Belle’s Closet: Casual Clothing Edition

Periodically, I like to share my reviews of clothing that I purchased with my own hard-earned cash.  Here are a few of my recent casual purchases.  Let’s start with the best purchase that I’ve made this summer.

LA Made Maxi Wrap Dress ($108)

Law school classrooms are cold.  Congressional office in D.C. cold.  Obviously, I can’t pack my trusty heating pad from class to class.  But I also don’t want to bundle up like Nanuk of the North, otherwise I’ll melt into a puddle when I step into the triple-digit temperatures.  What is a poor little fashion blogger to do?

This maxi dress from LA Made is like a gift from high.  It’s long enough to keep my legs warm.  It’s as comfortable as can be.  The faux-wrap style is flattering and slimming.  The side slits give just the right amount of draft.  And you can wear a wide belt over the silly drawstring to add more structure when needed.

Other slit maxi styles include, this Splendid high-slit maxi with a longer sleeve, this Splendid short sleeve maxi and this Velvet t-shirt maxi in navy (the last two are under-$100).  Plus-size?  Try this printed Michael Kors dress.  Petite?  Don’t miss this cap-sleeve Felicity + Coco dress (also in misses).

Gap Slub Tee Dress ($49)

I am counting the days until my “I survived law school finals!” trip to the lake in t-minus 42 days.  I wanted a dress that I could wear on a walk into town for breakfast but also as a pool cover, this Gap dress is perfect for that.  It’s not tight fitting, so you get a more relaxed, breezy feeling.  It also comes in black and turquoise.  It’s already selling out in the larger sizes, and it comes in tall and petite, so don’t miss out!

Aldo Dolea Sandal ($42)

First off, for a sub-$50 sandal, these are a great buy.  They’s stylish.  They look much more expensive than they are.  And they can be dressed up or down.  My one complaint is that the toe ring on the front makes them a bear to break in.  Think anti-chafe stick and moleskin, and I’m still going to have a blister for a few days.  But once that’s done, I expect these will be comfortable enough to walk medium distance (one to two miles) in.