The $30 Midi Dress You Need in Your Closet This Fall

Here it is ladies! One of the easiest dresses to style for almost every occasion. And it’s just under $30!

It feels somewhat strange to be so in love with a floral piece. I remember back when I started this blog I was actually not a fan of florals at all. Yet here I am, swooning over one of the most floral-y floral pieces ever. Weird, right?

I know I’ve talked about my love for Shein many times before, and some may not care to order from them, and that’s totally fine. Life would look pretty boring if we all shopped at the same places. A lot of people seem somewhat misinformed about Shein when it comes to their quality though. Yes….some of it is garbage (always read the reviews!), but in my experience most of it is the same quality you might find at Nordstrom (the lower end stuff, of course), Zara, H&M, or Madewell etc. Their business model is based on volume (which is why their prices stay so low), and basically they act as wholesale suppliers for smaller boutiques as well, who then mark up their products exponentially (nothing wrong with that, that’s just business). So when you shop at Shein, you’re basically just cutting out the middle man.

Now as far as this dress goes, I ordered it in a large (as I typically do with most Shein, and other fast fashion purchases) to make sure I had plenty of room for my athletic ‘man back’ and broad shoulders. It’s definitely a bit too roomy for me, but I actually like it that way. I would much rather have my clothing be too loose, vs too tight. And yall know I often tweak things with the sewing machine if it’s too extreme, but I think I’ll leave this dress as is. I love the sheer sleeves, and contrasting ruffled hem detail. Just a really fun, effortless, and uber feminine dress to throw on in a pinch, and the silhouette will flatter nearly all body types.

It would be perfect for an outdoor early fall wedding with some black or nude strappy heels, an extra wide belt to cinch the empire waistline, a simple clutch, and a chic up-do. Or give it a boho-casual vibe in the spring with your favorite leather sandals, a straw bag (I own this one and absolutely love it), some loose waves, and top it with a wide brim hat (like my favorite Janessa Leone “Gloria” hat that I’ve been wearing for years now…there’s a cheaper option here).

I’m going to spare you all from reading my usual ramblings today, as I have to hop over to my Krakow travel post to try and get that wrapped up (finally), and tend to Gatsby who is 10 days out from his disc repair surgery. And yes, that’s the same surgery Gertie had to have just four months ago at the beginning of June, and she’s still doing rehab to recover from it.

Speaking of which….as I type this I’m sitting in our bed, which now only consists of a king sized mattress on our bedroom floor. Three out of three of our current frenchies have now had herniated discs that needed to be surgically repaired (thank goodness for pet insurance!), so even though we’ve been told there’s really no way to prevent these incredibly painful herniations from happening, we’re trying to find ways to minimize risk. We did have doggy steps to help them get on and off the bed safely, but these kids are total loons and go flying off the side of the bed onto the hardwood floor if they hear even the slightest suspicious noise (insert facepalm here). We’re also looking into building a ramp to replace the stairs that lead down to the back yard, as they tend to go flying down those too. Seriously, it’s their world and we’re just living in it.

I also have some more travel planning to do for our upcoming 10 year anniversary trip to France. I’ve only talked about this trip on IG, so if you’re not following along there, here’s the scoop….

Michael and I booked this trip kinda on a whim after I found some cheap flight deals through KLM (the dutch airline). My wheels had only started spinning as a result of a friend asking for advice on planning her and her hubby’s 10 year anniversary trip, so I started looking up cheap flight options to Europe to show her that it was nearly the same cost in some cases as flying from South Carolina to Napa Valley. I got lucky and found some really great deals….and then promptly shared them with Michael and convinced him we needed to take an anniversary trip too (which was a pretty easy sell). So we’ll be spending 10 days exploring some French wine regions, and I am SOOOOO FREAKING PUMPED! I’m really hoping for some good weather bc we plan to spend some time biking through the vineyards in Alsace and in Burgundy, so crossing my fingers it doesn’t rain too much! The Christmas markets should be open in most places too, which is one of my favorite things about traveling to Europe this time of year. We’re ending our trip in Nice, and the last time we were there was during our first trip to Europe as newlyweds. It looks like our favorite restaurant is still in business too….nine year later. If it’s still good, I’ll be sure to share it in a future blog post:)

Eek…I guess I didn’t really spare you all from my ramblings. Sorry guys!! I try harder next time;)

Have a great week yall!