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You guys! It was so weird...I was just sitting there in the house, chillin', drinking a beer, and I had QVC on for background...and then a few days later this jacket arrived at my house! I think that my transformation into Eccentric Florida Lady may be nearing completion. I'm riding around the town on a powder blue scooter in a glitter flames helmet, and quaffing cocktails while ordering from QVC. All I need is a velour sweatsuit and maybe a turban, which come to think of it, both of which would be great for the vintage shop. Okay, that said, I really didn't know what to expect with this, but when it arrived I was really pleasantly surprised. This blazer is made by Kim Gravel, and it's super stretchy and comfy. The whole jacket is soft, no stiff collars or restrictive sleeves or anything, yet it has enough structure to look sharp. It really is the perfect amount of comfort and shape. And the whole reason I bought it, the print, is the perfect snow leopard for my black and white hair. Want to entice me to buy your product? Make it a black, white, and grey animal print that matches my hair. Apparently that's all it takes with me.

Guys, I'm no Nostradamus, but from where I'm sitting, it looks like we''re barrelling headlong into another round of quarantine and lockdowns. And just in time for flu season, no less. It was one thing to be doing the social isolation thing in the spring and summer months; you can still get outside and sort do a modified version of whatever your thing is in summer. But now a majority of us are going to be moving this microbial rodeo indoors? Yeesh. But since we're being realistic, and I am nothing if not realistic, we might as well do this thing in style. I mean, come on. It's not going to do anyone's mental health any good to have to exhume the putrid remains of last spring's lockdown sweatpants, is it? No it is not. I see absolutely no reason we can't bring back a little swoosh into our lying-around game. Add a little silky fabric here, maybe an ostrich-trimmed mule there. More Slim Aarons, and less People of Wal Mart. Come on guys, we can do this. I'll leave you with a few photos for inspo.

A surprise beauty post today! I received a lost packet of mail today from the post office. When I'm back in the UK our Floridian mail gets held, and apparently this RealHer promo sample had arrived for me at some point in July but somehow not gotten delivered with the rest of the mail. So it was a bit like Christmas today. I got some lovely new stuff! You guys might remember RealHer Cosmetics from my previous post that I did about six months ago. If you need a refresher, RealHer is a cruelty-free, paraben-free prestige makeup brand (who are not paying me to say that, btw) built around the message of the empowerment of women. Their mission is to remind all women that we are valuable, worthy and beautiful human beings, and this ethos is reinforced by mantras that are inscribed onto their products. Their products are truly lovely, and after my last post I did for them back in December I went on to send a few pieces from their website to both my mom and sister for Christmas. This particular lovely bundle arrived on my doorstep to announce the launch of their new lip kits. I was thrilled to get this lip kit, even if it was a few weeks behind schedule. RealHer is literally the only company that can convince me to wear a liquid matte long-wearing lip color. I simply do not come out for liquid matte lipsticks for anyone else. Goodness knows I've tried, and I'm pretty sure there's video footage to prove it. Normally I find matte, long-wearing formulas chalky, ageing, and far too drying. They make me constantly aware of their presence. However. RealHer manages to make it feel lightweight, emollient, and for me a little goes a long, long way. I regularly use mine as a base for any number of my lipsticks, and also just slap a bit on when I'm in a hurry and know I'm not gonna have time to play with my lipstick later. This time around, I received the I Can and I Will kit, which is a mauve-based pink. Admittedly, when I first pulled it out I thought it was going to be way too blue-based for my yellowish-tan skin, but as usual, I was wrong. The shade is universally flattering, and the pencil and gloss in the kit translate well to use with just about anything in your existing makeup kit. Also in the package were three shades of the new Definer Brow Pencil. The shade that I chose was the darkest (despite the ever-whitening front half of my hair), called "Eye am Inspiring." Eyebrow makeup is always a little bit tricky for me. Because I have so much silver in the front of my hair, I need a slightly cooler brow pencil, and those can be hard to find. Most pencils turn out to be either too orangey, or too blue-based inky black. The Eye Am Inspiring, while perhaps even slightly warmer than Anastasia brow gel I have been using, actually worked quite well indeed. The pencil is nice and thin, easy to apply, and easy to blend. I daresay I may be a convert. Pencils are infinitely easier to wield than clunky wand brushes. What I am struck by with these products, just as I was last time, is how natural they are when you have them on. You can layer them up easily; but they have a very forgiving, almost watercolor-like quality that creates more of a glow and less of a "painted on" look - exactly what you want when you're not twenty five any more.

Howdy there fashionphiles! Highland Fashionista on Etsy is running a Labor Day sale this entire week! Everything in the shop is 20% off, so you can go ahead and pull the trigger on that thing you liked. New items are also being added on the regular, so keep your eyes peeled, you never know when that perfect pre-loved find might crop-up! Here's a sneak peek! Click on the photos for more info on individual pieces. Here's wishing you and yours a safe, healthy, and restful Labor Day!

I get asked about my affinity for westernwear all the time. I suppose it's not an obvious choice for someone from a mid-sized city in Wisconsin (not exactly the heart of the west), who has spent the last few decades travelling the globe before ending up in the Scottish Highlands for most of the year. Again, not exactly a place where you hear the jangle of spurs in the supermarket. I suppose it all began with this guy. I think I was maybe 10 years old in this photo. That's Prince. He was our horse when we were kids, and even though he definitely had his own ideas about what he wanted to do in any given moment (because horses), he was a very good boy. Even though we tended to ride him in English tack as much as western (that's just what our instructor tended to teach), I always really appreciated, and even preferred the comfort, ease, and light-handedness of classic western horsemanship, and of course all the accompanying gear. Plus, I have never been able to keep a pair of traditional light or white dressage breeches clean. Not even for five minutes. Not even for two minutes. How do people do that!?!? I'm 49 this week and I still can't do it. The weather can pretty much give you its full "greatest hits" treatment in Wisconsin in the course of a trail ride, and western clothing always made me feel like I was wearing the right thing to get too hot, too cold, wet, muddy, dusty, grasshopper-y or whatever else was in the air that day. Skip ahead to now-times. Living mainly in Scotland over the last twelve years, I found myself slowly creeping back into my cowboy boots. Geographically it may seem a bit weird, but when the climate is often the same whether it's January or July, you're probably not going to be too far from dressed for the weather in a pair of jeans and boots. I suppose my return to working around horses more often again also had something do do with it, but it was really working on finally launching my vintage shop that got me really thinking about my westward-leaning sartorial tendencies. That tends to happen when you're faced with a mounting pile of vintage clothing, comprised quite heavily of western and western-adjacent pieces that one needs to inspect, catalog, and photograph. In doing so, I've learned a few things, as evidenced below. Oh, and these photos are clickable by the way - should you want more info on the pieces. Because what kind of shop owner would I be if they weren't? Westernwear is Fun For me, fun is the primary motivating life force. Life is simply just too short for anything else. While launching my shop, I realized that there are a ton of amazing vintage sellers out there, each with its own unique signature from the everything-goes eclectic to lingerie-only to neutrals-only super-duper austere. Looking at my pile of colorful, fringey, boldly-patterned and textured vintage goodies, there was really only one way that this thing was ever gonna go. Whee! Westernwear is Comfortable Granted, there are always sartorial exceptions to my claim that an entire fashion genre is comfortable, so please don't send me photos of your most uncomfortable western-themed, concho-encrusted bustiers. I get it. Choices have a lot to do with comfort. But by and large, western-themed garments span a broad range of styles that allow us to make comfortable choices. Fuller skirts, boot cut and bellbottom jeans (my favorite), and wide sleeves are very much a thing, and I'm here for it. And perhaps more poignantly? Not a sweatpant or yoga pant in sight. Wait, what are we supposed to call them now? Pandemic pants? Apartment pants? Yeah, whatever. Those. Westernwear is Distinctly American I suppose my status as an expat of over a decade has a lot to do with my nostalgia for western-themed Americana, but nonetheless, there really is no other style of clothing that screams AMERICA at the top of its lungs in this way. We're always the loudest in the room, aren't we? But you can't beat Americana westernwear as a sartorial choice for a summer BBQ. In recent times, what with all the political unrest and unsettling nationalistic carrying-on and such, wearing distinctly America-themed, lighthearted clothing almost has an element of shame attached to it for a lot of people. But I think that is exactly why I feel so strongly about it. Not because I'm some super-extreme nationalist (and if you've been reading for a while thank you for laughing at the very idea of that), or because I think that America is the greatest country on the planet 100% of the time, because trust me we're not...no country is "the greatest" 100% of the time. But rather because I think it's important for us to remember that fashion is expression, and expression is for everyone. So-called "patriotic" sartorial choices are simply not the domain of a particular ideology, and I positively recoil at the idea that the co-opting of something like our national flag to express dodgy ideals has become a thing we might have to discuss. Yet here we are. Americana-inspired clothing, whether it be a simple t-shirt with the flag on it or a full red white and blue sequinned, skin-tight bodysuit with led lighting sewn into the lighting that is so bright you actually have to plug it in to recharge at night - that should be a bit of fun that we can all enjoy, not an emblem of a particular movement. Particularly a movement that does not include all of us. Right Prince? (he agrees, even if he's looking a bit annoyed with his rider at the moment, who I'm pretty sure has her hat on backwards in this photo.)

There she is again...disappointed at some perceived slight... making a scene...wanting to talk to the manager...phone cameras at the ready everyone...we've got a live one. If we've learned anything about our fellow human beings this last handful of years, it's that we're an impatient lot. As a society we've sort of lost our ability to work slowly at something, chipping away at it a little at a time while enjoying the journey, sound in the knowledge that the end result will be in service to some larger goal, whether that goal be for personal gain or for the greater good. We want everything at our disposal immediately, we want it right out of the box, delivered to our doorstep, ready to be of immediate service to whatever agenda we have. The fashion industry, specifically the fast fashion industry, is really no different in this respect. Fast fashion really reflects back to us quite accurately our impatient society, and perhaps now that so much of our experience with fashion has moved online, this phenomemon is likely going to grow legs. Mind you they will be long, impossibly slender legs that can rock a pair of white skinny jeans without a care in the world, but legs nonetheless. When we rush through life expecting this constant level of stimulation and immediacy, impatient to hit the next set of objectives that we're so sure is going to once and for all make our lives work, we miss a lot. We miss engaging in process. Ask anyone who has achieved a level of mastery at what he or she does about process, and you're not likely to get a one word, or even a one sentence answer. Process can be a months, even years-long affair in some cases. And you grow to enjoy it nearly as much as the end result. As a society of consumers, a vast majority of us no longer look at something like cultivating a wardrobe, or even just simply shopping for something as a process. We simply buy, discard, and buy some more. We may say we love to shop, but what really mean is that we love to consume. These past weeks I have been putting the finishing touches on the re-launch of one of my Etsy shops, and it has really got me thinking about marketing, consumption, and more specifically, the concept of hanger appeal. While obviously hanger appeal is an important and effective marketing tool, these days it seems to be strategically employed in the same manner as the placement of sugary supermarket cereals; placed on low shelves so that the eyes of children may feast upon them while their parents shop, inspiring spectacular meltdowns and rushed, desperate purchases. Fast fashion is literally the Fruit Loops and Cap'n Crunch of the sartorial world. It's a quick fix that may very well leave you feeling low after a very short time. It's that same instant gratification followed by a crash cycle by which we seem to live these days - the only thing that's different is the timeline. However it may seem, I'm not here to bash the fashion industry, or what we've become as a society (okay, maybe just a little on that last one). However, this week made me realize that after a lifetime of dedicated (okay, fine...compulsive) thrifting and sifting through pre-loved and vintage clothing, I've found that much to my delight, I have a process. In fact, not only do I have a process, I have a regular, systematic process I regularly employ when confronted with any piece of clothing that I'm contemplating. I might be drawn to a piece because of its hanger appeal, or perhaps because of its complete lack of it. Either way, my process is the same; I ask myself three important questions, and it helps me separate the hidden treasures from the dross. The Process of Looking Beyond Hanger Appeal: Three Revealing Questions Question One: Does this garment have good bones? Just like those annoying DIY homebuyer shows where the potential buyers are so distracted by a single bad wallpaper job they completely miss the pristine oak parquet floors they're standing on, it's important to take a moment and assess the fundamentals of how something is actually put together before we let the shiny stuff distract us. The most unappealing, rumpled garment lying at the bottom of a flea market bin might actually be a hidden treasure of bias-cut silk and reinforced seams, while that tempting brand new thing in the high street window display may be but a stringy rayon ghost of the runway garment it was inspired by. Using aforementioned Etsy shop as an example, this Vintage 90s Fashion Bug skirt is a great specimen of a quiet, under-achieving garment with good bones (and a 90s fast fashion item, no less!) This skirt was just a rumpled, moss green pile of ultrasuede ennui when I first encountered it. But upon closer inspection, I realized it was actually a solid, well put-together garment . Reinforced seams, a sturdy fabric with some longevity and give, and a classic, clean design - all it needed was some imagination, minimal care, and a bit of styling to bring it to life! Question Two: What is this garment made out of? Question two really is the natural progression after question one. Once you've assessed the foundational soundness of a garment, look at the fabric. I'm not some purist who is here to tell you that there is only merit in natural fabrics. Quite the opposite in fact. Many natural fiber garments give up the ghost long before their synthetic and partly-synthetic counterparts. However, you have to think of the long game; consider how much fussing about is going to be required to launder it (washing by hand, hanging dry, ironing, dry cleaning...), and whether or not you're willing to engage in these things in the first place. Many modern rayon garments simply never look the same after one washing. Many vintage ones will last an eternity. When a garment was made, the weight and hand of the fabric, the content of that fabric...it all matters. Take this Vintage 70s Montgomery Ward Dress. I know, right? Montgomery Ward. A pioneering force of retail catalog sales, yet not a name you hear any more. This dress is distinctly 70s, but the fabric honestly looks as fresh as the day it was made. It's a synthetic polyester fabric, does not wrinkle (a miracle with a pleated skirt), and is a stunning shade and pattern. And like the author, it's at least 40 years old. Probably pushing fifty. Question Three: Is this really what I'm looking for, or is it just instantly gratifying? This is a question I ask myself a lot while I'm shopping, whether I'm in a thrift store, online, or in a high end boutique. Often, we are drawn to things that are exactly like other things we already have. This actually is fine when you're trying to stock a shop full of items with your distinct "look", but perhaps less so when trying to build a wardrobe. I will often gravitate towards things that are duplicates of something already in my closet, or things that look amazing with the turquoise earrings I happen to be wearing that day...you know how it goes. A garment often will look good in the moment, but serve no other purpose other than to create additional clutter. To circumvent this very common trap, If said garment in question has passed muster on questions one and two, I will address question three simply by simply acknowledging the instant gratification aspect of a piece (the first step is admitting you have an addiction, right?), then challenging myself to find another way to use the garment. Take for instance this 90s era Red Gingham Button Front Dress. It really sort of ticks all of the items off of my Three Questions list: good bones, made of a heavy-weight natural, durable cotton, and a garment that has at least two uses that I can think of right out of the gate. And all of that with little to no hanger appeal. So that's it. If it seems like a long walk for a short drink of water, I can assure you, it's not. In fact, these three questions have sort of become second nature to me, and have prevented me from both throwing my money away and wishing I'd snapped-up that interesting piece that I left behind. So I highly encourage you to come up with a process. Use mine, change it, tailor it, or start from scratch and make your own. We are all here because we enjoy fashion, and cultivating your own process enables you to see beyond the myth of someone else's art-directed hanger appeal.

Last week, my sister showed up for our road trip in a canary yellow mumu, and it was the cutest darn thing ever. Admittedly, this took me completely by surprise . As much as I love all things fashion, up until that point I never really considered a mumu to be "real clothes." Over the decades, the poor, long-suffering mumu has often found itself as the butt of jokes, referenced when once attempts to paint a mental picture of a Mrs. Roper type, or perhaps an alcoholic cougar hoping to lure the pool boy into her den. I'm always glad to be wrong when I am able to shed one of my ingrained prejudices against certain fashion items, and my mumu revelation after gazing upon my sister's canary-hued realness was one of those times. The mumu is not the domain of the eternally drunk and chronically pantsless - the mumu is iconic. It is colorful, it always fits, and it is insanely well-ventilated. Less crazy cat lady, more Slim Aarons. To that end, some of you may have noticed a few changes in some of the links and icon graphics on the site - namely those for my Etsy shops. I am currently in the process of expanding my Highland Fashionista Etsy shop (once the depository for things I've knitted over the years) to include vintage items. I'm sort of "soft-open" right now, and will stage a more coordinated re-launch in the coming weeks once I've gotten through a little more inventory. The knitwear will re-appear in the shop when I return to the UK. Having been touched by the Mumu Angels last week, I could think of no better time to grab a few of these pre-loved classics for the shop and take them for a test drive. Let us all welcome the mumu back into our non-sarcastic fashion vernacular. Huzzah! 80s era Hawaiian print mumu / 80s-90s era green mumu

This post is for astute reader Kelly, who has been asking me to do more Lilly Pulitzer posts for some time now, and I have not gotten around to them because a lot of my Lilly stuff is in Florida, which is currently the viral epicenter of the universe. Thanks for your patience Kelly, more are on the way at some point, I promise. This is the Lilly Pulitzer Essie top. I have several of these. They fit well - with a certain amount of ease that works well when the weather is hot. And, perhaps most relevant to my affinity for them and in keeping with reason Pulitzer began her line of rather vibrantly-printed clothing in the first place - they effectively camouflage any dirt you get on yourself, which naturally is a favorite pastime of mine. This particular evening, I paired it with my Free People bellbottoms, really in more of an attempt to keep out the mosquitos due to the fact that at the time, I had not yet completed my two week quarantine after flying to the US from the UK, and needed to be able to sit outside at a distance from my family for a meal and not become part of the menu myself. This is one of those looks that just sort of happened; unwashed hair (you can always tell because of what I like to call my "emergency braids"), a quick pull-on top, and by the time I got to the bellbottoms I started to realize that I actually was creating sort of a thing here. I decided just to go with it, and I rather like the effect. It's like something that the black sheep older sister of a super- preppy 1970s family is wearing as she pulls-up to the country club in her VW camper van, knowing full well they have a "no denim" rule.

Welcome to Club Flamingo™, which incidentally looks a lot like an inflatable pool and some random beach toys perched in my sister's back garden, but I assure you, it is a resort, and it is very fancy. As we sit here drinking our craft IPA (socially-distanced of course), the pandemic rages on. Even places that have seen a significant drop-off in COVID19 cases (read: not the United States right now, sheesh) - these places are casting a rightfully suspicious glance at the upcoming fall and winter months. As much as we want to re-open, create our plans to go "back to normal" and just take an afternoon to go browse the local thrift shops, make "just a quick trip" to Sephora or Ulta and stick our fingers in absolutely every cosmetic sample and try every foundation and spray ourselves with absolutely every expensive perfume on the shelf, that would be unwise. Incidentally, if you are one of the people out there still doing this, please see yourself out now. Public health is a group effort, and health care professionals are tired. One thing that apparently is not, and may never completely be "back to normal" is my enthusiasm for cosmetics. As you know, I normally love to try new things, but I think the only times I've worn a full face of makeup for any reason since this whole pandemic started is when I've stepped in front of the camera for this blog - and I don't even always do it then. This new reluctance is probably not all pandemic-related; as I get older I find that I feel ridiculously painted-on when I put on a full face. Things look very different in real life than they do on-camera, and I live in pretty casual clothes these days. There's just something really odd to me about pairing denim and a t-shirt with heavy foundation, lashes, eyeshadow, lipstick.....it feels unbalanced to me. Plus it gets all over the inside of your hat if you decide you need one. And in the heat of summer? Yeesh. I also find that my skin is happier to have some time to actually breathe real air for a change. We tend to forget that the skin is the largest organ of the body. Mine is absolutely happier for the break. But one thing I have not grown weary of is the never-ending promise of cosmetics; like the selfish, manipulative boyfriends of our 20s (before we learned), cosmetics always promise you the world, often don't deliver, but we just keep coming back because let's face it, the promise is kind of exciting, isn't it? The cosmetic promise that I am drawn to right now is that of convenience and simplicity. That sounds sensible enough, but basically anything that promises me the world in one single product, I will reflexively open my wallet and just start throwing whatever currency is in there at it. I've been thinking about some of the things I've seen lately that come with such a promise that I would like to try, or that I have tried and and keep going back to. In time, I hope to work my way through the untested items on this list and review them for you in a later post. Multi-Tasking Products That Make Big Promises Weleda Skin Food Light You can't really do an internet search for top-rated moisturizers these days and not turn up the Weleda Skin Food line. I decided to try it after I recently emptied my second tube of the Marcelle City Day & Night Emulsion I've spoken about on previous posts. After reading some of the reviews of this product, I decided to go with the Light version of the Skin Food line, thinking that the original may be too emollient for me to use as a daily moisturizer. That was the right choice. This moisturizer smells divine, feels elegant and spreads well. It is very emollient, but does soak-in after a few minutes. One thing I will caution users about is that it does contain a lot of essential oils, making it a less than ideal option for those with sensitive skin. At first application, I feared I may fall into that category, but my skin soon got used to the ingredients and I tolerate it well. I can put this on my lips and my undereyes, but I would hesitate to get to close to my eye makeup if I'm wearing any, as it does have a rendancy to dislodge my mascara if contact is made. Tarte Cheek Stain This type of product is not particularly new, nor is the concept of the multi-tasking lip and cheek stain. I've tried several of these over the years, starting with the old standby from Bonne Bell (remember those!?) that I still miss to this day. One of the things I've noticed about this type of product over the years is that the cream formulations (Like Stila's Convertible Color) in particular have a tendency to color-change once they're on my skin, and they seem to not have very good staying power, especially if you don't wear a lot of other makeup to "anchor" it to your face. The Gel formulas however (like Benefit's BeneTint), do tend to have more staying power, but they can be fussy to apply - you have to be quick before they dry, then your fingers are a mess. Also, the colors of the gel formulas traditionally have tended to be blueish, which for an olive-skinned or tanned person can be problematic. This one appeals to me because it comes in nine...yes nine shades, yet calls itself a stain. I haven't tried this one yet, so at the moment I'm living off of the promise that this is the product that will make my life work. Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look in a Palette I've always been wary of palettes, as I tend to be attracted to ones that do nothing other than reproduce shades that already exist in my collection. However, I make exception for this Charlotte Tilbury palette. Yes, it's a bit of a steep price tag for seven small palettes of color, but I think this is one of the only palettes I've ever seen that would work on just about every light to medium-hued skin color. When I think about all the cosmetic stuff I drag with me when I travel that I rarely ever touch once I'm at my destination, this sleek little palette suddenly seems like a much better deal. As much as I am a believer in budget products, I will give Tilbury her due for consistently being able to create products that look good on most people (her growing cult-favorite line of Pillow Talk products is another good example of this.) Once the humidity breaks this summer, I may very well be inclined to give this one a try - I can easily see myself packing for a trip packing only this thin little palette and a couple of skincare products.

A bit of a different background for you guys. I'm in the US at the moment, and yes, I had to fly back mid-pandemic. I am currently on day 9 of my quarantine, so my trips outside are sort of limited to workouts and outdoor socially-distanced dinners in my mom's back yard, which is where I snapped this with my iPhone. Flying in the middle of a pandemic wouldn't have been my first choice, but sometimes things cannot be helped. Anyway, so far so good. I wore all my super-sexy PPE gear on the plane (well, I wore a mask and goggles. Not the gown, gloves, and face shield), and overall people were pretty well-behaved. A few people got lazy with the masks mid-flight but the flight attendants were pretty quick to correct that. And just another reminder to everyone, if you're wearing your mask below your nose.....no. Just, no. That is tantamount to only pulling your bra up over one boob, or if you're a guy, pulling on your trousers but leaving the fly open and letting your family jewels hang out the opening. Just, cover both your nose and mouth, okay? Okay then. It is hot here. I mean HOT. I've been averaging two showers a day after workouts and being outside, and I have not put a stitch of makeup on the entire time I've been here. But what's good about the heat, besides actually getting to experience real summer, is that is that I finally get to wear this jersey dress I found at Gap about 100 years ago and have hardly worn. In Scotland it's just not all that climate appropriate. Normally I'm not really gravitating to black clothing all that much any more, nor would I think of it as a hot weather color, but this really is a perfect travel dress. The comfort of the heavy jersey fabric, the drape, the fact that it's long enough to be able to sit any way you like in it, but that the curve in the hemline on either side makes it easy to walk....it really is perfect for hot weather. Oh, and it doesn't wrinkle. Because I hate to iron. When travelling, unless it's some sort of special occasion or emergency, I'm probably not going to do it. Life is way too short for ironing. Gap dress (old), similar / M&F "Twister" straw hat / Target sandals (ancient), similar

I found this duster-style vest on Ebay for under $10, and thought I'd give it a try. Normally I don't have much use for clothes that are more form than function, and this is essentially just a big swath of fabric, and in a size larger than I usually wear, no less. However, I've discovered that in warmer weather, sometimes you might be bumping about the place in just a t shirt or tank top, then suddenly you go inside or out in public (not so much these days) and you feel sort of naked all the sudden. Doubly so if you live somewhere where they ride the air conditioning really hard. That's where this top comes in handy. Yes, it's essentially just a tablecloth-sized piece of fabric, but it hangs nicely, and gives-off a kind of dramatic swoosh when you move around in it that makes you feel all fancy, or maybe like a vampire stalking about in a cape or something. I don't know, it's just nicer than feeling a bit exposed in summer. Is it something that I'll wear a lot? Probably not, but in a pinch when you don't feel like getting changed and want to throw together some sort of look before running out the door? Absolutely.

This is a simple cotton shift dress made by the aptly named European brand Nude Atelier, and let me tell you...it is COMFY. Seriously you guys this thing is as comfy as a mumu. The dress came in my subscription box from Lookiero (who are not paying me, I hasten to add), which I do on-demand every once in a while just for inspiration. When I first laid eyes on this piece, it was one of those dresses that I normally would not have not given a second look to for so many reasons. It's midi-length (which I have always found a difficult length, although admittedly, it's growing on me), it has very little hanger appeal (okay, not the end of the world but still), it isn't a particularly colourful or eye-catching print (you know me well enough to know I like color and pattern), and overall, at first glance it seemed to be the sartorial equivalent of a massive yawn. That said, the entire reason I occasionally dip into the world of online stylist edit boxes is to try and push myself into things I might not ordinarily try. Well, that and it's also fun. And now that I've discovered that there is an "on-demand" setting for these subscription services, I feel more comfortable about doing them, as you can chose your deliveries to come only when you're feeling that your budget allows. This being a slip dress, I almost didn't try it on. Having been alive and in my 20s for the 1990s, in my mind slip dresses were and are the domain of those wraithlike girls that were a thing during that era. I can say with good authority that I am not, nor have I ever been one of those girls. I am, in the words of a riding instructor I work with from time to time, "built for work ". I consider this a high complement by the way, particularly in the context of having been sat atop one of his very well-appointed reining horses at the time. Anyway, this dress. It's made of the soft combed-cotton and is lined (also cotton). It breathes. It's roomy. It looks cool belted. It looks cool with my boots or with sandals. It's perfect for hot weather, or layering-up. And perhaps most importantly, it got me to try something new, and succeeded in closing the deal. If you're in the UK or Europe (sorry fellow Americans, they're not in the USA at this time) and want to give Lookiero a try, you can get 10% off by entering the code: LKKRISTIN2LBD Dress: Nude Atelier via Lookiero / Ariat belt / Dan Post "Heartbreaker" boots (old), similar / sterling silver star dangle earrings from a sale at TK Maxx, similar / Judith Ripka heart ring, Judith Ripka multiple heart ring (old), similar / Oasis bag (currently unavailbale), similar