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WHY I LOVE THE WRAP DRESS & YOU SHOULD TOO

Welcome to my late blog post, it was supposed to go out yesterday.  It’s a funny thing, as soon as I decide to have a certain blogging schedule I break it – haha.  It baffles me…  I love schedules.  Well, maybe it was because of Brian.  Sunday he said the weather would be ideal for taking photos, after that we ended up having a late brunch in Dallas, then I went home and fell asleep all afternoon.  It was so weird…I never nap…like EVER.  Sometimes I pretend to nap so there went my blog post I was supposed to write!  Life is quirky like that.

If you follow me on my blog or Insta you know we recently went to New Orleans.  There are 2 more things I wanted to share with you about this trip.  One being this awesome wrap dress that saved my packing life, and the other is about the plantation homes we visited.  Let’s start with the wrap dress and I’ll have the post up about the plantation homes this week – as long as I don’t fall asleep again!

people will leave me alone but I never actually go to sleep.  I woke up that night thinking it was morning, so there went my blog post I was supposed to write!  Life is quirky like that.

If you follow me on my blog or Insta you know we recently went to New Orleans.  There are 2 more things I wanted to share with you about this trip.  One being this awesome wrap dress that saved my packing life, and the other is about the plantation homes we visited.  Let’s start with the wrap dress and I’ll have the post up about the plantation homes this week – as long as I don’t fall asleep again!

So let’s get started with why I love wrap dresses, specifically this one from Leota, so much.  The wrap dress was invented by Diane Von Furstenberg in 1974 and its been a closet staple since.  Now, this dress I’m wearing is not a true wrap dress.  A true wrap dress is exactly how it sounds, it opens up and wraps around your body with a tie.  It’s like a bathrobe.  What I’m wearing is a faux wrap dress version and it has some advantages.  Sometimes putting on a real wrap dress is confusing, you’re looking around for the holes, wrapping everything, adjusting everything, but one plus is it’s more size adjustable.

Faux versions are definitely easier to put on, and another plus with faux versions is there is much less cleavage peekaboo.  Hey… at this point in my life it’s all about not embarrassing my kids.  Because the sides are sewn instead of just tied I had no unwanted exposure and everything stayed in place.  If this is a problem for you with a real or faux wrap dress you need a lace bra cami, it will totally do the trick and it looks so pretty!  Also a short lace tube top worn over your bra works well.  I tried Cami Secret and I wasn’t impressed, it doesn’t stay in place well and bunches up.

Now, this isn’t true for all wrap dresses, because they can be made out of so many different fabrics, but this dress pretty much came out of the suitcase wrinkle free.  Which makes it the perfect travel dress, or lazy gal dress…. I say pretty much wrinkle free because the camera did pick up a few wrinkles at the bottom in the close up photo, but in real life they weren’t noticeable.

Hmm…I may see some powdered sugar remnants from eating beignets.  A sure sign of a good trip.

Since this was a travel outfit, specifically we were going out to dinner, I have a trusty scarf and clutch in hand.  I always travel with several scarves to give outfit variety, but even locally in warm weather I bring a scarf to dinner because sometimes restaurants are freezing!  You just never know.  The mini pochette is actually my everyday makeup bag so it makes a great tiny clutch without needing to pack another.

I bought it pre-loved for a fraction of the price.  We have such great resale shops in Dallas!  Rumors say it’s being discontinued so pre-loved maybe your only option.  Real Real has great pre-loved Louis Vuitton.

All wrap dresses, real or faux, have a beautiful slimming effect on all women.  I was gaining weight at a rapid pace on this trip and this dress definitely helped camouflage that!  A well made wrap dress will flatter and accentuate your curves.  It’s easy to wear, pack, and style.  It’s a true wardrobe powerhouse.

Wrap dress | Shoes (similar) | Bracelet (similar) | Earrings | Scarf | Pochette (my makeup bag too)

I brought a few scarves, a denim jacket, and a white one as well.  I wore the white jacket with the wrap dress for the car trip and later that evening while walking in the French Quarter.  I didn’t get a photo of that, but I’m sure you can envision a white denim jacket over a black dress.

I love how with a few accessories this looks like a completely different outfit.  Below I’m at Oak Alley and I’ll get to that later on in the week…. if I don’t fall asleep again.  The Tory Burch Miller Sandals went with me, which yeah is basically a flip flop.  The patent leather versions are just so tough, I didn’t need to worry about stepping in mud or a puddle, they clean up well.  I broke them in before the trip and I wore them all day comfortably!

My feet were a little chilly in the morning but I was fine by lunch time.  That’s a Texas thing around here, it can be cold yet people still have flip flops on I’ve noticed – ha!

This dress is so versatile and comes in a few other patterns that I’d love to add another to my collection.  Bonus is how easy it is to wash and wear.  It says hand wash, but I just use the gentle washing machine cycle then hang dry.  It dries pretty quickly so you could easily wash it in a hotel sink and it would dry overnight when traveling.

Wrap dress (fits true to size) | Scarf | Denim jacket | Earrings | Sunglasses | Tote bag | Sandals | Straw hat

Leota also makes similar wrap versions in a maxi length, plus sizes, and maternity dresses as well!  Here are a few more of their dresses below.

I’m keeping an eye out for a sleeveless version for hot summers!  Texas summers are brutal so it’s a matter of survival!  See you later this week, and don’t forget about our $100 Nordstrom gift card giveaway that ends Friday.  I’ll be doing giveaways like this throughout the year to thank all of my subscribers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Laura

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