Say Yes to the Dress!

Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian readers!  Everyone knows that as soon as July arrives, the rest of summer whizzes by like a speeding bullet, so if you haven't worn your favourite summer dress yet, what are you waiting for?  I cannot, for the life of me, understand why so many 20-somethings spend the summer in too-short shorts (if the bottom of your butt cheeks are visible, they're too short), off the shoulder t-shirts and flip flops, when there are scores of adorable summer dresses out there, new and vintage, to be had.   Ask any guy, and they will tell you that there is nothing more pleasing to the eye than a woman in a pretty summer dress, and if you don't care with the guys think, I think most women would feel the same.  To prove my point, I present the following:

Melanie, stylist at Salon Cyan, was out catching some sun on a break in this gorgeous dress.  The lime green looks amazing with her red hair, and how cool is that necklace?

My friend Heather noticed this young woman at the Western Fair Farmers' Market this weekend and I pretty much embarrassed myself gushing over how gorgeous she looked, and kept saying to the guy she was with, "doesn't she look amazing?"  If he hadn't agreed I would have had to slap him.  She got the dress at the Home County Music and Art Festival and it couldn't have found a better home. See below for a view of the back.

I realize this dress works so well on her because of her size.  A larger woman would not be able to pull this off without a bra, but that doesn't mean there aren't a lot of other dress options out there.

Case in point - how cute does Amber, of Jackpot Vintage, look in this vintage maxi?  The pattern screams "Summer!" and the cap sleeves and empire waist are very flattering.

..and here's my contribution to the celebration of the summer dress - a vintage barkcloth Hawaiian- made maxi.   I had been wanting a vintage Hawaiian dress for some time, and had recently tried on a gorgeous one at Jackpot Vintage that I loved, but was too small, so I spent some time searching on Etsy for Hawaiian barkcloth dresses.   There's a lot there - many too small for me, and many beyond my budget (not that I have a budget, because that would be financially responsible).  So I resigned myself to being Hawaiian-dress-less for the time being.  After work Friday, I considered making a trip to one of my favourite Goodwill Thrift Stores, but it was looking like thunderstorm weather, and the practical part of me said "go home, you're tired, and you don't need to spend money".   The optimistic part of me thought, "what if there's something really cool there?".  I reached the Goodwill just as the downpour started (forcing me to stay there til it stopped, of course), and there, on the rack, its Hibiscus-print barkcloth shining amidst the other cheap polyester/jersey/rayon dresses, was this dress.  It looked small, but, lo and behold, it fit.  It was $8.00.  Me and this dress? We were meant to be.

Summer is short so get out yer summer dresses and flaunt 'em!  Do you have a summer dress that you love?  Tell me about it, or if you have a blog,  post a photo and link to it in the comments.