What I Wore: Not for Sale

Nothing in this outfit is for sale. Nothing is currently available in stores, and most pieces are over two years old. Not only that, this is the end of summer and stores and full of booties and sweaters, not sundresses and sandals. So finding "similar" pieces is near impossible. But I'm sharing this outfit because these pieces are several years old. Because they are good buys, and proof that you don't have to spend a lot or purchase new each season to be well dressed and appropriately dressed for any occasion.

This dress is from cabi. It's an awesome stretchy jersey that drapes nicely, doesn't cling, and is thick enough to hide things like VPL. At cabi Scoop they had a warehouse full of previous season clothing for sale at a steep discount. I didn't try it on, but knew the brand well enough to guess at my size. It's been a favorite this summer, I dress it up with wedge sandals and gold jewelry, but also wear it for running errands with some sandals or my shelltops. The quality matters; I've bought similar concept dresses from discount and big box retailers and have to retire them after a season. This one has been in the washer and dryer a dozen times and looks the same; I know it will get just as much wear next summer.

These sandals are from Softspots. I bought a pair at Nordstrom many many years ago and wore the HECK out of them. They went with me to Bonnaroo and Forecastle music festivals they were so comfortable. When my first pair died, I found a second pair of these discontinued sandals on eBay. And this pair is literally falling apart, some of the straps have separated from the sole. But I wear them anyway, and on this day I walked over three miles in them. I haven't been able to find similar in wide width and am afraid next summer will be the absolute last summer these will live.

Dress: cabi | Shoes: Softspots | Necklace: gift | Hat: Banana Republic | Sunglasses: Ray-Ban (okay one item is for sale!)

In 2007, Karl quit his miserable job and went to Mexico for yoga teacher training. When there, he bought me this black coral necklace. It's a good luck charm for me, I've worn it several times on the blog over the years and even more off the blog.

I bought this hat from Banana Republic earlier this summer. It's hard to find a hat that doesn't look stupid on me or is too small (I have a big noggin). This one fits, fits my personal style, and is really comfortable. I've worn it to the pool, the beach, the garden, the farmer's market, sitting out watching my town's Labor Day parade. It's still in great shape, will likely be worn a couple more weeks then hung up in the closet awaiting spring.

This look was for a long day. As a family we took a walk to the lake in town, walked around the lake, then up to the town farmer's market. We grabbed snacks and iced coffee and sat on a grassy hill in the shade chatting with friends. Ran a couple errands and carried all our purchases back home. Still in this outfit, we walked down to our plot at the community garden to water and pick ripe produce. Back at the house, still in this dress (but different shoes) I weeded all the gardens and tried to battle the English ivy that wants to creep onto every square inch of my property. By the end I was sweaty and dirty but the whole time I was comfortable and confident. Sometimes the best items in your closet aren't the new or flashy ones.