Sisters Marie: Leather and Lace

It seems that every Summer, one of my first “new season” wardrobe purchases ends up being a white dress. Perfect example - Last year, I wore this one on repeat. To me, the simplicity of a lightweight, casual dress reminds me of everything I love about a traditional (even if, old fashioned) American Summer…lemonade on the porch, barefoot in freshly cut grass and s’mores on cool nights. Typically, I would pair this lace style with my favorite denim jacket and sandals but the nice part about a basic staple is changing it up whenever you want and I love making ultra-feminine things a little more roughed up. By adding a leather vest and lace-up heels, this suddenly went from daytime casual to a night out with the girls.

Just an FYI, this is not necessarily a look to wear around town on a weekday...I stopped in a local pizza shop after shooting these photos to pick up our dinner and witnessed a few different kind of looks from surprised to confused and from the cooks in the kitchen at the restaurant, enticed. But perhaps it was just the teal Old Navy flip flops I changed into that threw everybody for the loop...In case you were wondering, those are not recommended with lace & leather ;)

P.S. Now that Summer is actually a reality, I'm doing a little refreshing in my closet. Between my husband and I, we just donated 5 HUGE black garbage bags of clothes so all that work deserves a little play, don't you think? Specifically, I'm restocking on tank tops, shorts and even a few pieces of jewelry. I'm also in the market for the ultimate one-piece swimsuit...does that exist, ladies? To me, it would keep the top lady parts concealed (yet still highlighted, obvi) and entails a perfectly placed cutout. Let me know if you bought one that you love!