I love Angie's post today because I love to wear casual summer dresses. I have added to my collection each year and eliminated very few.
Casual when referring to wardrobe, means an item is designed for informal use. Technically, this could include all but the most obvious formal dresses in my closet, so I have refined the definition for my use. I am including dresses I would typically wear on a weekend and may or may not also wear to work. I would not pick any one of the dresses for a dinner out at a nice restaurant. I would choose something more formal with the exception of the blue silk Lagence shirt dress. That seems to fit every category.
Numbers: I currently have 24 dresses that fit the casual criteria above. I plan to eliminate 3-4 of these dresses at the end of the summer because they are showing some wear, and with more use will be at the point where I typically pass them on. I eliminated 6 dresses at the start of the summer and purchased 9 new dresses. So far all have made me happy. Last year I purchased a denim snap front dress that didn't hold up well. Now I feel wary of purchasing anything with snaps. A few of my casual dresses are reserved for travel because they pack well, don't wrinkle, and are easy to wash.
Styles: The majority of my dresses are sleeveless. I also like when the sleeves are cut in from the shoulder with a high neckline, halter style. I am not real curvy, and like dresses that have waist definition, high necklines, and straighter cuts. I can wear a dress without waist definition as long as it is sleeveless or there is some other feature to give it structure. I am not a big fan of anything overly loose or A-line. I have very few fit and flare style dresses, and if a skirt flares out, it will typically be fitted around my hips. The Karen Kane dress pictured here has a straight cut and somehow looks very different on me compared to the model in the picture.
Colors: My color palette is well defined. White, ocean greens and blues, grey, and pinks. What surprised me here is how only three of my casual dresses have any pink and it's part of the pattern, no solid pink! My wardrobe has all sorts of pink coral, watermelon red and fuschia dresses but they are more formal. Also, my casual dresses tend to be at the lighter end of my palette.
Patterns: Most of my dresses are solid, but the majority of patterns are low to medium contrast abstract florals. I purchased a more geometric patterned dress because I loved the blue and white mix print.
Toppers: I like to wear long Cardigan sweaters over dresses. I have a collection of several colors. I wear the same cardigans year round. Air conditioning is worse than the cold in winter around here. I am always feeling chilled indoors and hot outside.
