Do you have to be model thin to wear a shirt dress? When I saw this ivory linen shirt dress in the store, I loved the look so much that I stubbornly ignored all those voices in my head that were telling me, “What are you thinking? This dress is not the cut for you!”
Sometimes you have to disregard fashion rules and follow your heart. I’m so glad I did with this dress. Yes, I am a pear shape. And yes, clothing that cinches at the waist is generally the most flattering for my body type.
But, hey! Even if the dress ends up taking a rectangular shape, I get regular exercise. And this short hem puts the focus on my legs. Heels, of course, give me an extra boost in the flattery department.
This dress, by the way, is perfectly in keeping with my vow to wear brighter and more light-colored clothing. I still love black, of course. But it does have a way of blending into the cityscape.
White has the opposite effect. It glows. It attracts attention. I find that it takes a little more courage for me to wear it – kind of like donning a hat. It pushes me to be a little more social. Not such a bad thing!
Wearing this clean, summery color can also make me a bit nervous about keeping it white. That is, especially when I am drinking a green smoothie or red wine. I managed to wear this a full day so far without incident. And even if I hadn’t, we have a great dry cleaner in Seattle.
The fact that this dress is made of linen also made me apprehensive at first. I mentioned to my husband that it would get wrinkled within an hour of putting it on. His answer caused me to instantly cut the tags off and commit to it. He said, “Well, isn’t that part of the charm of that fabric?” Well, yes!
I wore: Theory dress / Helmut Lang blazer / Gifted French scarf / Prada sunglasses / Stuart Weitzman sandals
