Stripes For Lunch

 Even though it's still February, spring has arrived in North Carolina, and I'm so excited to start wearing spring and summer dresses again. My friend Mckenzie and I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather this weekend (high 70's with a light breeze, it was perfect) and we grabbed lunch at one of our favorite places in Durham that we haven't been to in awhile. The restaurant has pretty minimal indoor seating, but a huge outdoor patio with gorgeous vines and foliage along the brick walls. They have heating lamps in the colder months, but it's just not as enjoyable, so we haven't been since early fall.

I was thrilled that I didn't even need to wear a light jacket over my dress. This t-shirt dress is one of my favorite spring/summer dresses. I got it from Brooks Brothers two summers ago, and it's such an easy dress to wear. It's a thick, knit, stretchy jersey material that is incredible soft and comfortable, and very figure flattering. It's so easy to throw on, because it's literally like putting on a giant t-shirt. I also love the length of this dress. I do not have a flat booty at all, and I find that with dresses that are shorter than 35 inches I'm constantly pulling the hem down in the back and making sure that the dress is covering everything. This dress hits about 2 inches above my knees, so it's long enough that I feel fully covered, but short enough that it's still fun and flirty.

I'm also really into the coloring of this dress. White and blue are a classic color combination, but the peach stripes add an unexpected twist. The peach and red play really well off the different shades of blue, and the peach keeps the dress from looking too patriotic, so I can wear it on days other than Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. I've found a couple similar style striped dresses from this season and have linked them at the bottom of the page

I got my tortoise chain link necklace very recently, and realized that it would be perfect for this dress. A bedazzled statement necklace felt too busy with all the different colored stripes, but the tortoise was the perfect subtle and timeless compliment to the dress. I stumbled across this necklace by accident, and I think it's going to quickly become one of my favorites. Tortoise never goes out of style, and it pairs so well with navy and white tops, which pretty much account for half my wardrobe.

My sunglasses are prescription sunglasses. Since I wear glasses all the time, I unfortunately don't get the fun of having a half dozen pairs of cute sunglasses to mix and match with whatever vibe I'm going for that day. I just have the one pair of prescription sunglasses. My frames are from Sperry, and I picked them to be as versatile as possible. They're very neutral, basic sunglasses that go with almost any outfit I find myself wearing in the summer. 

Even though it was a very warm day, I still felt a little silly about wearing sandals in February. Even though March is only a few days away, I don't think I'll start wearing sandals until then. Something about February just sounds like it should still be winter, even if the weather doesn't match. I have the same feeling with shorts. I'm happy to wear a short dress without boots or tights now, but it still feels too early for shorts. Back to my sandal issue, I decided to pair this dress with a classic pair of penny loafers instead of sandals. The brown loafers played well off the tortoise necklace, and the two looks together made me feel very collegial, like I should be strolling around the Yale campus in the 80's. Penny loafers are such an easy shoe to wear, they are a timeless look and go well with almost anything. I wear them with jeans, dresses, and more formal pants all the time. A good pair of penny loafers can last you years and years.

I brought along my go-to Kate Spade hazel bag to lunch. This is my favorite day time bag. It's big enough to hold my wallet, keys, cellphone, small notepad, sunglasses, a few lipsticks, my kindle, and more. However, it's not too bulky of a bag, and the neutral color goes with everything. This specific bag is no longer in stock, but Kate Spade has other similarly sized bags in the same neutral color.

I hope everyone who is still getting winter snow sees the sunshine soon!


Dress: Brooks Brothers two summers ago, similar available now, similar from Vineyard Vines, similar from Talbots, similar from Tommy Bahama, similar from Tommy Hilfiger.

Shoes: Nordstrom.

Necklace: SLATE, similar available from J. Crew Factory and Tuckernuck.

Bag: Kate Spade from the summer, similar currently available here and here.

Sunglasses: Sperry from two summers ago, similar currently available here.

Watch: Michele Watches.