How To Style a Red Midi Dress With Ruffles? Summer in the City

Before I focus on fashion aspect of this post and start to talk volumes about this gorgeous coral red dress, I'm going to give you a little health update and explain my absence. Unfortunately, recovering from a  failed thyroplasty implant surgery is taking longer than I expected. To add insult to injury, I was feverish for the last few days. It seems that I have also caught a bad cold, and that is probably why I was feeling so dreadful last week. It's just my luck, to catch a cold during my first postoperative week. This morning I have finally felt a bit better (yessss!), and I went to see another doctor who told me that I was not a good candidate for this surgery but what is done is done. No point in crying over spoiled milk. Now I should really focus on recovering and getting better. Even if I decide on it, another operation will have to wait a few months. It might all sound like a complete catastrophe, but I'm a firm believer that we can and should learn from every experience and I have certainty learned a few good lessons from this unpleasant experience. One of them is to always be grateful for what we have, even if it is something as simple as having a moment to stop and  admire beautiful blossoms.

On the upper side, I managed to get some reading done, six books to be more precise. If you try, you can always find some positive in the negative, right? In the last two weeks, I read Pavilion of Women by Pearl S. Buck, Her Lover by Maksim Gorky, Black Spring by Henry Miller, The Brethren by John Grisham, Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes and Lazarus by Leonid N. Andreyev.  Among these six books, only two stole my hearth. However, these two were so good that they could make hospitalization worth while. Do you want to know which two I liked so much? Pavilion of Women by Pearl S. Buck and Lazarus by Leonid N. Andreyev. I will have to talk more about these two works in the future, because I feel they have already had such a major influence on me, and it's only been about a week since I read them.

I want to (warmly) recommend Pavilion of Women to you. It's a novel by Nobel prize winning USA writer Pearl S. Buck. It's an amazingly profound book, full of subtle meaning and well rounded characters. I can easy recommend it as one of the best novels I have ever read! I was so touched while I was reading it, that I got teary eyed. Hadn't I been in the public, I would have cried. At the same time, it's such a comforting novel. On the other hand, I'm not sure how to recommend Lazarus, a short story by an acclaimed Russian writer Leonid N. Andreyev. I'm not a fan of horror, I never read it, but I absolutely loved this.  Lazarus has to be the best horror story ever written. Perhaps it is unjust to call it horror? It's a philosophical story, but one that can make your blood run cold. It might not be everyone, but God the writing is absolutely brilliant and it is unlike anything that I have ever read before- coming from a bookworm it has to mean something!

Aaaaaand now I'm ready to talk fashion. Ruffles, ruffles....what is better than a dress with ruffles? Maybe a dress with ruffles and fringes? I feel like this midi is such a statement dress. First of all, its coral red colour. Isn't it so eye-catching? This dress was actually an unplanned purchase. While I was strolling the city with my significant other, he saw a friend of his (who is a shop owner) and we stopped for a chat. Long story short, she pulled this dress out and said that this is THE dress for me, because coral red is my colour. Who am I to contradicting her, right? So, I tried on the dress. My husband was all thumbs up, so I had to buy it, but I did like it as well, just as much as he did. Besides the colour, which is utterly gorgeous, I like both the cut and the design of this dress. A midi dress with bare shoulders, high neck, ruffles and fringes? Sign me in! Isn't it fabulous when you find that one item that embodies all the things you love. I'm crazy about ruffles and fringes, I love statement sleeves and midi length. This really is THE dress for me. I can't wait to think of other ways to style it!

The way I ended up styling this red midi dress was with this tote bag from by redbubble shop. I ordered it to make sure that the quality of their merchandise is satisfactory since I opened a shop with them and all, but I liked this bag so much that I ended up wearing it all the time. Besides, I thought it might be fun to wear a tote bag with a dress that is this glam because it is not the first thing that comes to mind. My outfit proposal of the way is all about city styling. I wore this dress for a walk, hence I paired it with sandals that are comfortable enough. To complete the look,  I choose a statement turquoise necklace. I would say that turquoise matches coral red nicely. I wondered whether this necklace was too much, since this dress is loud enough on its own, but I think they actually match nicely. A statement dress worn with a statement necklace? Why not? It's summer, after all. When are we going to get playful with fashion if not during the summer?

Speaking of summer, what is your opinion about summer in the city? Are you the kind that is counting the days until your summer getaway and far away vacation, dreaming of lonely islands, isolated beaches, natural parks and mountains, or are you content to spend the summer in the city you live in? I was just talking with my uncle the other day, and he said how many young people are actually refusing to leave the city they live in during summer because there are so many activities, festivals and exhibitions going on during this period. Friends of his have a summer house at the Adriatic coast but their kids won't go near it because the city life is too interesting at the moment. So, there you go! Even if you're stuck in the city for the summer (like myself), it's not the end of the world. You can still enjoy summer. For me personally, it doesn't matter that much where I am. I'm a summer lover. As long as I'm not in a hospital, it's all good. I would hate to spent another summer in the hospital (like I did last year). Fingers crossed it doesn't happen this year. Yes, I'm very content to stroll the streets and enjoy that summer warmth. I do my best to stay away from the sun, as I realized that too much sun exposure  makes me feel tired and drained. I love summer, but I do my walks either early in the morning, or late in the afternoon. Night is a lovely time for summer walks as well. 

How are you spending your summer? Are you using it to spend more time outdoors? Are you the type that typically reads more during summer? I typically enjoy reading no matter the season, but summer reading can be very sweet. That mental picture of an oversize straw hat, a cocktail and a good book comes to mind immediately once we think of summer, doesn't it? There is something very comforting about reading outdoors. You feel yourself prepared to tackle even the most depressive of the great classical books. One thing that makes me happy is knowing that I can pick up one of my favourite books and reread it. Literature is truly such a comfort. You know, I've been thinking about parallels between fashion and clothes. There are more of them than we sometimes realize. Sometimes I feel like fashion is, like literature, all about telling stories. All our clothes have a story to tell. About ourselves, about themselves, about the time and the context we live in. It's all very interesting, isn't it? Art and fashion are a lot alike. They are about expressing ourselves, but they are also about interaction. 

I have already presented this tote bag in this outfit post, but here is a closer view of it. If you scroll down, you'll be able to see positioned next to my illustrations. It's fun how an illustration can turn into a design. Fashion and art can be so interconnected! I feel like I'm learning more about links between these two every day. Unless I'm mistaken, I drew this illustration last summer. Who knew it can be turned into a cute tote bag print? I mentioned earlier that I've been wearing this bag non stop. Well, despite of that, recently I have gifted it to my aunt. I though it would be cool if I gave her something that had my drawing on it. That made me realize that I could use my art to give personalized gifts to people. It's cool there are online shops specialized for that, but I would also like to contact some local manufacturers. I know there are t-shirt shops where you can have your ideas printed on a t-shirt, so I might try ordering some t-shirts that way. It just seems like a cute gift idea. Naturally, I gift my art often enough, but sooner or later my family and friends are going to ran out of wall space, so this is a good alternative, I would say. 

That would be all for today.  As always thank you for reading. Have a fabulous weekend! xoxo

OUTFIT :
Dress: no name (slightly similar options here and here)
Sandals: no name (pretty similar option here)
Bag: here
Necklace: online shop

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