The Sundresses of My Past are Now The Sundresses of My Present

After six months of winter in Minneapolis, we have suddenly entered summertime with temps in the 80s and gorgeous sunshine! Though the past few days, where was an excessive heat warning with temperatures dancing right around the triple digits, really messed with my concept of reality/made me question if I really did, in fact, "love" hot weather, I do have to say that this summer weather has increased my joy in getting dressed every morning tenfold.

Perhaps it was our extended, and brutal winter, but there times when I truly believed I would never see a warm day again. During these dark times, however, there was the faintest sense that there would be a light at the end of the tunnel—and of course, that light would be shining its rays upon all the amazing warm weather clothing waiting patiently, wrapped in garbage bags in my basement, to be put to good use.

In celebration of the return to summer, I present some of the items I was/am most stoked to bring out of hiding, starting first with the quintessential summer item—the sundress.




My All That Jazz tropical floral wrap waist dress. I mean, duh. Who wants tequila!?!?!



This blue and red stripped number came to me one particularly fruitful Salvation Army trip during the cold weather months. It was dirt cheap (I believe around two or three bucks) and I knew it would be perfect for those hot days when you want as little clothing as possible touching your skin. This is also the dress I wore on one of the first really nice days we had here, and maybe it was because people had been deprived of seeing sundresses for half a year, but I got like five compliments from strangers about it.



Perhaps it is because this is my most recently thrifted summer dress, but this little red and white polka dot Limited number is currently the one I am most excited about (so much so that it is at the top of my list of things to pack for my weekend trip to Chicago for a family wedding (along with bike shorts in case the Windy City lives up to its name)). This is one of the many amazing finds I uncovered during Laurie and my fast and furious Green Bay Memorial Day weekend thrifting adventure (stay tuned for more gems), and it might just my favorite of all the finds from the trip! Its 90s without being too girly (in fact, I venture to argue it is a bit bad ass riot grrl-esque, should I wear it with some Doc Martins, which I have been contemplating purchasing for some time), and has this perfect fit where it is both form-fitting and breathable—the perfect combo for a summer dress.



Wow. Upon inserting this photo, I just realized that I now have two polka dot Limited dresses. This one came, of course, from our Black Friday Thrifting expedition of 2010. I had to wait a full seven months to even think about putting this on, and I was beyond stoked when I realized that it fit perfectly. I first wore it on Mothers' Day, when I had to work and my boss instructed me to "wear something matronly." She was kidding, but I decided to wear my most matronly outfit, which, as it turns out, looks like an angsty teen from the 90's—this dress, black lace bloomers, ripped black tights and my witchy buckle shoes. I may or may not have done this on purpose.



Found while thrifting with Jake, this H&M seafoam green and white striped sundress has become my go-to for those super hot days (meaning, I have worn it twice since it has gotten hot). I love it mostly because I can totally wear it without a bra, which is a must when you get sunburned.



Finally, if I want to be a bit more fancy, there is this awesome vintage strappy floral dress, also from our Black Friday Thrifting trip.

What is even better than thrifted sundresses? I'll let you know....