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Ok, before you get all technical on me, this dress is probably not actually a muumuu. It has an empire waist and some crazy sleeves, and I doubt Hawaiians make their muumuus out of toile. It was also not super-well suited to the 98-degree weather we were having when we shot these photos (yes, in June!). But this dress is loose, comfy, and easy to wear, plus it captures the laid-back spirit of summer (and of Hawaii), so I think that makes it an honorary muumuu. That said, this dress is a lot of look. so let's jump right into how to wear it.



I have not shopped at Urban Outfitters in ages, but I saw this dress on The Cut and was influenced to buy it in under 10 seconds. (See, I get influenced too!) Turns out, it's from a collaboration between Laura Ashley and UO; I was a Laura Ashley SUPERFAN when I was in middle school but have not worn her English-countryside prints since, but the classic toile print mixed with a more trend-conscious just spoke to me. As you might imagine, this style is a bit polarizing; multiple women complimented me on it the day I wore it to wine country, but let's just say it's not Sean's favorite style. I think that can be mitigated with a little tailoring, however—this dress is absolutely huge, and while I tried to take it in at the bust with safety pins, what it really needs is a trip to the tailor. It comes in two sizes—I'm in the XS/S—and while the vibe is definitely nightgowny, it does have some really interesting pleating in the skirt, and the sleeves are major, in a good way. A little nip and tuck at the empire waist will make a world of difference, but for what it's worth, I wouldn't wear this dress and expect to get lucky, unless your mate has a Virginia Woolf fetish.



Are people still carrying Cult Gaia ark bags? Who cares! I still love mine, and while men might hate this dress, they love the bag (go figure). I seriously get more compliments from men when I carry it, than from women. Not that I'm dressing for either—I dress for me! Anyway, you last saw this bag with my dress-over-jeans look, also coincidentally a blue and white outfit. 



I had originally intended to wear more of a heeled sandal with this dress, but I was going to wine country and it was pretty freaking hot, so I just went with the sleepwear theme and wore these bow slides instead. I like how they tie together the colors of the dress with the stripes of the bag. (See, I actually did that on purpose!) These are several years old, but Sam Edelman more or less makes the same pair every year, so I've linked a more recent version.




Amusingly enough, we shot these photos mere feet from our front door, because it was so hot, we couldn't walk much further. When I first came back to blogging, we were always shooting in these picturesque locations, and while those can be fun, sometimes just a simple background will do. Which is exactly how I feel about this outfit.



OUTFIT DETAILS: Laura Ashley x UO toile dress | Cult Gaia Ark bag | Sam Edelman shoes