One Summer Dress, 13 Ways
Spiritual baggage + the infinite beauty of One Simple Thing.
I’ve been reading a book called Plain and Simple—A Woman’s Journey to the Amish that an ATA reader named Bird sent me as a gift not too long ago.
It’s a slim paperback that came out in 1989 and chronicles an urban California woman’s journey to live with an Amish family after she is “spellbound” by a series of geometric Amish quilts used as backdrops in a fancy NYC menswear boutique. The author Sue Bender’s writing is the kind that almost mimics the spareness the Amish are known for, but the story she threads, not unlike a quilt, is so rich and comforting I’ve been spreading it out, reading only a few pages at a time before bed so I can make it last as long as possible.
One of the things Bender references in the book is this idea of Spiritual Baggage, what the early Amish came to Pennsylvania with in the absence of actual material things.
I tabbed the page and kept coming back to it…and this feeling or concept that baggage can be spiritual. It reminded me of the story I shared a few weeks ago about how to fall back in love with your closet, and more so, finding new ways to use and love the things we already have. That story and spiritual baggage feel linked. Because when we pay more attention to all the stuff that surrounds us, we inextricably begin to find the gaps between those things, too—where a little bit of spiritual energy can live and expand, making us depend on new shit less and less.
The first look I came up with w/my new dress. It might be my favorite, too. (Links below.)
Today’s story wasn’t a planned continuation of paring down/jazzing up our existing clothes, though I suppose that’s always a theme here: optimizing our space/LIVES and, as a result, finding beauty in the stuff that’s lost or forgotten. But when I started sorting through my summer dresses and realized I didn’t really have a single GREAT one to take me through a few different seasons in some borderline outrageous ways, I went looking.
I will say I found a lot of very MEH options—derivative shapes/styles that were too safe or too aimless…just sort of THERE. I definitely do not need more of that. 🚫
But when I found this simple long chiffon-style dress by Massimo Dutti (which goes on sale today:) with slim straps in a warm putty color, I thought, hmmm, I can I work with this…AND have FUN with it. I immediately started cooking up looks for basic beach-y days, out-there dress-up moments, sometimes mocking a skirt or a full-on gown, and everything in between. Buying this new dress, putting it on, and playing with it reminded me why and how the value of a piece instantly soars when we put in the time and care to find the right one in the first place. Because when we do, things begin to shift—and everything else around it either levels up…or just moves on.
A great dress checks a lot of boxes. Maybe ALL the boxes. And when it’s hot out, it checks that (sweaty) box, too—a one-and-done move that makes it easier to get dressed when it’s 100 degrees and ventilation is non-negotiable. Summertime’s Mother of Invention—one dress worn 13 ways (so far!) to give us all more clues/inspiration for heading into our closets a little sideways. Because it’s fun. And because it always makes space for more of the spiritual stuff, too. 🚀
**Before we jump into today’s story, one last shout-out to Biologica for being one of our most favorite paid partners at A Tiny Apartment. Last week, I took Raffi to Florida to see my mom, and I brought along some extra packets of their PostMenopause formula for my mom to try, too. As luck would have it, I thrifted a pair of vintage La Rochere France low-ball glasses for a $1 each. I loved them so much that I drank my Biologica blend in them every morning…and it was JOY.
Here’s your tiny reminder that Biologica has a blend of vitamins, herbs, and other botanicals to support you, your brain, and your body through whatever hormonal shift you might be going through. And in these wonderful individual packets, they are a summer traveler’s BEST FRIEND. ❤️ Biologica is offering 15% off subscriptions, too, just use ATINYAPT at checkout. #biologicapartner
Okay, let’s get into it!…xxCb
#1—A topcoat + simple vintage belt.
