Butterfly Florals

When: Tuesday, June 7

It was finally a warm enough day to wear this dress the way it was meant to be worn (take a look at the end of this post for the different ways I made it work for cooler weather). I have always had a difficult time paying a lot for my clothes. I love a deal and look first at the clearance rack before ever looking anywhere else. Since I have started trying to live my life as a thrifter it has become even more difficult. I get a thrill when I add up the total cost of an outfit and it cost less than $20 for everything I am wearing.

So when I purchased this dress I was having a slight coronary at the cost. I purchased it at Marshall's and even with that being said I still paid $50 for it. I NEVER normally would spend that much but I loved the vintage feel of it. I was immediately hit by the West Side Story vibe it gave. West Side Story is one of my favorite movies and musicals. I just cannot get enough of Natalie Wood. So when I tried the dress on all I wanted to do was to start leaping and twirling. I don't think that you should ever pass up an item that makes you feel that good. So this is where I initiated my cost per wear philosophy. I am by no means the person who thought this up but it does make sense.

Philosophy: Look at cost per wear versus overall cost. I have already worn the dress a number of times so the $50 cost is now more like $10 since it has been worn 5 times (only posted 2 times). The cost per wear philosophy is that the more you wear an item the less it cost you per wear. This shows you the actual cost over time for the item you purchased. I have dresses, that were purchased long ago, that are still the same cost I purchased them for since I have only worn them a limited number of times. This is really bad since the philosophy is that you should be saving money by wearing an item a lot. Not a great purchase considering I have only worn them once:( Most were impulse purchases so that also is a bad purchase.

Since the tank wasn't appropriate for wearing at work I threw on my lace shirt, a belt, and my pearl statement necklace. It  is always amazing to me to see how an outfit can be transformed by simple little touches. ( I discussed this in an earlier post on Thursday, June 9 regarding the adding of a belt to a dress I was wearing.) The extra material of the shirt was easy to tuck into the belt so that it didn't hang to low. My lovely summer twirly dress becomes work place appropriate with minimal effort. Even better, since the lace shirt is airy I was able to be comfortable even on a hot 93 degree day.

This is a Butterfly Bush, so very beautiful. The blooms remind me of tiny little orchids. I think I am going to need to plant one of these in our yard. Simply lovely.

I was having a lot of fun on this shoot playing around with different angles and camera position. I have wanted to create my own images where I am laying on the ground. It was a bit tricky to get the angle right but in the end I am happy with the way the photos turned out after my first try. I have always loved taking pictures but now that I am taking them all of the time I am finding that I am getting more and more creative with my poses and set up. This has been a lot of fun for Otto and Ava, as well, since I have become more photojournalistic in my picture taking of them and they are not having to just sit still for photos anymore.

Enjoy!

XOXO,

Julie

Who:

Dress: Nine West (Marshall's, 2011)
Shirt: (Goodwill, 2011)
Shoes: (DSW, 2010)
Necklace: Lucy and Laurel (TJ Maxx)
Belt: Chico's (Gift From My In Law's)


I always forget that the dress has pockets! I love pockets!