Grateful

Have I mentioned recently how awesome you readers are? Seriously. Going back through all the comments on yesterday's post/rant, it struck me what an amazing group of people contributes here. Yesterday there were comments from all across the spectrum: people like me who have never wanted kids, people who are or were undecided, and parents with all sorts of great stories and perspectives. We're all over the board in terms of our experiences, and yet we're all together in agreeing that we should be supportive and accepting of each others' choices. It sucks that the rest of the world isn't like that, but man am I grateful for you. It's really nice to be able to throw in random topics and have everyone just jump on in with their thoughts; being able to discuss more than just fashion really keeps the blog interesting and fresh for me.

On to the outfit! This dress is one of my new items from All Saints (it's the Amil Dress), and is one I'd been eying for quite awhile. Unless I was just completely not paying attention, it seems like it was only available in gray when I first saw it, so I resisted buying it because I already have other gray dresses. But when I saw it in this dusty purple, I was sold.

I ran with the color theme and added my purple cardigan and fabulous purple and black boots. Originally I also had it paired with the soft ruffled skirt that my mom gave me, but for this outfit it was just a little too much; either the skirt or the cardigan had to go, and that day I needed the cardigan for warmth. To add the necessary length to the dress I just let the lacy trim of my pettipants hang out, which blended in against the black leggings. But the skirt/dress combo is one I'm looking forward to playing with the next time I wear this dress; the two look like they were made to go together.

Originally the fringe pieces around the bottom of the dress were MUCH longer -- some of them hung down to my mid-calves. And while it did look really cool I knew it wouldn't do for work, not only because it seemed just over the line of appropriate, but also because I knew I'd end up getting that fringe stuck in chair wheels, slammed in doors, and sat on by adjacent co-workers in meetings. So I trimmed it shorter, and I think it turned out great. The dress has plenty of interesting textural details all through the body and really doesn't need too much extra trimming at the hem.

Dress: All Saints
Cardigan: S
Necklace: Manu Lizarralde
Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Boots: Eject