Vibrant Color Sheath Dress for Summer

I’m drawn to vibrant colors. Are you? Especially when the colors are combined to create a playful medley the way they are in the dress I’m sharing with you today, they just make me a little giddy. In fact, the color combination and fun patterns in this Lauren by Ralph Lauren sheath dress somehow make me think of the ocean. And right about now I’m ready for the ocean!

**UPDATE** This dress is now on sale at Lord & Taylor for $76.30. This is a limited time offer, and no code is needed. Yay!!!

I bought the dress at my local Dillard’s and the sales lady told me they had just gotten it in. But when I check Dillard’s online, I didn’t find the dress. So you can find it at Zappos or at Lord and Taylor. I think both are very reliable with online orders, although I’ve never ordered from either.

The knit jersey dress is fully lined with an equally stretchy, smooth fabric. Thanks to the thick lining and the ruching, you may not need strong shapewear with this dress. I simply wore my Spanx Thinstincts Girl Shorts under the dress.

The body hugging dress features a cowlneck that is weighted so that it maintains a beautiful drape as you wear it. The dress simply slips over your head without a zipper or other opening, and I had no problem getting it on or off. That’s a deal breaker for me! The sleeves are neither too tight nor loose and fall just above the elbow. For reference, I’m wearing an 8 and that is my normal dress size. Sometimes I have to size up in Ralph Lauren clothing, but not this one.

I could not find the “perfect necklace” for this dress, so decided not to wear one. I’d rather go without than needlessly distract from the beautiful neckline and colorful patterns on the dress. Instead, I pulled out the coral splashes in the dress with these drop earrings from Dillard’s in coral. The earrings I’m linking to aren’t exactly the same, but must be the sister of these, and they also come in a pale aqua that would look equally beautiful with this dress. I also picked up the gold textured open cuff bracelet at Dillard’s. I chose it for its modern vibe since the dress feels modern and playful to me. What do you think? Would you wear a necklace with this dress? And if so, what kind? I almost think you’d have to just “happen upon” the right thing.

I didn’t have time to find the perfect pair of high heeled sandals, which is what I would prefer to wear with this dress. So I wore my snakeskin pumps that I’ve had forever. It definitely pays off to have a pair of nude pumps in your closet. Right now I like Michael Kors Flex Patent Leather Mid-heel Pumps. Just pure class. But like I said, I’d really prefer to wear strappy nude heels like these Enzo Angiolinis or these Cole Haan block heel sandals in nude. And if you really want to have fun pairing the dress with shoes, you might want to look for some pretty yellow, coral or teal ones.

Of course, I also paired my nude snakeskin clutch bag with the dress. Truly, when in doubt, go with nude shoes and handbag. First, nude shoes create a long leg silhouette. Also, nude accessories look beautiful and classic, but also get out of the way of the main attraction, in this case the dress. While I think a colored handbag would certainly be a beautiful touch to this ensemble, I think I’d keep the shoes nude just so the dress can really shine.

Ha! I just noticed my handbag tossed onto the ground in this photo! Oh well. Running ragged in a photo shoot and all!

This is just a fun dress. I think it would be great to pack for a summer vacation if you like to take along a dress for a nice dinner out. It would certainly pack easily enough and it’s comfortable and easy to accessorize. And it just screams summer vacation, don’t you think?

Be sure to shop the widget below for this dress and a few other ruched sheath dresses that I thought you might want to look at. I hadn’t tried one on in a while, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that it fit really well…covering flaws and all! I bet you’d discover a great fit, too, with a ruched dress. Now, who’s ready for the ocean?!

I’m linking up today with Jo-Lynne Shane and a bunch of other great style bloggers at her Fashion Friday Linkup. Be sure to check out some other great ideas today.

PS – I had a pedicure right before this photo shoot, and had my toenail polished with OPI’s Infinite Shine Cajun Shrimp spicy coral shade. If you missed my tips on keeping your pedicure fresher longer, check out Between Pedicures. And if you’d like to know how to use OPI’s Infinite Shine system for your at home manicure, you can check out my home manicure tips.

Blessed for My Day

We’re actually scheduled and booked to take a vacation to the coast this summer. We love to visit Cannon Beach, Oregon, and that’s where our daughter will be working this summer, so we’ve planned a few days there. When I’m on the beach looking out onto the ocean and listening to the waves crash against the shore, I’m reminded of how much there is beneath that water that I know nothing of. But as vast and unsearchable as the ocean is, our God is even more mysterious to us. And I’m glad. Today let’s praise God because He is impossible to nail down, explain away or even fully understand. He’s amazing!

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! ~ Romans 11:33