We’re celebrating the dress on this warm and sunny Memorial Day in Seattle. I’m a trouser gal at heart, but dresses hold a special place in my heart because I’m drawn to their elegant vibe. If I lived in a warmer climate, I would wear dresses more frequently. 

Here are ten reasons to make dresses part of your style:

1. They are an easy “pull-on-and-go” item. One-piece dressing at its best.
2. They are the breeziest item to wear on a very hot day. 
3. Their elegant and sharp integrity is sublime. 
4. They showcase your legs, which might be a favourite part of your body. Milk it. 
5. They can look equally fab with flats, sneakers and bare legs, as they do with heels and hosiery. 
6. They’re hip, creative and modern when worn over cropped jeans and pants. 
7. They often look more traditionally flattering than a pair of trousers or jeans. 
8. The right dress can be enormously comfortable, and more so than separates. 
9. They were made for curvy figures. I LOVE the way a curvier figure can fill out a frock. 
10. Finally, compared to previous fashion eras, we see far fewer people wearing dresses these days, which makes them quite unique. You can make a statement wearing a frock. 

 Go Team Dress!

If you’re in the US, we hope that you’re having a peaceful Memorial Day. Of course, I’m wearing a dress!

J.Crew’s new strategy, an Anna Sui retrospective, plus-size clothing from MM.LaFleur and more news from the fashion trenches in May.

• Italian fashion designer Laura Biagiotti, who created clothes for stars like Ingrid Bergman and Bette Davis, has passed away at age 73.
• The Environmental Working Group has just released its eleventh annual Guide to Sunscreens.
• Meanwhile, the New York City Parks Department will be installing 100 free sunscreen dispensers on city beaches this Summer.
• Amazon is launching a Wedding Shop that will be offering bridal accessories.
• J.Crew is implementing a new strategy that involves lowering the prices of 300 items.
• Anna Sui is the first living American fashion designer to get a retrospective in the UK with an exhibition of her work at the London Fashion and Textile Museum.
• The upcoming documentary Straight/Curve shows the effects of body image in the fashion industry.
• Women’s workwear brand MM.LaFleur is branching out into plus-size clothing.

Fashion Quote

This month I wanted to share an inspiring quote from writer, editor and speaker Ashley Ford in the Week of Outfits series on Cup of Jo:

“I’ve spent a lot of time having this mental list of things that I was too fat for, too black for, too poor for. But it got boring. You can’t live your life like that. If you try hard to avoid disappointment, you also avoid excitement. In Italy, we’ll be staying in Cinque Terre. I have a one-piece swimsuit, but I’m in this phase of my life where I’m trying to embody myself and look the way I feel. I had been looking at bikinis for a while but felt really, really scared to pull the trigger. Then I saw blogger Gabi Fresh launched her line Swimsuits For All. There was one bikini with a ruffle top and faux-denim bottom. I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s me!’ Now that I’ve stopped trying to control everything, I’ve ended up living a life where I get to feel excited, almost all of the time.”

This ensemble was inspired by one of the outfits I wore last week. I combined my Rag & Bone wide cropped jeans with a white cropped lantern sleeve pullover, white loafers, Spring citron scarf, citron bag and sea foam jacket. The effect was crisp, fresh and insulating for a chilly Spring day. 

Here are the exact items from my wardrobe.

Combine these colours in any way at all. Note that denim works well as the shade of blue. Mint can be used instead of sea foam, and metallics look fab thrown into the mix.

Here are some ideas to get you started. The ensemble on the left approximates what I wore. It worked as well without the jacket, so feel free to leave out the sea foam if that’s more to your taste. Or leave out the citron and have a slice of lemon loaf instead.

Blue Jeans, White Top, Sea Foam Jacket & Citron Accents

Combine a pair of blue jeans with a white top that works with the style of the jeans. Add white or metallic shoes. Finish off the look with citron scarf, a bag to match and sea foam topper. Alternatively, layer a white jacket over a sea foam top. 

Mint Dress & Denim Jacket

Combine a mint dress with a blue or white denim jacket. Add a citron bag, and finish off the look with white, silver or light blue footwear that works with the style of the dress. Adding a scarf in the colours of the palette is optional. 

White Chinos, Sea Foam Top & Denim Jacket  

Combine white chinos or jeans with a sea foam or mint top. Add a light blue blazer or denim jacket, and finish off the look with white or silver footwear. A citron bag and scarf would be nice. But if citron isn’t your colour, sport mint with light blue and sip on a tall glass of fresh lemonade instead. Add jewellery, watch and eyewear as desired.

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I have been reading the Personal Essays section on the Racked website, and these three accounts of specific shopping challenges gave me much food for thought:

Alaina Leary, who was born with inherited congenital anosmia, tells us what it’s like to pick a perfume when you have no sense of smell.

With her atopic dermatitis (eczema), Olga Mecking has to avoid ruffles, lace, artificial fabrics, cinched tops, tight skirts etcetera, which can take a lot of the fun out of shopping.

Peneliope Richards describes how being in a wheelchair makes shopping for clothes so much harder than it should be.

Fab Links from Our Members

Lisa thought that Pippa Middleton’s wedding dress with all the lace detailing was very pretty.

Joy lets us know that Eileen Fisher is now recycling their clothes and selling them online in their ongoing commitment to “build a circular design system and create a future without waste.” Joy is looking for some specific items and plans to try this service. She also plans to send them some of her older items.

Angie wanted to share these excellent DIY clothing storage tips. Really clever!

Greyscale really liked this interview with Stacy London of What Not to Wear, and her Man Repeller makeover. She adds: “I appreciate reading about how her style has changed in this ‘no fashion rule goes unchallenged’ era.”