July 21, 2023
Why yes, I DID miss the previous season – July 7, Small Heat. This year, Chicago is having a VERY cool summer, unlike so much of the world. It makes thinking about warm-weather clothing sort of difficult!
But let’s pick up with the current season…
Image – The Review.ca
At this point in the year, when major retailers are pushing cool-weather clothing at us, we can at least find nice dresses…
If I were to only own 1 dress, this might be a candidate. The dark background would make it easy to wear dark tights and flats, with a navy sweater, in cool weather:
Similarly, this dress is made to be worn with a cardigan or blazer:
Vivid waterfall dress – J.Crew; earrings – Kendra Scott; necklace – Talbots; bag – Bohosahara; espadrilles – Vince
Image- EcoWatch
I’m currently wearing the black version of this dress, with amethyst jewelry to match the highlights in my hair!
Vivid begonia linen dress – J.Crew; earrings – Smilla Brav; bracelet – Smilla Brav; clutch bag – Cooperative Studio; sandals – Jack Rogers
Technically, this is described as a swimsuit cover-up, but I don’t see why this couldn’t be worn LOTS of places… As long as it isn’t 14 inches long, or utterly sheer, it should be just fine worn as a dress!
Cover-up/dress – Lands’ End; earrings – Set & Stone; pearl & coral bracelet – Set & Stone; bag – Coccinelle; sandals – Sam Edelman
Image – Town & Country Living
I chose blue/lavender jewelry to pick up the colors of the print in this dress…
Dress – Boden; earrings – Marchesa; bracelets – Soul Journey Jewelry; bag – BTB Los Angeles; sandals – Bella Vita
At the risk of messing around with the English language, let’s remember that dresses don’t HAVE to be dressy…
Grey knit dress – L.L.Bean; earrings – Marie June Jewelry; bracelet – Dower & Hall; backpack – Béis; sneakers – Cole Haan
Image – SoundCloud
When I don’t know what to wear, and I don’t want to think about it, I put on a dress! What about you?
love,
Janice
p.s. Four years ago, Edith got a job at the resort, and found out the real identity of the Kingpin…
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I have rarely worn short sleeves this summer let alone dresses. I’m wearing a long sleeve top now. A cardigan or jumper is always been to hand. I haven’t bothered to get my ‘summer’ clothes out of storage.
I did wear a dress on Tuesday to a smart function which also involved wearing tights and shoes that aren’t meant for walking in. We arrived early so hubby was keen to explore the local landmarks. I didn’t have the right footwear on for walking. Soon the tights irritated and I got a blister on one toe. I wouldn’t have had that problem wearing trousers and comfortable shoes. I either dress for comfort but the footwear will be too casual or I dress smart which means painful walking. Having problem feet, I just cannot find a comfortable pair of smart shoes that I can walk in. My husband just wore a suit and a smarter pair of work shoes. He could have walked for miles. Men have it so easy.
Beth T, I’m 37 and pulled the trigger about 8 years ago and now I just say no to sore feet. I started by avoiding heels, then hard soles and heavy shoes. I don’t own a pair of shoes I couldn’t walk an afternoon with. Obviously some are more comfortable than others, but I just won’t buy anything that will hurt after 2 or 4 hours no matter how pretty it looks. I rather be the one in flat sandals, booties with cushioned soles or leather sneakers (some are very smart, and I wear them even with suits and dresses) than the one with blisters. Some brands I like for comfy and smart (to me, at least) are pikolinos, camper and geox.
Hope this helps!
I’m with ya! I broke my foot by twisting and falling off the heel of some backless shoes. After that, I did a complete closet clean out. No more heels above 2 inches, and nothing tight. Rule number one: if it doesn’t feel good the moment I put it on, it’s a no-go; no more convincing myself my feet are just swollen at that moment. Rule number two: if it doesn’t come in wide, it doesn’t come home with me. I’ve found a few brands are fairly dependable (for me, Easy Spirit and Clark’s, and surprisingly the specials at Aldi’s) and I look to them first for classics like pumps, ballet flats, and espadrilles.
Thank you for the brand recommendations. I recently stayed at a nice hotel and chose comfort (redback boots that I also wear in the garden) over fanciness. I am now on the look out for a pair of ballerina flats or loafers that are soft, have a wide toe box and also look a bit nicer than my gardening boots.
Large Heat indeed! In Idaho, we are living in a weeks-long heat wave. The temperatures occasionally “cool down” to the upper 90s. There’s no alternative to wearing a dress in the heat. Golf attire works as well since I play or train 3-4 days a week and my city is very sporty/casual. Taking in all the wisdom collected here, my golf wardrobe is an almost completely interchangeable capsule. Navy, aqua, coral. One lemon yellow polo. I could add flamingo pink, leaf green, cream and/or red.
Once again, your accessory selection is beyond tempting.
I’m in a similar location to AK, weather wise. And this is the first post I could really go through every outfit in detail, even lookin at a 2nd layer is out of the question!
So it’s a big Yes to dresses (one on right now, sandals, sunglasses and a hat).
I guess there’s something for everyone at Chez Janice!!
Dresses are an instant outfit and really simplify things. I’m more of a skirt-and-top gal – due to being short-waisted – but the dress section of my closet has grown in the past couple of years. My favourite has a lightly lined bodice and skirt so no slip is required.
I love the variety you’ve shown here, Janice. In my neck of the woods, I regularly see women wearing dresses for everyday use. Not at all fancy. And they wear them year-round in the Great White North. ❄️
Beautiful photos and dresses. Despite the heat, I haven’t been wearing many dresses this summer. I wore one the first day of summer but it looked so wrinkled after my commute that I gave up. It is now pants for work and shorts for weekends or evenings.
As usual, the photos are amazing. I finally switched to my summer dresses just in the last week. I have three that I rotate. No one cares as I’m not at work and don’t go out much. Beth T, I also have problem feet and sadly wear mostly Birkenstocks. I have a couple of pair of boots that will work in winter, and my Vionic sneakers do a good job. I’m not sure what I would do for a dress up event as I don’t have any dressy shoes. Fortunately, I haven’t had to figure out (or should that be unfortunately?) In the summer I might get away with a dress and sneakers? The winter is better as I can use the pair of patent leather boots and they look fine.
I can avow for the first dress from LLBean. Although I do not have that navy dress, I have 2 others. I check seasonally for new prints to add to my wardrobe. They are very flattering and travel extremely well (they can be rolled and stuffed in a travel bag). The heat and humidity have recently amped up here in Kentucky and these type of dresses are perfect!
I also only wear shoes for comfort due to knee and back issues. Thank you all for advice on s brands to try. Keens are comfortable for me and I have been toying with trying a pair of Birkenstocks.
I have a casual dress on right now! They are very easy to wear in the summer. Last year I began wearing bike shorts under a lot of my summer dresses, and that really helps with the comfort factor. They don’t add too much extra fabric or make me too hot and add considerably to how often I wear dresses on a normal day at home.
I also am having trouble just looking at sweaters and second layers. When it’s over 100 every day, even the air conditioning can only keep it just bearable.
I like the outfit with the grey dress, especially the silver jewelry. I couldn’t wear that shape, but I have a grey v-neck dress I could use to make an outfit like that.
The pink linen shirt dress is so pretty and would be absolutely a gem in hot weather. I agree with Laura Maureen that bike shorts under a dress amps the comfort factor. I love seeing the swim cover-up featured as a dress; so many of the ones at Lands End in particular look like dresses to begin with that no one would know the difference. My favorite summer stay-at-home dress is actually a long t-shirt nightgown, haha!
I have been doing the Wool& challenge that Janice did and am on day 51! I am wearing a navy Maggie which is scoop neck and short sleeved. We are pretty warm here in the PNW right now with no AC and she is amazing! The wool has been regulating my body temp really well and I have been enjoying the challenge, even if I can’t layer much. Sometimes I put a t-shirt over the top and tie a little knot to give myself a waist (makes the dress look like a skirt) or knot the dress up like a top and wear shorts or linen pants. I tried wearing bike shorts or even the under shorts Janice has talked about and it was just too hot for me and the dress would static to them. So I ended up buying a product called Megababe that is like a thigh rescue anti-friction stick for your thighs. It works really well. My set came with two size sticks (they look like a deodorant stick), one is really small and cute to keep in my purse.
In the sixties I turned my nose up at “ugly” Birkenstocks. Now easily half my shoe wardrobe is Birkenstocks and not a one of them the “ugly” (Arizona) kind. My other go to brands are Taos, Earth Brands and Allegria in addition to the Clark’s, Geox, Easy Spirit and Vionics already mentioned.
I’m enjoying maxi dresses this summer. They’re great for travel. Most of mine are simple tank dresses that can be used as a robe, swimsuit cover up, daytime dress, nightgown or with a lace cardigan or pashmina date night dress. Sometimes I wonder if I could do the 100 day challenge with one. Or at least a long weekend with just the one dress and several changes of underwear.
I’m Team Comfortable Feet also. I like Birkenstocks – I have Sonora sandals, which are smart enough for anything, & very comfortable. Also Joseph Siebels – cognac leather sandals. And Vionic – silver toe post sandals, which I bought for house shoes, as we have wooden floors that are hard to walk on barefoot for extended periods. That’s all I had for last spring & summer, apart from running/walking shoes, & it was all I needed.
I’m also Team Dress, especially since the discovery of skimmies.
But we are mid-winter, so currently it’s wool layers & boots all the way. And even in summer, I can’t imagine such heat as some of you are living in!
Yes to dresses and skimmies underneath! Easy peasy and flowy which is great in 98-100 plus weather. It’s been brutal for sure. I have narrow feet which are also hard to fit. I’m 71 and only wear shoes I can walk a mile in, literally. TAOS, Sorrel and leather Teva’s are good and dressy enough for many occasions. I also have several pairs of Keds as they fit my foot better than some other brands. I wear them with skirts and dresses all the time. As I am in TX I also have a collection of cowboy boots. I can walk forever in them. There is a brand OTBT that also make comfy stylish shoes. It stands for off the beaten trail. I have a pair of black heels and gold wedges that are amazingly comfortable. They can be quite dressy.
Late comment here, but wanted to suggest some shoe options. Cali from Skechers can be comfy if you have thinning fat pads on the bottom of your feet. Rocket Dog also offers some padded soles. My fav is unusual though. I love the comfort of ballroom shoes that have a 1 or 2 inch cuban heel. Replace the suede soles with a leather and you have a nice pair of pretty shoes. The brand Very Fine offers some nice styles and some customization.