novel dress: classics

romeo and juliet by william shakespeare // forbidden romance floral dress

I'm not sure how I unlocked this strange fascination, but I cannot get enough of matching dresses and literature (see my first and second novel dress posts!). I tried to keep it classic with these choices, which was a fun challenge. So far I've only included books that I know and love, but this collection includes two stories I haven't actually read yet -- Little Women and The Wizard of Oz. Looking through book lists, especially of classic books, always heavily reminds me of my ever-growing to-read list. I'm sure my life will be spent constantly adding to that list, which is both exciting and depressing considering the time restraints on life. I hope there's a very big library in heaven.

This post is partially inspired by Ruche extending their sitewide Perfect Match Sale for 1 more day! It ends tonight at midnight. Which means that every dress in these posts (including the sale dresses!) is an extra 25% off. Shopping is a great way to fight those midweek blues.

Enjoy!

the adventures of sherlock holmes by sir arthur conan doyle // night at the theatre dress

treasure island by robert louis stevenson // marcelline printed dress

the great gatsby by f. scott fitzgerald // constellation sequins dress

the wizard of oz by l. frank baum // pebble lane colorblock dress

little women by louisa may alcott // trixie polka dot dress

moby dick by herman melville // jemima dress

emma by jane austen // leanne lace dress

a tale of two cities by charles dickens // love in bloom floral dress

the hobbit by j.r.r tolkien // winter solstice dress

novel dress

the lies of locke lamora by scott lynch // garden district dress

Have you ever come across a dress or an accessory that distinctly reminds you of something you've read, or of a character that you adore? 

I have recently been reading The Lies of Locke Lamora, a shockingly fantastic book by the daring Scott Lynch. (Warning: it's crude and sometimes violent. Think Venice, but add gallons more blood, crime and wicked genius. And also, you should read it.) It has been swimming around my mind constantly, and when I happened across that vibrant floral dress above, I immediately thought Camorr! Which obviously means nothing to you if you haven't read it, but it's the island city where the book takes place. It's a delightful place to be a thief. (Update: I totally bought this dress!).

Intrigued, I continued browsing on Ruche, making a new game of finding dresses that remind me of books and characters that I love. I thought I would share a collection of my favorites with you. 

If you've read any of the books below, what do you think of my selections? And if you haven't, you're welcome for loading up your wishlist. You can also follow me on Goodreads if you want to be bookish friends. 

Happy Friday!

anne of green gables by l.m. montgomery // lavender fields floral dress

peter pan by j.m. barrie // pixie dreams floral dress

daughter of smoke and bone by laini taylor // canyon horizon dress

harry potter and the sorcerer's stone by j.k. rowling // last kiss dress 

the ocean at the end of the lane by neil gaiman // midnight sky dress

pride and prejudice by jane austen // mossy path dress

i capture the castle by dodie smith // marvelous night dress

the book thief by markus zusak // dots knit dress

the secret garden by frances hodgson burnett // whimsical garden quilted dress

(read novel dress: children's books!)

5to5: weekday remix

I've seen several fashion blogs do remix posts to showcase a particular item of clothing in multiple outfits.
Remixing is a great way to challenge yourself to draw inspiration from the items in your closet!

Elizabeth from Delightfully Tacky has some great "Remixology" posts that have served as my inspiration for this "5to5" project.
I reference her blog often, because it's one of the only blogs I check on an almost daily basis. I love her unique style and her thoughtful posts.

In any case, I decided to grab 5 standard items from my closet and see how I could create 5 different outfits out of those items.
I've learned a lot over the past year or so about how to utilize one item for many purposes, and I'm always intrigued by new challenges.

Yesterday my barista at Starbucks said, "Okay, I have a question for you: do you ever wear the same thing twice? I've served you for a while now, and I don't think I've ever seen you in the same outfit."

I took this as a pretty great compliment, because I've tried my best to keep my wardrobe fresh!

The Five: 
1. A neutral blazer
2. A maxi skirt
3. Colored denim
4. Lace top
5. Polka-dot dress

I chose items that I feel like everyone has (or maybe should invest in, if not!) in their basic closet collection.
These items are great staples for the spring, and are easily transitioned into other seasons as well.

Accessories: classic sunglasses (similar!) from Ruche / bow belt from LOFT / white bow flats / lavender crossbody bag (similar) from Target / mint crossbody bag (similar) from Primark in London / Cookie Lee necklace + bracelet / Noon earrings (shop!)

Outfit 1:
Dress (shop!) / Blazer (similar) : LOFT

This is classic workday attire.
It completely slipped my mind until I started working on this post that this entire first outfit is from LOFT!
While I bought/received all of the items at separate times, they work pretty well together!
I love this new polka-dotted dress, it reminds me of 101 Dalmatians. The dots are imperfect, with a smudged quality that reminds me of the art throughout one of my favorite Disney movies!

Outfit 2:
Dress: LOFT (shop!), Top: Ruche

I love the idea of layering a lace top over a dress.
It's so feminine, and adds a lot of opportunity to dress up a few casual dresses for a more elaborate look. Add a belt at the waist for some more silhouette definition and you're good to go!

Outfit 3:
Skirt: Primark in London, Top: Ruche

I also used a solid navy tank to wear under the lace top.
I'm still unsure how I feel about maxi skirts/dresses. They always feel a bit too dressy for me, and that's possibly because my work is so casual.
I picked this skirt up on our trip to London because I'm a sucker for stripes, and I also am eager for more touches of navy in my wardrobe. I look forward to experimenting with more remixes of this one!

Outfit 4:
Skirt: Primark in London

I absolutely love the idea of using a longer skirt as a dress!
It may not work for every long skirt (and I'm not a huge fan of strapless anyway) but I think playing around with colored cardigans and big necklaces would be so fun with this striped pattern.
It would be so easy to transition this look from workday to date night out with just a few accessories. So many options!

Outfit 5:
Colored denim: Ruche, Top: Ruche

Outfits 1 and 5 are probably my favorite out of them all, and seem to be the most "me".

I really love my coral pants. They were my first pair of colored denim, and every time I put them on I remember how much I love them. They're so comfortable and bright. I look forward to wearing them more and more this spring!

This was my first attempt at taking my own pictures via tripod, and I was too scared to venture outside of our apartment (these were taken on the strip of balcony behind our row of apartments).
I'll hopefully be attempting 5to5 posts every couple of weeks, so until then:
What are your thoughts on some of these outfit ideas?