... And The First Dress Of Summer!

I told you in my previous post here of my First Date Night of Summer.  Worth putting some effort into dressing for it then, huh?

So I've set myself a little tradition.  It is when the summer dress gets its first outing!

The first few times I was unsure of the dress code for this AGM "date", so kept my options open, like in this demo here.  I now know the dress code is that old chestnut, smart casual, but it's with a twist.  My twist.  I must wear a dress!

These have all been First Dress in previous years.

 

 

East dress with La Redoute slinky cardi. 

The Photographer likes this combo so it gets worn a lot.  By me, I hasten to clarify!

 

 These dresses featured here have been previous FDoS title holders and the old go-to on the right was the lucky title holder this year.

 

Are you spotting a bit of a trend coming through?  Flowers?

Last year I wore a black linen shift with an ivory silk/linen jacket - didn't feel right.  No flowers. Turns out, they're what marks the occasion for me.
First Summer Dress = 1. A dress, bien sur! 2. Flowers.
So this year, flowery returned.

You see, because it's the first summer dress outing, I tend to remember what I wore previously. And I analyse.  Pretty sad really, considering First Date is a rather serious AGM affair.  But that's me!

 

And here's the truly sad thing. Because it's my first summer "date" I tend to go all "Girls' World". 

Girls' World?  I try a mountain of dress/cardi combos. 
I stand in front of a mirror taking bad photos.

 

 

 I try on a crazy amount of jackets ... that, on reflection, look pretty much the same eh?! 
Welcome to My World!

But it truly isn't a waste of time and effort.  In my eyes at least.  Because during the GW process I identify little outfits - which cardi goes with which dress for semi-casual and which jacket with the dress for smarter casual.  That sort of thing.  I hang the combo together on a hanger.  Sometimes I spot a perfect necklace or scarf and that goes on the hanger too.  Then, when I'm getting dressed in a rush - occasionally (read always) - I just grab the hanger and there is no deliberation.  Simples.
A little while spent in Girl's World saves me a huge amount of time (and angst!) going forward, sometimes for years ahead if the combo is a keeper.

So that's my tip for you today, dear reader.  Before a special event, or at the beginning of the season, spare some time to put together a few go-to outfit hangers.  Speedy, fret-free dressing ... and maybe even time for a sophisticated sip of Sancerre (nice alliteration, Pout!) whilst your nails dry!

Is there an event that marks the start of summer for you?

Have you set up any personal dressing tradition for it?

Do you enjoy a Girls' World session in the lead-up to an event or a new season?
 

A la perchoine.