Spots and stripes

Hi, Flock Together readers!  It's Sammi from The Soubrette Brunette, and today I'm remixing an awesome black dress from the lovely Elana from Room 334!  I love swapping with Elana for many reasons -- namely, she has great taste, we wear similar sizes and she's an all-around wonderful girl.  This dress is from eShakti, a brand I love dearly for their wide variety of styles, superb quality and huge range of customization options.  As a consumer, they give you a choice between buying numbered sizes (and give very specific measurements for their sizing) or having a dress made especially for your individual measurements.  I think this is an incredible business model, and I love having the opportunity to wear their high-quality clothes!

Outfit Details:

eShakti dress: swap from Elana

Tights and necklace: Forever 21

Red coat: eBay

Shoes: ModCloth

Boater hat: River Island

This cotton dress is a wonderful choice for warm summer weather, but it's heavy enough that it pairs well with tights for cooler weather.  I took these photos before our true spring weather had started, so I still needed a coat outside (the dress has adorable little cap sleeves).  I ended up wearing this dress out to dinner with some old friends after I took these, so for that, I swapped the red coat for a neutral tweed and opted for less playful tights and shoes.  But I love that this dress is versatile enough to handle several different kinds of styling.  It could easily be dressed up for a more formal occasion, too.  With all of the dresses in my closet, I surprisingly have only one LBD, and it's actually too formal to wear for more casual events.  Elana's dress is definitely inspiring me to get my hands on a more laid-back little black dress!

I love how Elana styled this on her own blog -- the addition of the belt and adorable salmon flats just shows how great a piece the dress is.  I'm also so infatuated with the slightly nautical feel of it -- both the knotted neckline and the skirt's stripes suggest something sea-worthy.  Check out her full post here.  :)

Have a great day!

xox Sammi