If you are a regular reader of this blog, then you are well-aware of my love for simple dressing during the summer.
Even a simple Maxi dress will do. I wear them on days I’m too lazy to shave my legs.
The jeans and pants are placed on hiatus.
I did happen to try these jeans on today to see if they still fit. My scale is my jeans. Not gonna lie..I was thrilled they fit but more thrilled to peel them off. Even in our A/C home, they were still to hot to wear. Any longer and I would have gotten a lady-parts infliction from the body heat!
Bye bye fancy pants. See you in the winter!
Why…even my favorite skirts don’t see much time out of the bowels of my closet.
And I deem this skirt “all-season” but it’s too hot for separates right now so back in the closet with ya!
It’s all about one-stop, basic summer frocks.
And…although I adore my incredibly budget-friendly ten-dollar Old Navy dresses……
My ten-buck fave from 2017 and still in regular rotation!
I’m also a fan of the brightly-colored, completely summer-friendly dresses of Lilly Pulitzer. Yeah, they are pricier than your discounted store brand, but they are worth the money simply because they are classic, well-constructed, and fit beautifully.
The original. Brunette and gorgeous Lilly Pulitzer. Who knew that one simple shift would start an empire? (I’m wondering if I can get one of my wigs in an updo like that!)
And, after much consideration, I realized that one of the brand’s dresses is the “must have” dress for the summer.
It’s the Lilly Pulitzer “Margot” dress. She’s a great dress for the “mature” woman over 60, over 50 and all pro-agers would love her. The reason? Well…let me show you.
My first Margot Dress–You can read more about her here: Pink Pineapples and Summer Style
My second Margot. She arrived in the mail yesterday!
First of all, she’s a swing dress—a bit more generously cut than an A-line but nonetheless flattering to the mature body. Unless we are working out for an hour or more every day, our body isn’t what it was back when we were 20 or 30. My gut has expanded—especially after all the stress-eating I’ve been doing before Oona’s wedding. Those ten pounds I was supposed to lose? Just call me “Hoover” because I’ve been sucking up junk food at a rate faster than Superman flies. And with a bit of weight gain or a natural thick mid-section, this dress hides a plethora of sins.
Side view. See how she hides a plethora of sins? Too bad she couldn’t hide the crappy job I did on my fake tan. I stopped mid-foot–oh well!
Then there’s the length. Pulitzer has a tendency to go for the short dresses. And there’s nothing wrong with that at all. But there are those times when a longer length is more wearer-friendly. The office. A special event such as a Bridal or Baby Shower—you get my gist. You want to be able to sit down with ease and comfort and a dress that doesn’t ride up to your “Origin of the World”. You don’t want to tug at the hem. This dress is the perfect sitting dress. She’s comfortable as all get out. Doesn’t ride up. And you can eat as much as you want without the waist getting all tight and cumbersome.
The length is perfect. Falling about an inch above the knees. I’m just a hair under 5 feet 6 so the length will work even better if you are shorter!
Margot “sits” beautifully. No tugging on this baby. And you don’t even have to get a wax job because she seriously won’t offer any additional surprises!
Seriously–this is a great sitting dress!!!
The neckline. Yo! For those of us with turkey neck…. need I say more! The neckline is high and she ties in the back so you can tie her a but tighter for more of a lift or looser if you are one to be uncomfortable with anything touching your neck.
Yeah. This neckline rocks for those of us with turkey neck…..
….and you can bend down without any tittiepop!
See how it ties in the back?
Sleeveless but flattering. Okay. Most of us are not blessed with those fabulous arms of Michelle Obama, and, as is my case, I’m too lazy to work on the arms. The way the dress is cut, there’s no sleeve at all. Just two armholes. It’s hard to describe but sometimes a sleeveless top isn’t deeply cut and can be less flattering. This dress fits the bill.
Those arms. I’m so jelly…actually my arm flab IS like jelly! *Note to self* Write to Mrs. Obama and ask her to give me free lessons on toning my arms. And tell her how much I miss her!
My upper arms aren’t thin but this dress works. I’ll be excercising shortly by using the vacuum behind me. I’m so classy with that appliance behind me…
Dressed up or down she works. You gotta love a dress that multi-tasks. Margot is a dress that can be worn running errands as well as a night out or to an event. Trust me, I would wear this one to an afternoon wedding—all it takes is a change of shoes.
OMG. My husband is going to have a fit when he reads this blog post because he’s only going to notice the lousy job I did on my fake tan! All Frenchmen think they are beauty experts…ANYWAY, worn with flip flops for a very casual vibe…
…or worn with heels to give it a more dressed up vibe. Jesus, Mary and Joseph. I REALLY have to exfoliate my feet at some point. Not today though because I’m working on blog posts!
The fun of it all. I can’t help it. The tassels on this dress are so stinking adorable. We have our “thing” about what attracts us to something. I got a thing for tassels.
Yeah. That’s right. You had me at “tassels”!
The colors. I love fun and bright colors every now and then. And although I’m a plaid and neutral gal during the winter, summer brings forth an appreciation for the lighter side. I’ve taken the brand’s dresses with me to the South of France and they make nice dinner attire.
The bright colors are just so summer fun!!!
The care—I’m pleased to say that this particular dress comes with a “color warning” and I appreciate that. A lot. Fair warning that when the dress fades a bit, it isn’t a defect. You know what you are buying and that’s a good thing for the consumer.
Lucky for me I’m poor and need to go to work five days a week. My cubicle is far away from direct sunlight. Hell, I’m not even near a window. Looks like I may get more colorlife out of this dress than I thought!
Washing instructions…. I wouldn’t touch an iron to this and would wash in very cold water on a delicate cycle. And would air-dry. I’m very particular about placing any clothing in the dryer. Honest to God, on laundry day, the lower level family room is full of clothing on drying racks.
After raising three kids and being a slave to laundry, I pretty-much know the washing deal with this dress. However, if you aren’t well-versed in the art of laundering, this tag is a very useful bit of information! Read it and pay attention!
There’s definitely a different vibe with summer dressing. And the more I pro-age, the more I love the non-fussiness of a simple frock slipped over my head and forgetting about everything else. This sizing is generous as well. I could have sized down to a Small for a more fitted look but I like to wear a padded strapless bra to keep the girls from sagging so I went with a Medium and she fits like a charm!
With a heavily-padded strapless bra, the top of a smaller size may be tight. The Medium fits my body very well!
Another thing—be on the lookout because now that it’s after July 4th, many of the stores will be getting their inventory ready for sales and trust me, I’ll be picking up a third Margot later this summer to pack away for next year!
I’m eagerly anticipating a sale so that I can acquire a third Margot!
How’s your summer dress radar? Do you have a tendency to veer toward dresses? Shorts with a tee? Maxis? Do tell!!