Make Fantasy a Reality

May 1, 2018

My husband and I recently went to New Zealand to visit family. For most of the trip we did family stuff, spending time hiking and being in nature, which I love, but in my head one day stood out above the rest. The day we would spend at some New Zealand wineries, an excursion that begs for a dreamy outfit. Before the trip I began my descent into the black hole of internet shopping by typing “vintage floral dress” in Etsy and Ebay’s search engines. I mean, let’s be honest, that’s a very in thing right now and I probably could have found one at the mall in about 30 minutes, but I love going on the search for that  lone vintage survivor of bygone eras.

When I found the dress my heart skipped a beat. It was floral and feminine but in a playful funky kind of way. When buying vintage online sometimes sizing can be tricky, but since this was a wrap dress that made its fit less of an issue. When the dress arrived it was even better than I expected. The flowers appeared to have been hand painted and there was a little strip of lace sewn around the inside of the waistband.  

Pegasus Bay Winery in New Zealand

While I love the fantasy of the perfect outfit, I don’t want to have something just to look at and never wear it. Which means the outfit must fit practically with what I’m going to be doing throughout my day. I knew the day at the winery I’d be out in the elements, on my feet, therefore it needed to be comfortable. Under the wrap dress, I layered myself with some high-waisted Denizen jean shorts from Target and a bralette from Urban Outfitters. For footwear I chose black combat boots cause I mean, combat boots go with everything, and also, the boots textured the outfit, adding a hard solid base to ground the soft feminine wrap.  That day at the winery I felt beautiful, had a fairy tale day, and best of all, I was comfortable!

Waiau River Estate Winery

I later restyled the dress for a spring inspired shoot for Knoxville Style Magazine. I swapped out the boots for some super comfy tan suede Jones of New York heels I found at TJ Maxx and the jean shorts for some second hand salmon Alice and Olivia tap shorts. In keeping with the transparency theme, I wore this amazing pink beaded purse that I found on Etsy. Beaded purses like this one are super popular right now and come in all different colors and styles so you can still find one that’s unique to you. I offset all that pink with some circular orange Bakelite earrings, which also brought out some other colors and shapes in the floral pattern of the dress.

I am looking forward to many more looks from this dress. The possibilities are endless when you just do what feels right to you. I believe there are no rules in fashion anymore. Some people may not like an outfit I come up with but that’s ok, they don’t have to. 

I’ve linked some similar dresses and bags throughout the pictures below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some similar dresses. And here’s a few more.

Find some similar bags here and here, and here

Greenhouse photos by Whitney Jade Photography http://www.whitneyjadephotography.com/

Makeup by Claire Baleste http://www.clairebalest.com/

Hair by Alyse Wieland at Tease Salon

7 thoughts on “Make Fantasy a Reality

  1. Greatl outfit and I love the pictures❗️Your article was interesting, lighthearted, and entertaining❗️That’s my girl❗️ Not just a pretty face❗️?✨??

  2. It really helps that I LOVE that dress! I like that you show different looks and how you mentally piece the outfits together. Plus, with links to similar pieces there might be hope for me, yet…

  3. I LOVE this! I love your process, attention to detail, and passion for style. I would love to read something like this for every one of your outfits! ❤️

  4. Knoxville is fortunate to have you as our own most beautiful fashion model. You have the ability to read the room and clothing and become a part of it all. That @jellyjammin is one lucky guy;-)

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