The Dress Came Back

Dress: thrifted Laura Ashley
Shoes: Miz Mooz from Nordstrom Rack
Lipstick: Kiss Me Coral

I’ve worn this dress for blog photos a couple times before, but I realized I’d never shown it without a sweater, so here it is! This is one of the few clothing items I own that I’d never sell or give away. (Well, I’d give it to a daughter or a niece, but you know.)

I first saw this dress in the Laura Ashley store at South Coast Plaza (long gone now) when I was 11 or 12 years old. I was shopping with my mom and aunt and spotted it hanging on a side wall in a dark wood display area. I, of course, had no money at that age and would never ask for something so expensive, but I remember thinking it was the perfect vintage-style dress and obsessing over the sunburst print and the little waist tabs in front and back.

Then…amazingly…about 10 years ago, I found this dress at Quality Thrift in Montclair while shopping there with my mom! I could not believe it. The exact dress I’d wanted as a preteen. And I still loved it, and it was my size, and I’m still wearing it today at 31 years old. I love it even more now because it reminds me of spending time with my family and the ’90s.