May Dress Madness: Ikat Maxi

I would like May to be mostly a month of dresses in my blog, and I chose this one to open my Dress Madness month. But before I start talking about it, I'd like to share with you that Beate's and my outfits were featured in Sylvia's article "How To Look Great in a Short Jacket". It was exciting to see how other ladies wear short jackets, and I invite you to take a look and share your ideas too. :)

Now, on to today's outfit. I bought this dress at least two years ago, maybe more (remember when Ikat pattern was very hot), but I haven't worn it much. Ikat is very a attractive pattern to me, I have another dress and a top in similar style (I mentioned the history of Ikat here). I adore the vibrant colors and graceful, somewhat classical shape of this dress. But I felt for the longest time that it was too dressy, more suitable for special occasions. Well, that was way before I saw how some gorgeous bloggers wear their maxi dresses every day and don't really wait for special occasions. Quite opposite, they say that every day in fact is a special occasion, and I really like this philosophy.

I wore it with a white blazer before, and it looks quite impressive, but I wanted a bit toned down version for my lunch date with Justin. I was sooooooo happy that my new basic denim jacket arrived just in time for my  May Dress Madness! I absolutely love it and know that I'll wear it a lot. I only had one denim jacket before, and it has an un-traditional shape (take a look in this post). This is the first truly classical denim jacket I have owned. I have only recently realized how versatile denim can be! I think that's because it's so widely used by many (especially in the US), I just have never really looked at it with fresh eyes. I am stubborn and if something is really popular, I very often will not even look at it. But just recently I realized that a good denim jacket has tons of potential (Curtise, I think you and your denim jacket took a huge part in my realization!). But I believe that like with anything else, one needs to find what really suits her fancy. I mean, there are so many variations available in denim jackets out there, really... I found mine in one of my favorite brands. Everything about it is to my liking - the color, the delicate fading effect, the length, the details. I am also mad about the way they do denim these days - soft and stretchy (one of the reasons I did not used to like jeans and denim shirts or jackets, was because denim used to be so stiff). It's definitely a winner, and even better when bought on sale.

The clutch is by Urban Expressions and made of what they call "vegan leather" and straw, I adore this clutch. I don't wear little purses or clutches a lot, but they do have an amazing power to bring an outfit to a new level, don't they? The sandals are new, bought from Nordstrom Rack. I just fell in love with the color, and they are super comfy too.

It was a bit cool today, so I wore my dress with the jacket, but here is how the dress looks on its own. I will be honest and say that I feel a bit shy to show my upper arms (and yet here I go showing them). I probably will be wearing this dress mostly with a jacket or a shrug, but in general I really like how this dress looks on me. Because of the cut and the bold pattern, it hides my tummy which ideally I'd like to get rid of, but that means less creamy deserts and more carrots and lettuce, which never sounds very exciting!

This bench, a cute combination of classic and trendy, waited for me in front of the restaurant. How perfect! One of those moments which you would never be able to plan - I have lots of those, and you?

  

Our date was in a local seafood restaurant, lovely place right on the water, and there was no rain, so we sat outside and enjoyed the sound of waves and the smell of the sea... Justin had fish and chips (these guys have probably the best in our area - check them out if you are in Seattle, there are a couple of locations here and I believe in Portland, OR, the restaurant name is Salty's - I like that it's not a huge chain). I wanted something fancy and picked grilled halibut, a delicate white fish which is apparently now in season. It was deliciously done, though twice smaller than Justin's plate and almost twice more expensive. So if you are really hungry, go with good old fish and chips. Well, not in a literal sense old of course!

Ikat maxi dress - old Chico's (look at their current version - on sale for only $35!). Shoes - Born via Nordstrom Rack. Denim jacket - Chico's (right now on sale for only $30!). Earrings - also Chico's, last year. Bead ring - old boutique find. Clutch - Urban Expressions (via TJ MAXX, old).

Linking up with Patti's Visible Monday!