a lonestar state of southern

I have been excited to share this little number with y’all ever since posting it on Instagram a couple of weeks ago… safe to say, this pink bell sleeve dress is one of my absolute favorites to date!

DRESS   pink bell sleeve dress   |   SHOES   nude strap heels   |   CLUTCH   nude tassel clutch   |   EARRINGS   gold disk beaded earrings c/o Lisi Lerch   |   BRACELETS   gold bamboo bangle (old, similar linked)

I was on the hunt for a fun, flirty ensemble fit for a piñata making party when my wanderings took me into Anthropologie. The second I stepped foot into the store and took an initial gaze around the interior, I immediately spotted this bright pink beauty practically beaming from a wall in the back of the room.

Has this ever happened to you? You know, you lock eyes on a style you love… and immediately panic that somehow, fellow-shoppers will steal every last piece before you make it to the rack? That was me. I told myself (unsuccessfully) to calm down, took a big gulp, and proceeded to do a really awkward walk-but-kinda-sprint-thing across the floor until I had the dress in my hands.

When I got to the dressing room and finally had it on, however, I have to admit that I was a little bit crestfallen. The dress was long. Not in a bad way, but when you’re 5’2″ all it takes is a couple extra inches to make things look real awkward.

I couldn’t drop it, though. There had to be a way to make it work! (And since the party was that evening #procrastinator the tailor wasn’t an option.)

Then I remembered reading something about a certain Wonder Waist Liner… a nifty little contraption that adds a waistline to lose-fitting clothing. I suddenly realized not only could I make the dress work, I could make it look even more cute than the original form! Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find a Wonder Waist Liner in any of the stores I went into, so I settled on a thin belt wrapped tightly around my waist twice. (And while it did the trick, it wasn’t the most comfortable thing in the world. I’m still dying to get my hands on the liner for the elastic feel.)

All it took was a little work, and I finally had the perfect party dress in my hands. (I mean really… does it get better than a pink bell sleeve dress?) Point proven? I’ve worn it on three separate occasions since! (One was this weekend, in fact.) I am head over heels for this little number, and since it has long sleeves I know I’ll be wearing it long into fall and winter.

I’m laughing to myself as I read back over this post… can you tell I have a flare for the dramatics? Anyway, hope you enjoyed this mini-saga! Maybe it inspires you to get creative with your own wardrobe? As always, thank you SO much for stopping by today! I’ll have a new youtube video up this week, so be sure to check back soon!

Love from Texas,

Kate

P.S. If any of you are wanting fit details on this dress, I’m in a Regular 0! (It also comes in petite!)

Photography by Angie Garcia