Ode to: My wedding season MVP

’Tis the season for thinking about what to wear to summer weddings. 

I’ve been on the casual lookout¹ for a new dress to add to my rotation but if I don’t end up finding anything, I know I’ll have a couple of oldies-but-goodies to return to. My favorite is a rust-colored midi (but pretty-much-maxi on me) that I got serendipitously from Banana Republic in 2018. I’ve worn it to five weddings since, as well as at the rehearsal dinner for my own wedding. 

The fabric (mostly polyester with some spandex) is soft but fairly thick, so it’s easy to roll up and pack away, but doesn’t wrinkle much and fares well in normal laundry cycles. The cut is loose and comfortable (even after a big dinner plus drinks) but not shapeless or balloony. There are just enough design details to keep it from being too plain: a v-neck with sheer trim, a triangle cutout in the back, and not-too-high side slits. Finally, the color. I don’t usually wear reds, but still found myself drawn to this rich rust, which has turned out to be a surprisingly fun canvas for playing with accessories. 

The pink/coral earrings and clutch (purchased separately if you’ll believe!) are fun to wear with this dress. Sometimes I’ll go more minimal with pearls.

With a purse, for example, I’ve either gone in the no-nonsense direction (a black or otherwise neutral-ish bag) or intentionally bright and color-blocky (like a pale pink/coral clutch — I could also see using a deep orange or a light blue bag).   

May 2018: The first time I wore the dress, documented at an LIRR station.

Usually I’ll wear a circa-2016 black tweed blazer from LOFT over the dress in anticipation of chilly nights, but I’d love to try wearing it with a lighter-colored jacket as well (brb – adding that to my Notes app list of things to watch out for). I also don’t think I’ve ever worn it with the perfect necklace, so that’s another possible tweak for the future. 

February 2020: Jason and I attending our last pre-pandemic wedding, set amid NorCal redwoods — maybe the most perfect setting, color-wise, for the dress yet.

This dress was what I wore to the last wedding I attended before the pandemic (end of February 2020) and what I wore to the first two weddings I attended after the pandemic began (August and October 2021). It’s simply my I-don’t-have-to-think-about-it pick. 

One update I did have for 2021 was the shoes. Previously I’d wear some extremely comfortable faux suede nude wedges², but last year I finally got to wear out the beige snake-embossed Dries Van Noten mules I got at a deep discount at the Barney’s bankruptcy sale in December 2019. They were, fortunately, also very comfortable. 

October 2021: The most recent wear, in the Bay Area again. Wished I had a lighter-colored jacket here!

With these little accessory switch-ups, wearing the same dress again and again doesn’t have to look and feel the same each time. I think I already have an idea or two about how I might change things up this year ;)

Cheers 🥂
— Jenny

1. A few things that have caught my eye — 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 — These are all varying degrees of pricey, have limited sizing availability, and are not exactly petite-friendly, but I still had fun looking 😅   

2. The wedges — 1 | 2 — were not the best match for the dress but I didn’t care because they’re the most comfortable higher-heels I’ve ever had (a true feet-saver throughout my engagement photoshoot and wedding reception). Mine (from DSW) are really beat up now but I would not mind restocking if a nude size 6 was available.