dress quest: the white maxi

I’ve been searching for a great white summer dress for decades now, it seems. Somehow it’s eluding me.

I’m imagining a drapey (a heavy silk-like cotton blend, imagine) white maxi dress with a casual Grecian look. Something like this, though this dress only looks the thing from the side, and upon investigation is no good.

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Last year I picked up this ‘Goddess Maxi’  from Victoria’s Secret. No longer on their site but you can still find it around. It’s a bit too formal, though, to meet the criteria of the quest. The fabric itself is a little fussy, heavy and stretchy with a slight slickness, and the gathering detail in the front also feels fancy to me. Pretty, but not the one.

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I considered their knife-pleat maxi, too,* but decided it’s better in color (I like the navy), and anyway it doesn’t come in white.

*I usually find Victoria’s Secret hopelessly tacky but once in a while I really like a piece of clothing, and I like their bikinis and their simple cotton underwear, too.

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Anybody have a recommendation for me?

I could also happily turn in the direction of a 40s midi dress, I think.

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If you see one like this, tell it I’d like to meet it.

images via pinterest

weekend distraction: Splendid apparel tops and dresses

I really like the loose, light look and draping of these Splendid tops and dresses. Ideal for summer, I suppose, but this is how I would like to dress throughout the year. The dresses gathered at the waist are excellent examples of that Grecian style I so love, a style that flatters so quietly, subtly, easy to throw on and no hindrance to the bearer. Great colors, too. I am thinking maybe if I am good I can get one…

[Images link to product vendor]

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Or this in white, instead of black. Imagine with a motorcycle jacket?

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Not sure about the gathering at the hems here but like the silhouette and the color.

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This shirt is maybe my favorite…not cheap but such beautiful lines and draping, and exactly my kind of green.