H&M dress
Melissinos sandals (similar)
Ellen James handbag (similar)
Mango sunglasses
Stella & Dot rings (similar)
Maris Pearl Co. earrings (similar)
Location: Assiniboine Park Pavilion – Winnipeg, Manitoba
I’ve been searching for the perfect white dress all summer. I don’t know exactly what sparked this sudden need – I already own a handful of white dresses. (Although admittedly none tick all of my boxes. The Sezane silk dress is too oversized, better as a beach cover-up. The Mango ribbed midi can be too warm on truly hot days, and too fitted if there is a chance of snacks… which, let’s face it, there always is in the summer.) Maybe our upcoming wedding anniversary inspired me. Or maybe, in the absence of travel planning, I just needed a project to focus on. Whatever my subconscious motivation, my quest for the perfect white dress began in June… and is still going.
I suspect you have some follow-up questions, since I’m wearing a lovely white dress in these photos. I acknowledge that. The problem is that in the months I’ve spent searching for this allegedly perfect dress, I’ve struggled to define exactly what my perfect white dress would be. Somehow, in my mind, it is at once a mini, midi and maxi. Somehow, it is both tailored and oversized. I don’t have a vision of one perfect dress – I have a blur, more or less, of half a dozen dresses superimposed on top of one another.
Naturally, I’ve done what any reasonable person would do, and bought almost every white dress that caught my eye. This one, an impulse purchase found for ten dollars on a sale rack at H&M the only time I’ve been into a store that doesn’t sell groceries since March, is just one of three I’ve added to my closet this season. There is also a tailored mini from from Vero Moda that I plan to wear for our anniversary celebration. And an oversized maxi from Oak & Fort that just arrived this week. (I also bought an improbable oversized mini from Zara, but ultimately returned it.) The worst part is, I don’t have plans to stop here. There is still wrap dress from Zara that I’m still hoping will be restocked in my size. And probably several other white dresses I’ll love that I just haven’t stumbled upon yet.
While a good white dress is a wardrobe essential, in my mind, and while I do wear a lot of white, there is no denying the shade is impractical. It stains easily. It catches dirt often. One good white dress was probably all that I really needed to fulfill my summer needs, especially considering the relatively short summer season we have in Winnipeg.
…but I haven’t found the one yet. You know, the one that will make all of my other white dresses seem unnecessary, even unwearable, by comparison. So my quest continues…
I was actually looking at that exact same dress (albeit in black, of course) online last night but passed on purchasing because I couldn’t get a sense from the photos on the H&M website of how it would actually fit/hang. Now that I see it “in action” I think I might need to revisit my decision because, even it it’s not “the one,” it looks really lovely on you.
Courtney ~ Sartorial Sidelines
LOVE seeing your delicate pearl ring pop up & it goes so beautifully with the rest of your accessories!! And yes, yes, to white dresses. I honestly feel like you can never have enough, and each summer I get excited to add a new one to my closet. Yours is so pretty and I loved how you styled it for your summer picnic too!! Hope your Sunday is a fab one + can’t wait for our Skype date. YAY!!! xo
My Curated Wardrobe
The quest always continues. The perfect white dress is forever changing, evolving, needing to fill new roles, and new fantasies. I’ll admit that when I first spotted this dress on you I felt compelled to order it, as you make it look carefree and effortless, even while I know shapeless dresses do little for me, I still had to see for myself that the neckline was too low, the hem too long, and the volume too great. It also wasn’t on nearly as good a sale, so I will just admire it on you, and hope to see your next ‘perfect’ white dress soon.
Chic on the Cheap