Ok, ok…I know what you’re thinking…this outfit isn’t new. In fact, it’s the exact same outfit as I’m wearing here. The only difference is I’m wearing a little white dress (LWD), instead of a little black dress (LBD). But before you send me into style blogger time-out, let me explain…
Not usually a chick-flick kind of girl, I’m a bit smitten with a little film called Under the Tuscan Sun. No, no…it’s not the story line I love. It’s the clothes!
The movie follows a newly divorced American (Diane Lane) as she navigates a new life in beautiful Tuscany, Italy. The cinematography is beautiful, but really, anything filmed in Tuscany has to be beautiful, right? The American expatriate characters take on very romanticized wardrobes, and I only hope I would traipse around in Italy wearing something similar (probably not, because I’m a frumpy American…but whatev.). *digging around for my fanny pack*
If you’ve ever seen Under the Tuscan Sun, you may remember this scene filmed in an Italian sea-side town. Diane Lane runs around in a simple, but impeccable little white dress, finished with a black belt and heels. This dress drives me crazy, and my thoughts the first time I ever saw this scene was, “must…have…that…dress!”
So, I searched for a little white dress…and searched…and searched…
This was before the wonderful petite community…before the Alterations Needed Forum…before the Alterations Needed blog…I was searching all by my lonesome, and out of desperation, I purchased a size xxs white linen wrap dress from Calipso St. Barth on final sale…
And it was wrong…so very wrong. It was too long, and the sleeves were puffy, and it was just “off”. The internet told me linen shrinks…so I repeatedly fried the heck outta this dress in the drier. I took it to a tailor and had the length chopped off. I asked the tailor to fix the puffy sleeves, but he made them worse. I took it to another tailor (my beloved West Los Angeles tailor), and she made the fabulous decision to remove the puffy sleeves altogether.
But it’s still off. Because it’s a wrap dress, I can’t wear a contrasting belt with it like I want to. And because it was not made for petite women, the waistline is too low. It’s see-through, so I need to wear a full slip underneath, making sure nothing moves around or peeks out. It has sat in my closet, worn only once, and it makes me sad.
So, when I discovered seersucker jackets go well with LBD’s, I had the epiphany to see if they go well with LWD’s. Long story short, they do!
And it hides the funky waistline, and lets me hide the wrap-around tie so I can wear my chic little black belt!
This may be the year this LWD finally gets some wear..
What items are sitting, unworn, in your closet? Maybe it just needs some seersucker! ;)
Disclosure – Clicking or purchasing through the links in this post may yield commissions for AlterationsNeeded.com. See the Alterations Needed Disclosure for more details.
I love this oufit and I think u look amazing in dresses/skirts!! Such a classy and feminine outfit.
And I have so many items that just sit in my closets…I try to pull them out from time to time..lol
Bellissimo! And that is the extent of my Italian. I sure hope I said "Beautiful!". I wouldn't have guessed it was a wraparound. Great coordinating!
I have a lot sitting in my closet. If seersucker would shrink me to fit any of it, I will give it a try :D
Jen Hemming and Hawing Again
You look amazing in this outfit. One of my favorites I've ever seen you in!
Beautiful! And don't be afraid to go sans-blazer, you'll still look great. :)
OMG Kelly you look GORGEOUS! I love reading about your inspiration and of course this journey to finding your "not perfect" LWD but it still works!
You look AMAZING, Kelly….and LWDs are THE THING this season, too (look for a DelectablyChic! post on Friday)!
Love this! Just saved your pic for future reference. There's a LWD at Talbots I've been considering and I think I'll go for it. Very fresh for summer. I've never worn much white…except for tees…but I think it's time to try new things.
FYI….For those of you who aren't too tiny for Talbots petites, everything is 30% off starting today for 3 days.
Just saw this and looks nice if you wanted another ~
http://www.toryburch.com/BLYTHE-DRESS/12111458,default,pd.html?dwvar_12111458_size=4&dwvar_12111458_color=100&start=4&cgid=newarrivals-clothing
You would never know that you consider this dress to be 18 kinds of wrong looking at these photos. You've styled it IMPECCABLY!
omg kelly, we are on the same wavelength! i'm doing a post called "under the tuscan sun" and here you are taling about it haha. i've never seen the movie but i have been to tuscany and it is absolutely beautiful!
YOU are beautiful! i love love love this outfit. so crisp, chic, and many more words that i can't come up with right now lol. great job pulling this together!
you know, I think seersucker goes better with LWDs than LBDs.
Man, I'm just loving your new apt complex & the scenery around it.
This outfit is really lovely! And oh, I agree, the clothes in Under a Tuscan Sun are just… *happy sigh*
I have a brown bridesmaid dress, 1950s shift from JCrew. I want to wear it to an evening wedding as a guest and not look like a brdesmaid. Do you have any suggestions? I don't think seersucker is appropriate for a wedding . . . this may require a separate blog post.
Dressing up a LWD is 10x harder than dressing up a LBD. You looks great, Kelly! Have you try the St. Barth for Target collection yet? Wondering if their sizing run big?
I loved that movie – not so much for the substance of it but for the scenery (and now that I think of it, Diane Lane did look amazing!). I'm actually going to Italy in a couple of weeks and can't wait to take in the Tuscan Sun! Maybe I should look for a white seersucker dress to take with me ;)
@Really Petite – Thank you! Quite the compliment from such a dress/skirt girl as yourself.
@Jen HaHA – LOL!
Please, you're fabulous, with or without seersucker. ;)
@daisy351 – Wow! That good huh? Gotta wear this outfit all summer long then! :)
@ShortBlonde – Thank you! I really dislike the waistline on this dress from the back, so it'll probably be a while before I'm comfortable going sans blazer. :P
@Elaine A (TOBeautyReviews) – Thanks! Every now and then, something inspires me and I can't rest until I've recreated my own version. :)
@CynthiaC – Yes! I'm excited I finally found a way to wear my LWD. Just in time for spring/summer!
@HM63 – What a wonderful compliment! I don't think I've ever been saved as inspiration before. :D
@s – Ohh…very nice! I wonder how Tory Burch runs…hmmm…
@Sal – Thanks Sal! I pulled this out of my closet with the determination to make it work. So glad it did!
@Sunshine – OMG…your Tuscany photos are so beautiful! I wanna go!! And you, my dear, were NOT a frumpy American. ;)
@AubreyOhDang! I know! I'm really loving this combo. I live in a cottage! Hence all the pretty surroundings…but we're always on the look out for Goldilocks and the three bears. Bad joke…sorry. :P
@Carol *Happy sigh* indeed! :)
@Anonymous – Hmm…to avoid looking like a bridesmaid, avoid pairing the brown dress with a bright or highly contrasting color. Most wedding colors are a neutral, with a bright popping color, so go the opposite route and keep it chic and toned down with a more muted color. I like pairing brown with black (a very chic pairing), or muted reds, like red-purple or red-orange. By keeping the other colors on the darker side, you should be able to avoid being mistaken as a bridesmaid. ;)
@PetiteLittleGirl – I have not tried the new Calypso St. Barth for Target collection, but my experience with those designer collaborations is that they usually run a little big.
@Recovering Shopaholic – So lucky! Take lots and lots of photos of your chic outfits while running around Tuscany so we can all live vicariously through you. ;)
Thanks Kelly – I will try your suggestions! Much appreciated!
oh i just love this outfit on you with a pop of the red shoes! gosh there's a lot of clothes in my closet that I havent worn yet since im still trying to get back to my pre-baby body :(
@AubreyOhDang! I know! I'm really loving this combo. I live in a cottage! Hence all the pretty surroundings…but we're always on the look out for Goldilocks and the three bears. Bad joke…sorry. :P
@Carol *Happy sigh* indeed! :)
@Anonymous – Hmm…to avoid looking like a bridesmaid, avoid pairing the brown dress with a bright or highly contrasting color. Most wedding colors are a neutral, with a bright popping color, so go the opposite route and keep it chic and toned down with a more muted color. I like pairing brown with black (a very chic pairing), or muted reds, like red-purple or red-orange. By keeping the other colors on the darker side, you should be able to avoid being mistaken as a bridesmaid. ;)
@PetiteLittleGirl – I have not tried the new Calypso St. Barth for Target collection, but my experience with those designer collaborations is that they usually run a little big.
@Recovering Shopaholic – So lucky! Take lots and lots of photos of your chic outfits while running around Tuscany so we can all live vicariously through you. ;)
Just saw this and looks nice if you wanted another ~
http://www.toryburch.com/BLYTHE-DRESS/12111458,default,pd.html?dwvar_12111458_size=4&dwvar_12111458_color=100&start=4&cgid=newarrivals-clothing
Love this! Just saved your pic for future reference. There's a LWD at Talbots I've been considering and I think I'll go for it. Very fresh for summer. I've never worn much white…except for tees…but I think it's time to try new things.
FYI….For those of you who aren't too tiny for Talbots petites, everything is 30% off starting today for 3 days.