For the past few weeks, I had been searching for the perfect wedding guest dress. I started by looking online at some of my favorite retailers: Loft, J. Crew, Anthropologie, and Banana Republic. My only criteria were that it had to pack well in my suitcase (read: wouldn’t be a material that would get wrinkled easily), would be a dress that I could wear again in the future (so, not too fancy), and with a price that wouldn’t break the bank.
With those three factors in mind, I started scrolling through pages of dresses, ruling out each one based on price, material, or fit. I saved a few that I liked from Anthropologie and Banana Republic, but upon second glance, realized they didn’t make the cut.
It wasn’t until I was placing an order from Loft that I noticed a dress that looked promising. The Cowl Neck Maxi Slip Dress wasn’t initially what I thought I wanted, but with the sale Loft was running at the time, combined with the Loft Cash that I had to use, I couldn’t beat the price and loved that the dress didn’t look like anything I already had in my closet.
When the dress first arrived, I have to admit I didn’t love it. The color was bold, and upon trying it on, I noticed it had a strange hemline at the bottom that cut the dress at a weird angle. I kept it hanging in my closet with the tags on and had planned to return it. But with time to find a better option running out, I decided to bring the dress on my trip and have a simple backup dress just in case.
Next up on my to-do list, was finding a pair of shoes that would work with the dress. Sadly, my beloved Franco Sarto wedges that I could wear with everything and had planned to bring with me, were showing their age. So, I ran over to Target, hoping I could find a last-minute pair of sandals that would work—and this pair from A New Day was exactly what I had in mind. The mule heel is thick enough to tackle Europe’s cobblestone streets, and the neutral light brown tone could go with many looks.
Fortunately for me, when I arrived in Europe and tried the dress on again with the shoes, I saw it in a new light (pun intended). The bright green hue was striking, and after I went over the dress with the travel steamer that I bought to bring with me, the fit of the dress looked much more flattering (and I didn’t even notice the hemline that initially bothered me). After getting a few other people’s opinions on the dress, it was a winner. Unfortunately, the day of the wedding was the coldest day of the week, which was not ideal for a thin dress with spaghetti straps, and the only jacket I had with me was my cropped denim one from Loft, but I made it work.
In the end, the simple green dress from Loft turned out to be a huge hit. I received so many compliments from everyone (even strangers walking down the street) about how nice the dress looked on me and how the color was perfect for the season—and I felt beautiful in it. I loved how the fabric of the dress moved, and how the neckline elevated its simple style. I paired it with this choker from Cupcakes & Cashmere to dress it up a little more, which completed the look. The shoes from A New Day were the most comfortable things I’ve ever worn, and if you’re looking for the perfect summer sandal with a slight heel, definitely get these. I ran all over town before and after the wedding in them and couldn’t believe how easy they were to walk in (without having to break them in first).
I’m glad I kept the green dress, and I’m looking forward to wearing it again to events over the summer!
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