October in the Air

For most of my life I avoided wool like the plague. When I was growing up, I think we had a couple of scratchy wool blankets in the house, and my mom would occasionally pick up a wool sweater for me for winter, and I always associated the fabric with being uncomfortable and itchy. That didn't really start to change until I bought a couple of vintage cashmere sweaters, which were soft as a dream - after that, I really started to learn to love a cozy woolen piece.

All that is to say that a few years ago, I wouldn't have given this gorgeous dress a second look! Sturdy, stylish, and gorgeously autumnal in color, it's the kind of item that you could pull out of your closet day in and day out as the weather turns chilly, by itself early in the season, or with a jacket as we move into November and December.

Although the silhouette is relatively modest, with the long sleeves and high neck, there's something about the detailing on the bodice that I find a little bit sultry. It's got a kind of "sexy secretary" thing going on that's really appealing to me for some reason.

This dress is just a little bit big on me, but my trusty elastic waist belt solved that issue easily enough. Actually, on a side note, I bought this belt a month or two ago, and I find that I wear it constantly. It just solves so many wardrobe issues - if something's a little big, if a waist seam is sitting too high on me, or even if a skirt is a little too small in the waist and makes me look squished, it seems to fix it. So far I've only got this black one, but I will definitely be ordering more colors in the near future.

Anyway, I'm writing this while I wait to leave for the airport - I'm headed to Austin, Texas for a few days! I've never been, but everyone that I've mentioned it to immediately exclaims about how cool it is, so I'm really excited to get out there and explore. Hopefully I'll have some fun vacation snaps to share when I get home.

Dress: c/o Margaret Ann, available soon on Ooh La La 1930-1962 via Facebook
Belt: Amazon
Shoes, earrings: Gifts