Always be well DRESS’d

It’s May, kicking off with Mother’s Day and for many of us, carrying on to a month of springtime events. It looks like our social calendars are beginning to bloom again! But do we even remember how to socialize?! lol We can grope our way through that together!

So here’s MY big question: what are we going to wear?! The simple (and always fashionable) answer – a dress of course! I say that it’s high time we refresh our closets with some updated pretty spring dresses. I did… and I’m sharing them with you in this article.

In the words of Meryl Streep’s character in The Devil Wears Prada – “floral for spring? Groundbreaking.” But, duh Miranda Priestly… it’s floral season, baby!

I saw this tropical print dress on the rack at Winners and took a second look. With tie-up spaghetti straps, it will be a great option come summer.

While currently, there’s no heatwave – I think that it’s appropriate to begin to summon the sun! This inexpensive dress is certainly more budget-friendly than a trip to Maui. (And it’s all I have for now!) I like to imagine that I’m carrying some of that happy, vacationer vibe with me wherever I go! Want some?!

Because this print is large and in charge (and I wanted to keep the overall look intentionally put-together) I pulled back on my urges and kept my accessories classic. And yet – there’s always a touch of playfulness with hoops, donchya think? These gold ones are my go-to’s these days. They are by Joe Fresh, available at Superstore or Shoppers. Rounded flat metal in a soft and bright shade of gold.

The tie-up shoulder straps are a sweet detail that you can really show off when you add a lightweight sweater. I love how pretty the bows show up against the soft pink.

The final accessory I paired with this look was of course the shoe. These are a nude basket-weave mule by Vince Camuto. This type of shoe is about to enter it’s second year on the trend list… but what I love is that they are a sneaky nod to the tropical theme. I love, love, love a nude shoe to elongate the leg. Since the dress is longer and quite bold, these slides provide the perfect optical illusion!

Green dress, who this? If I’m honest, I’m still a little surprised at myself for buying this dress! lol But I’m so glad I did. There’s nothing like taking a step out of your own ‘style box’ to see things from a fun, new perspective! Let this green dress be an invitation for you to try a new colour this season, too!

Okay, so green dress… now what? hehe It’s time to ‘Kyla-it-up’ with accessories!

Tying this fun, pink silk scarf as a headband was the pin-up-inspired touch needed. It really brought this dress into a whole new era and gave the look character galore. The earrings with straw detail provided another pop of pink, bringing in some cabana flare. A bracelet to match and pink lips"? Done and done!!

Silk scarves are popping up everywhere this spring. I snagged this sweetie from H&M. It’s a great place to try out the trend at an affordable price.

These white sandals are also from Nordstrom and they are honestly – so GOOD. They have a chunky block heel that’s covered with finely woven straw. I mean… c’mon!

Last but not least, this lil swing dress packs a punch! Red? Orange? Coral? I can’t even put my finger on what to call the shade – but it sure reminds me of tropical punch!

Fashioned out of a crepe material with chunky lace details, this is as easy breezy as it gets! It’s the ultimate dress-it-up, dress-it-down scenario… so I thought I would share it both ways!

I’m feeling how these brown Kate Spade sunnies really set a golden toned hue. Bronzy shades sure look nice and set the dress aflame! Fire, baby! I paired the look with oversized silver toned hoops. I love the look of bright silver silver against sun-tanned skin.

In keeping with the golden goddess tones, I wore my nude slides once again. Hello legs! Well, okay – I’m only 5’3” so I’ll take every bit of help I can get!

Caution - beware of dresses with a drop waist at the back… they are liable to emphasize the booty… which can be a good thing, if you want it to be!

Time to dress-it-down with beach-chic accessories!

If you’ve been hanging out with me over on insta, you already know about my white Birk wannabe’s from H&M! They were only around $30-something (kinda like me! ha!) I’ll keep working on my bottled bronze, cause I feel like the clean white straps are going to look super fresh with tanned legs.

Finish the look off with a jean jacket for the road. I choose lighter denim with this poppin red dress, of course. Since the red is saturated, I love how the light wash denim plays against it. Its the perfect contrasting colour shade! (But that’s the graphic designer in my starting to show!) hehe