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| Inspiration: Pinterest |
My obsession with Blue Willow print began when I read the book by Doris Gates as a little girl, and continued when I saw the inspiration photo of Victoria Beckham in InStyle Magazine circa 2005 (approximate). To this day, VB's Cavalli dress is one of my favorite dresses on the planet and so to say I'm excited to find similar prints in stores right now is an understatement. Today I'm showing two ways to wear this trend - one for a night out, and one for day. I picked up the pencil skirt first, but I found the dress on Monday so I'm planning to return the skirt. I love both, but prefer the vibrant blue of the dress, and for my life I need outfits for dinners and nighttime events way more often than I need office wear. Would you wear a Blue Willow-type print? Which one is your favorite?
Dress: Forever 21, $20
Shoes: Pink & Pepper c/o
Earrings: My Stella & Dot, $34
Bracelets: My Stella & Dot 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Skirt: Target, $23 - returning
Sweater: Gap, $20 (similar, similar)
Pumps: Enzo Angiolini/Piperlime, $32
Earrings: My Stella & Dot, $34
Love! The second outfit! Too bad they are sold out of that skirt at Target. The sweater makes it look so bright an fresh!
ReplyDeleteLove the dress and shoes :)
ReplyDeletethat print is gorgeous!
ReplyDeletewww.modernsuburbanites.blogspot.com
LOVE LOVE the dress, definitely return the skirt if you only want to keep one. You look great in it also!
ReplyDeleteAllie
Bellasandra
Love all the blue.
ReplyDeleteGIVEAWAY on the blog
xo
http://pinksole.com
I love the dress as well. Not sure if I could ever wear Blue Willow print but I do love it! Totally off the fashion topic but I have a set of antique plates that are Blue Willow print (I see your book cover gal has a plate in her hand). Very fun!
ReplyDeleteFashionEdible Blog
Love the dress, but I would personally wear it with nude or cognac sandals. A bit too matchy matchy for me!
ReplyDeleteOooo, hard choice! They are both stunning, but you definitely don't need 2. You could always wear the dress as a skirt too...
ReplyDelete-AJ
FitTravelerAJ.blogspot.com
This dress looks like it was made for you and what a great deal from F21! I agree with you, I would keep the dress over the skirt... and you can always throw a shirt over your dress to make it look like a skirt!
ReplyDeletehttp://simpleeasystyle.blogspot.com/
I prefer the skirt! Very pretty!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sad you're returning the skirt--it looks great on you! It's so grown up and classy. Keep it keep it keep it! <--here's hoping peer pressure works on you. ;)
ReplyDeleteW
I actually like the skirt look the best! xo
ReplyDeletehttp://allthingsprettyandlittle.blogspot.com/
I love the skirt WAY more than the dress. The skirt fits you beautifully, it's a perfect, classy length, and I really like the way you've paired it with the sweater and the shoes. The dress is too short and fitted for my taste, and I find the blue wedges a bit much.
ReplyDeletei prefer the dress, plus you can always wear a sweater over the dress to style it like a skirt anyhow. (to be honest, i would keep both if it was my fave print, lol). i have to make a run to target today and now that i know the skirt is there, i might have to wander through the women's department, even though i'm technically done shopping for the month.
ReplyDeleteLike the skirt so much more than the dress...with a t and sandals or dressed up like you have it, must more versatile. The dress is just too short to ever be more than casual; the bright heels with the super short dress doesn't leave one with a very good impression of the wearer.
ReplyDeletemy dishware is a blue-willow inspired dishware, so obviously i love it! i really adore your dress look and the shoes are perfect
ReplyDeletekw ladies in navy
Both looks great on you! I saw that skirt at Target and have been wanting it too.
ReplyDeleteAlice
www.happinessatmidlife.com
I love the dress. To be honest, I thought that the second picture WAS you layer a shirt over the dress. I had no idea it was even a skirt until you said so!
ReplyDeletewww.corporategirlstyle.blogspot.com
I love that you put a shirt over the dress. Gives it an entirely different look. I need to remember to try that!
ReplyDeleteLove the print! Blues are my favorite and the brighter the better. That dress looks super on you- I'd def keep that one. As always thanks for all the ideas!
ReplyDeletexx
Meg
msmayg.blogspot.com
I think they are both beautiful on you. However, you have so many shorter dresses and skirts... Can you wear these items very often? I can't tell if my workplace and lifestyle are way more conservative or if I just dont have the legs to pull these off...:)
ReplyDeletePretty!
ReplyDeleteMy great grandmother collected this print of wedding dishes as I was a girl. I'm especially fond of it.
Love your blog.
www.southerncheeks.blogspot.com
I really like both looks. Both are beautiful! I'm also really glad you posted this because this is really similar to the print on my Easter dress this year! :)
ReplyDeleteI like your version much better. I love the first dress and the bottom skirt.
ReplyDeleteAgi:)
vodkainfusedlemonade.com
Maura, this is definitely a case of a night-out look versus an office look. I don't have much, if any, occasion to wear pencil skirts, whereas I go out to dinner a couple times a week and so the dress is much more practical for my lifestyle in this case!
ReplyDeleteKim, what do you mean? What kind of impression?
ReplyDeleteThey still have the skirt online at Target in sizes 10-16 I believe!
ReplyDeleteNot professional and trying to be a bit younger than your years.
ReplyDeleteThe dress is to wear on weekends (so not sure what professional has to do with it), and I'm in my 20's. I definitely think my body type and age are very appropriate to rock this!!!! :-)
ReplyDeleteI thought the same thing as Darcy below. That you layered a sweater over the dress...which you could totally do...or a cardi. I really liked the shirt from Chicco's, but it's sold out...bummer!
ReplyDeleteI am a huge fan of this print as well, and that dress is absolutely gorgeous! Either one of these looks would be perfect for Easter, thanks for sharing! xo
ReplyDeleteThis dress looks great on you! I'm a big fan of blue toile.
ReplyDeletehttp://thatsaprettyhat.blogspot.com
As a girl in her 20's as well I think the dress is perfect for any night out, a dinner, a date, even an outdoor causal wedding! I love the dress and can't believe it's from Forever 21. The store gives me a headache because it's such a disorganized mess but this is a great find! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know there was a name for this gorgeous print I have been seeing lately! I love color and I love prints, and this has to also be one of my favorites of both.
ReplyDeleteI am running to F21 to get the dress. You look amazing in it!!
www.thefourjs.com
That skirt is fabulous and looks age-appropriate and professional. I know this blog is your job, so you may not need a pencil skirt. However, that dress looks cheap. Although the skirt is only $3 more expensive it appears more expensive. If it were up to me (which it's not, because this is your blog and your money), I'd return the super short dress and keep the skirt. Just because its a day/night look does not mean the night look needs to be short.
ReplyDeleteJen, in person they definitely are the same material quality-wise. And I agree - the dress doesn't NEED to super-short, but I also didn't choose for it to be that way, in fact if I could choose I would make it 2 inches longer~ It goes past my fingertips while standing though and comfortably covers my bum while sitting so I don't have a problem with it. I actually considered altering the skirt to be shorter and more appropriate for a night out, but it would disrupt the print so that's not an option.
ReplyDeleteJessica, i would also call this print paisley in some cases, and filigree is a new name that I've been seeing that could apply to some of these prints, too!
ReplyDeletethat dress fits you like a glove! beautiful!
ReplyDeleteLove the blue wedges! Quickly becoming one of my favorite colors :)
ReplyDeletexoxo,
Andrea
www.andreaeveryday.com
I didn't know there was a name for this pattern, but j'adore! And my vote is the skirt, for sure. I just find it a lot more versatile.
ReplyDeleteBlargh! And here I thought I was done with shopping for the month. ;p
www.myclosetcatalogue.com
I like the dress more and you're obviously aware it's too short for an office setting, so that's all that matters.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.forever21.com/Product/Product.aspx?Br=F21&Category=bottom&ProductID=2021839577&VariantID=
these shorts. I just got them in the mail. Not quite "blue willow" but the pattern is just as gorgeous in purpose and they fit me like a dream. Now if only summer would hurry up and get here.
I think with heels it just looks a bit , excuse me for a lack of a better word, "trampy." Late 20's are also not the same as early 20's. Just my own thought! I would love it with flats.
ReplyDeleteMy Target has quite a few left. I live in a smaller town though.
ReplyDeleteNote: I deleted Ejm's reply to this comment because he/she used an inappropriate word regarding sexuality towards me. I never delete comments, but please keep it classy ladies! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I was eyeing that skirt from Target the other day then panicked because I would never know how to style it! You helped convince me otherwise! I can't wait to go back to Target now...
ReplyDeleteClare
Understated Classics
Clare, I posted four more inspiration photos for that skirt on Pinterest here, hope this helps! http://pinterest.com/jseverydayfash/outfit-inspiration/
ReplyDeleteWOW I can't believe that dress is from Forever21!! What a great find, it looks lovely on you :)
ReplyDeleteCassie
thriftthick.blogspot.com
Great. I just bought such table cover ....
ReplyDeleteI LOVE wearing sheath dresses at work because they skim the body and layer well. Maybe that's what professional has to do with it... a lot of us who work in office settings typically think of sheaths as office-appropriate attire. I know you bought this dress for YOUR lifestyle, but maybe people are criticizing the appropriateness of the dress/length because your blog is for the Everyday Woman and not a personal style blog? (no disrespect intended!!!!!!!) IDK, I think it's very pretty and would be great for the office IF it didnt look so short on your mile-long legs! I'm interested in how you would style this for the office if you still had a corporate day job? Would love the advice :)
ReplyDeleteI really like the forever 21 dress your wearing! the color is so bright!
ReplyDeleteemmastyleguide.blogspot.com
I'm obsessed with that dress! Can't believe it's Forever 21! It reminds me of Alexander McQueen. :) And I think I just bought those Pink & Pepper wedges in nude :)
ReplyDelete-Courtney
www.415bond.blogspot.com
I like the skirt better than the dress, maybe you should keep both!
ReplyDeleteMonica from Fashion Koketi
They both are super cute. I'd probably keep both, but I appreciate your fiscal responsibility in only keeping what you'll really use!
ReplyDeleteI've always loved that dress of Victoria Beckham's too!!! Love your interpretation :)
ReplyDeleteI want those blue suede wedges you're wearing!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sincerelysammie.com/
I prefer the skirt. I love the print on it. The dress looks on the cheap side.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful printed dress!
ReplyDeletewww.kacieskloset.blogspot.com
www.daisyraeboutique.com
I meant that a dress that short, on any age and body type, with very high shoes looks a little...undignified? I'm trying to find a nice way to say that it looks cheap. Not in the 'the dress didn't cost much' way but in the 'girl wear the dress might be' way. I'm not trying to offend; I'm trying to point out that classy/sexy is often less revealing rather than more and that the knee length pencil skirt here can be classy/sexy and also breezy/casual depending on the shoes. A dress that short with flat sandals is less 'cheap' looking than with heels. Again, not trying to be insulting, just telling you which one I like and why.
ReplyDeleteSee, this is something I was getting at above--pencil skirts can serve many functions from the office to evening, its about accessories not length with a pencil skirt. Short does not equal nighttime.
ReplyDeleteSame!
ReplyDeleteI like the skirt so much better! Looks classy and age appropriate!
ReplyDeleteI wish that Forever 21 would add like 3 inches to all of their dresses - why does everything they make be so short all the time? It severely limits what most women can purchase there, which is unfortunate since the price point is always so great. I barely, if ever, even look at dresses there anymore because I know they'll just be too short.
ReplyDeleteYou look great in the first pic! That dress was made for you! =) Also, I love the idea of wearing a sweater over a dress. I have so many dresses it's nice to switch it up and pass them off as skirts sometimes! hehe I also live in Fl (Tampa!) so I completely understand the weird but nice chilly weather we are having right now. Thanks for the post!
ReplyDeleteLove the blue print! When I first looked, I thought the skirt you were wearing was actually the same dress, just with a top over it. I bet you could definitely do that with that dress!!
ReplyDeleteOkay J, I always love your outfits, but this one......inspired me to drive over to Forever 21 and grab that dress for myself! :) I LOVE IT. It looks phenomenal on you. I am in my early 20s with a similar body type to yours and I absolutely love how this dress fits. Sure, it could stand to be an inch or two longer, but if you can rock it (which you CAN) and feel confident in it, then who cares? You look great. Can't wait to see it styled in different ways!
ReplyDeleteI love the skirt!
ReplyDeleteJenn
With Luck Blog
We had willow print china as a kid, and I have always loved that pattern. I think most of these prints are actually paisley, but the color palette of them is consistent with most of the willow prints I've seen. I love the dress on you. It totally works for your age, lifestyle, and body type. It in no way looks "cheap." In fact, while the hemline is short, I think it's a rather modest dress thanks to the higher neckline and the sheath-like shape. I was actually thinking that a shorter woman could wear this dress to the office with a blazer and classic heels or flats.
ReplyDeleteLove that robe from Macy's!!
Cassie
http://stylecassentials.blogspot.com
Sarah, the skirt would be my recommendation for making this trend work-appropriate! I wouldn't ever go above the knee at work, so unless the sheath was knee-length I wouldn't try it, and I would also pair with either cobalt flats or a lower heel for work. And I hear what you are saying about it not being a personal style blog but that is precisely why i shared the skirt look! Otherwise I would've just posted the dress! :-)
ReplyDeleteI think you might need to see the dress in person, because I'm realizing from the picture you really can't tell what the material is. It is super thick cotton with zero stretch. I wouldn't do a stretchy body con dress that short, (or a stretchy anything for that matter) but this dress is super structured. Makes all the difference in my book.
ReplyDeletePencil skirts look great on curvy body types for a night out! (Think Kim Kardashian!) They definitely don't work for everyone though!!
ReplyDeleteAgreed!!! If I wasn't so obsessed with this print since I was a kid, I wouldn't have even bothered!
ReplyDeleteI just love the "precise symmetry"----(Could this be OCD, or what?? Haha!!)----of the floral-and-scrolled............ smaller *Mirror Print* of your gorgeous sheath dress, J. ............and also all of the many different ways you can style your Classic, Small-Print Sheath, too!! Additionally, when you're tired and/or sleepy, it seems that wearing a vibrant royal blue-and-white outfit............ is kind of like............ wearing blue eyeliner, (on your lower, outer eyelids)!! BLUE liner----against the WHITES of your eyes----can really wake up and *refresh* a tired and/or sleepy face............ i.e., just like a vibrant royal blue-and-white outfit can!!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, the blue-and-white "Ming Dynasty Vase Dress," which Victoria Beckham wore at Elton John's 2005 Tiara Ball in London, has quite an *interesting* story, including why Victoria Beckham wasn't ABLE to----(and purposely didn't WANT to!!)----sit down, at all, during the party!!:
#1) http://kristauff.tumblr.com/image/20216003736
#2) Click photo twice to enlarge:
http://www.knottinghillinteriors.com/blog/2010/09/fashion-and-luxury-interior-design-blue-and-white-pottery/
I think both of these looks are great! I don't see the issues that came up below! I mean your shoulders & chest are covered! It's almost summer & that means showing some leg... If I saw a woman walking down the street in the dress & heels pictured above one night I don't think a negative thought would come to mind! Young 20-somethings are reading this blog as well & I would totally wear something like that! And you are totally right in saying if you like it & you feel comfortable then who cares what the others think! Love your blog!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link to the skirt!!! When I got there I noticed it came in the Navy polka dot and I switched to that choice for my order. The quality is amazing and only $23. Perfect for work or play. It goes with everything! Thank you!
ReplyDelete(Now trying to decide whether to order the original blue willow).