Purple in bloom

Very excited to be wearing this dress for the first time. I came up with 4-5 different ways I can wear it so have been dying to start trying them. It is made out of this nylon like material and when not belted the length comes all the way down to my knees. The material was great with kids today. You can clean any stain with a baby wipe and any liquid dries off instantly. Of course I was a little cold in the morning once again so wore my purple sweater over it (which looks navy in the photo for some reason). The belt is from my college days, it is just one of those classic pant belts but love the deep brown color and the brass buckle. I didn't touch the belt when taking my sweater on and off so it was pretty easy. My jean sandals again proved how comfy they are especially on a sandy park surface. I even found out while holding my daughter in one hand and a diaper bag in the other, I can put them on with no hand when the zippers are open. I just zip them up later. They are actually more practical than flip flops because they do not come off your feet easily. And this style looks so dressy. I was also lazy today and left my hair natural which is curly. To somewhat control the big hair wore my flowery headband. Since the sandals have enough embelishment on them and the whole outfit is a bit too dressy looking already I went with no additional accessories.

Dress - Jean Paul Gaultier for Target - Target - $39

Sweater - Gap - $14 on sale
Leather belt - Limited - super old, don't remember the price
Jean sandals - Steve Madden - $89
Cream silk headband - Anthropologie - $19

Today's Activities:
Mission bay park with the kids in the AM. Running errands and grocery shopping in the afternoon. Had dad over for dinner and playtime with the kids in the PM.
Tip of the Day: Last tip of the Shopping series...
Yesterday talked about wearibility (is that a word?) in terms of material and your lifestyle (me: busy mom with kids)... Today lets talk about wearibility in terms of how often will you really wear this item? Can you come up with a few different combinations of outfits you can pair the item with from your own closet or do you need to now buy things that go with it to make an outfit? For example if you are shopping for a special occasion dress, instead of buying something you will probably only wear once or twice, why not look for a dress you can turn more casual with sweaters or utlity jackets and flats etc... I absolutely love finding items that will go with things I already own and I can create many outfits from it. I like to wear a different outfit everyday and don't like repeating outfits for a while. So, it is important for me that each piece I buy creates more than just one outfit. If you are on a budget this is important. It is also important to not buy items that require you to buy more new items to go with it. Keeping in mind today's style is not matchy anymore. So you can wear funky colored shoes under an outfit that does not have that color in it at all to add interest. Actually it is totally stylish to go bold with either your shoe, belt, scarf or purse in a color that is going to contrast and pop from your outfit colors. It is also stylish to mix multiple patterns together (i.e. flowery designs with stripes). So don't have to look for exactly matching stuff.