Conservative with an Attitude: Navy Dress, Peach Polka Dots & Vintage Gucci Purse

Yesterday was a crazy day. First, the weather was odd. Warm-ish, with a cool breeze in the air, and then mid-day, marble-to-gumball-sized hail. Work-wise, I had meetings all day long, with a lovely early afternoon outing: the grand opening of a local senior center – the first in the nation that provides housing & services to low-income seniors, including memory care! AMAZING project. (I enjoy being involved with my local communities.) And then, back to more meetings.

These kinds of days are a challenge to dress for. You have the weather to consider as well as a public event where you want to put your best foot forward, but still maintain your individual sense of style. What to wear? After many outfit changes, I settled on a navy dress & a sheer peach & white polka dot shirt. Functional, slightly conservative, with a touch of sweet and a touch of innocence, yet still fun with an attitude. What do you think?

I paired the outfit with a vintage Gucci purse and Dolce Vita boots, and VOILE. Instant attitude. I knew had found the right outfit!

Is it just me, or is there a reflection of a horse in the glass pain behind me in the picture above? Must be a horse spirit, as I don’t have a horse in the home!

The dress has great flow. It’s hard to tell from the pictures, but it’s higher in the front and lower in the back.

The boots are one of my favorites from this past winter season – Dolce Vita’s riding boots. Maybe that’s why there is a horse’s reflection in the glass! In any case, these are SUPER Comfy, SUPER functional, simply SUPER. There might be some floating around on Amazon or Ebay. I wouldn’t be surprised if they brought this style back in additional colors for this fall/winter. These were perfect for a slightly rainy day with a cool breeze. They kept me warm while still allowing me to wear a dress.

And then there’s the vintage Gucci bag. OH MY. Just the perfect little bit of attitude that my outfit needed.

I kept the rest of my accessories simple:

What I’m Wearing:

Pauln KC High-Lo dress in navy similar here and here  //  Sheer (old) Forever21 peach & white polka dot shirt similar here  and here  //  Dolce Vita Quince Boots in desert   // Vintage Gucci purse  //  custom made 18K gold bracelet (I have small wrists!)  //   Amber-colored Swarovski drop earrings by m.Bridget Designs  //  Michael Kors White Polyurethane and Goldtone Mixed Metal watch  //  Vintage Faux Pearl & Swarovski necklace  //  Ring : Flower ring by Melli Finelli  //

I love little boutiques. They are jam packed with carefully curated styles. And when you find a boutique you like, it’s like *heaven* – everything in the shop fits you, meets your design & fashion needs, and the choices you make are the tough ones – which items to take home, and which items stay? AND, these are local small businesses – they are individuals that live and BREATHE fashion. For the sake of fashion, and for the sake of making YOU look TOTALLY FABULOUS. Most times they will carry unique lines, local lines, vintage accessories, or all of the above – carefully selected in the spirit of the boutique. Anytime I purchase something from a boutique, I will always provide a link to the boutique, even if they don’t have an online store. So if you’re in that area, you should drop in!

The dress was purchased from the Bill Hallman boutique in Atlanta, GA. They no longer have any more items from that designer, Pauln KC, which is too bad, as the dress is so well-made, with great fabric, and great design. However, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy any item that the Bill Hallman boutique carries – many local, independent designers, including their own designs, which are TOTALLY BANANAS FABULOUS.

Look Fabulous, go BANANAS, have FUN!

-xoxo

Daisy Nguyen

PS – I’m TOTALLY bananas over this Vintage Gucci bag!