3 inch inseam unless they were gear to be used for a specific situation. I have one friend who is the same age as I am- her kids are of similar ages to mine. She's gorgeous- very thin with long legs and arms, but I cringe every time I see her in those short shorts.

Kristen, I would so love to visit ATL this weekend- I won't let myself because I'm saving all my pennies for my trench coat quest. Can't wait to see how you style the LBD. My goal this fall/winter is to wear mine more, dressed down, instead of saving it for special occasions. Maybe we should start an LBD thread!

And San, I've been so frustrated with the whole length issue. Seems like most of the dresses I try on are too short- and a few in my closet are borderline. I'm hoping to cheat a bit with opaque tights this winter.

SCORE, I love the top under it . Great job styling this cute dress.

As far as skirt length. I too (after 50) was super careful about covering my knees...but nothing looked good...just wasn't a good length for me AT ALL,... So now I am back to above the knee, or just a little shorter. I still look age appropriate and (nothing close to a mini:) and I feel it looks better on me.

Yes Taylor, it makes much sense that there are other variables, besides age, to determine the best hemline point. I think the eye is probably the best test.