There's something about summer that makes me want to wear more dresses. This year I'm all about comfort and ease, yet I still want fashionable and feminine, and I love fabrics that flow. If you're a busy mom looking for a summer wardrobe that requires little fuss, but still provides style that flatters, take a look at what I found for very affordable prices.
Starting off with this long pullover dress that Hubby got me for my birthday this year, this dress is made by Chaps and was purchased at the Bonton, but I've seen it at Kohl's as well. This is easy to wash, pulls over my head, and is incredibly comfortable.
I wore it on my birthday to pick up children from school and run errands, and I wore it on a shopping excursion with our teen daughter to celebrate her 15th birthday a week later. I love her t-shirt dress too, found at Target.
This bright pink Rose & Olive dress just made me think of spring/summer when I saw it at TJ Maxx. It also just pulls over my head and drapes my body without clinging. And no dry cleaning or ironing necessary. That's a must in my house.
It's the dress I wore to church on Easter Sunday, but I'm sure I'll pull it out often. Can you tell this was the first time we used the self-timer on my new camera?
A friend of mine introduced me to an Internet boutique called Ali & Edi which is where I got this paisley tunic dress. Their dresses are American made, of high quality, and are stylish yet easy to maintain. Right now they're having a clearance sale with amazing prices, so go check them out.
I loved this dress so much that I wore it for our daughter's First Holy Communion, and two weeks later I wore it again for Mother's Day. The carnation I'm holding was a gift our sweet ten year-old son bought for me on the way out of Mass from the local Boy Scout troop.
I was looking for a casual sundress, and I found this navy blue Croft & Barrow knee-length dress at Kohl's. It's light-weight, machine washable, and loose without looking frumpy.
I wore it to my younger sons' end-of-the-year pool party on a 93 degree afternoon this week. I won't say it kept me cool, but aside from being in a swimsuit myself, it was probably the coolest thing I had to wear in public. And hey, how farmy of a pic is this with our greenhouse and wheelbarrow in the background? Keeping it real here at the Preppy Mountain Farmhouse.
I tried on eight dresses at Macy's this week, and I loved this one best of all. This is so different from anything I have hanging in my pine wardrobe, but it just screamed "Summer" at me. The colors remind me of popsicles, jello, and Skittles. It's by Calvin Klein and was greatly reduced the day I bought it. Gosh, I look annoyed with the child taking my picture. I was really just squinting, but this confirms that I could have never hacked it as a model.
This dress is loose, airy, and light. I haven't had a chance to wear it yet, but I think it could work for a number of outings depending on how it was accessorized. The light lining underneath keeps it from being see-through and from clinging.
This final dress is one I'll wear on the cooler summer days we sometimes get here in the northeastern U.S. and probably into the fall. It's Dana Buchanan, and it's similar to another light pull-over dress I wear frequently. Comfy, easy to wash, and no ironing necessary. My kind of dress.
I found this at Kohl's on sale, and it was super cheap. It's been too hot here this week to wear it yet, but I'm sure it will get plenty of use. It's the only item in my wardrobe with cutout sleeves like this. I'm venturing out of my comfort zone a little in my middle age.
Each of these dresses was purchased for less than $100. Most were under $50. Style, comfort, and easy care for a middle-aged figure at affordable prices.
And that concludes my annual summer fashion show from the boondocks in the Alleghenies. I hope you all are enjoying your early summer as much as I am.
