I guess we’re officially into the dog days of summer. We’re having our hottest temperatures of the season thus far this week, and I’m dressing for comfort and ease. I thought you might want to do the same. So today I’m styling a simple, comfortable, summer dress three ways. It’s a sweet one! But even if you don’t need a new dress, maybe you’ll get a little style inspiration for whatever your summer day may bring.
First, meet the dress. I’m wearing a very soft and easy-to-wear polo style dress from Nordstrom’s house brand, Caslon. Over the past few years, Caslon has become one of my go-to brands for soft, cool and comfortable summer dresses. If you look back over my summer blog posts, you’ll see that I’ve shared one or more almost every year. They’re generally very affordable dresses that run true to size and are well made with some nice details.
For instance, this navy polo style dress (also available in a nice green), is constructed in a stretchy organic-cotton blend that is pleasantly breathable, soft and very forgiving. It’s heavy enough not to show every lump, bump and bulge (ahem!), but not so thick to be hot or heavy. Perfection. And I love the gathering at the back of the dress along the yoke, the gently cuffed sleeves, the patch pocket on the front and the hidden button placket at the neckline. Great details that elevate this dress just a notch or two.
And look how pretty the stitching is on this dress. Just really nice. I also appreciate the slightly worn look of the dress, keeping it very casual and on trend. The dress runs true to size; I’m wearing a medium very comfortably.
Of course it’s not hard to style such a sweet, simple summer dress. But little details do speak volumes against such a blank background. So for the first look I wore my cognac colored sandals (or here) and carried my straw market bag with straps in a similar shade of leather.
This is definitely how I would wear this dress for a casual lunch with friends and running errands. I think the pops of cognac look very modern and help pull the look together in a visually appealing way without looking overdone.
Next I styled the dress very simply for a trip to the park with grandkids. (One day soon!!!)
Readers sometimes request to see a dress in a sitting position, so I try to remember to oblige. I get it. A dress can do all sorts of wonky things when you sit down. But this casual summer dress behaves oh so nicely. So it’s truly perfect for hanging with the grandkids or doing work around the house. You can easily bend and move and sit in this dress.
For this on-the-move look I styled the dress with my On Cloud 5 running shoes (also here). I don’t actually run in this, though I’m sure you could. I just love wearing them for comfort and ease. I love that the laces are strung for just slipping your foot in and out, and they fit so comfortably and run true to size. LOVE these shoes! And yes, it’s actually very on trend to wear running style sneakers with your dress, especially for a very casual setting.
If you want to wear no-show socks with your sneakers, I highly recommend these or these, depending on how low you want the profile to be.
Moving on, I styled the dress one more way, this time for a very informal date night. I’m envisioning dinner at James’ favorite Cincinnati chili restaurant (he’s a Gold Star guy, by the way – IYKYK) followed by ice cream at Graeter’s.
Of course James would be fine with me wearing either of the other two combinations, too. But this time I swapped in nude colored sandals (more economical option) and a slightly more elevated shoulder bag in a similar tone.
It’s a subtle tweak really. But remember, flesh toned shoes (your flesh tone) of any kind will elongate your legs visually and create a nice, uninterrupted line that looks really nice and a little more polished.
So the moral of the story? You can get more distance out of that simple, comfortable, summer dress than you may have thought. Try some other shoes with the ones in your closet. Or check out the selection I found from Caslon in the shopping widget below. They have so many great dresses at very reasonable prices.
Oh, and by the way, this was not a sponsored post. I just happen to really like Caslon at Nordstrom for comfy, sweet summer dresses. I always tell you if a post is sponsored at the top of the post. Thanks for dropping in. I hope you enjoyed the post. I appreciate you so much!
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Blessed for My Day
Have you ever been asked, “Which would you like to hear first? The good news or the bad news?” Sure you have. I never know which to pick! In Acts 27:22, Paul shares some good news and some bad news with his shipmates. The ship they are on will be destroyed. But no lives will be lost. Ha! As much as I’d be relieved that I wouldn’t die, I would not be looking forward to my ship crashing and me ending up in the turbulent sea.
But there was more. After delivering the good news and the bad news, Paul shared the best news. “I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.” You see the best news was that God was very much in control and He would not be taken by surprise. Today you may need to hear that, too. Maybe you’ve heard some good news…or some bad news. But remember the best news and take heart. God is still in control, you can trust Him and, while things in your life may or may not be okay, you’re definitely going to be okay.
“So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.” ~ Acts 27:25
You’re right! That was one GREAT BLESSING at the end!! Loved that! And I also liked dress….. but I feel like it would hit a bit short on me! But I do like that it’s casual, has a collar, and has sleeves (sleeveless is also not my best look!) Thanks for all your hard work, …. ALWAYS!
Thanks Kathy. I don’t know how tall you are, but I am 5’8″.
I like the dress and I would enjoy wearing it. It surprised me how much I did like it because I don’t like polo shirts. Maybe I just like long ones! In addition to my new appreciation of “polo” style, I learned what IYKYK means as well as Gold Star chili, I had no clue what either of those were, so of course I had to do an online search. I’m always late to the party 🙂
Hahaha! I’m always having to learn those things, too. And I had no idea about Cincinnati chili until I moved here. It is an acquired taste for sure. Somewhere between traditional Italian spaghetti and chili. It’s actually got cinnamon in it. Anyhow, we’re going there tonight!
What a very interesting dress , the more I looked the more I liked it 👌🏻Thank you Kay for all your hard work and your great sense of humour . Hope you and James had a great night ? . Yes definitely loved the BFMD , me personally I would always rather have the bad news first so I can process it then get excited at the good news , but the Scripture is so rigjt we really do have to trust in God who has our best interests at heart ❤️
Hi Kay, I like the various ways you styled this dress. I have a similar dress, and I am enjoying it but wasn’t sure how to ‘elevate’ it for errands and other casual wear. Wearing it with the straw purse and coordinating cognac sandals would give it that look I’m trying for. And I do take my grandkids to the playground. What a great idea to pair the dress with sneakers!