What I Wore: Late Summer Style

Dress: Halogen | Shoes: Vince Camuto ‘Effel' | Bracelet: Rebecca Minkoff (now on sale at Gilt!) | Cast Cover: c/o CastCoverz! | Bag: Coach (vintage – similar) | Necklace: Kendra Scott c/o POPSUGAR Must Have Box | Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

This summer has been all about dresses. Not only are they easier to wear with my cast (tucking in, structured jackets and shirts haven’t been easy and a knit top with pants can easily look too casual or schlumpy for work), they’re far more comfortable in the DC heat and humidity. I’ve become a dress connoisseur of sorts, quite picky with what I want. It can’t be too tight, it needs to be able to transition between seasons, I’d like it to be able to dress up and down (work and weekends), and pockets are a mega plus.

Enter this dress from Halogen, a Nordstrom brand. I wanted a change from my ponte wardrobe, something that can look crisp at the office, but also look smart with sandals for a casual date night or cocktails with my girl friends. I have another dress with a drawstring waist and find it flattering on my current post-Whole30 body. The silky fabric is comfortable in the late summer heat, but will also work in early fall and spring thanks to the navy color and classic look. I think this dress will be great for travel as I can steam out wrinkles by hanging it in the bathroom during a hot shower. The look can be altered easily with the addition of a wide belt to cover the drawstring, or opening the placket to showcase a camisole in a contrast color. By the way, though this dress is black and coordinates with other black pieces it for some reason reads navy. I had two people ask if it was navy and I even thought it was until I went back to the Nordstrom site to link here on the blog.

I chose a Regular Large to have the length appropriate for the office, and while I am glad I did, I do find the waist to be a bit big and the dress, especially if ANYTHING (we’re talking even a hair tie or driver’s license) is in the pockets, wants to be drop waist. While it is a drawstring waist, the drawstrings end at the side seams so you can’t cinch it to your heart’s content. If I went petite, it likely wouldn’t be an issue. If you’re not very curvy and between sizes you may wish to size down to be able to customize the waist to your liking.