I was on the phone with my friend Erin this morning and we were both venting about feeling very overwhelmed with all the activities scheduled in May and June. She gets all the credit for this term because she said it so simply, that May always feels like mayhem. Add in the simple, yet time consuming decision of shopping for what to wear to graduations, events, and parties, and the month of May may just put some of us over the edge. Kind of like today when I ran into this psycho stalker in the grocery store. You know how sometimes it’s not the big things that set you off, but rather the irritating little things? One day I am going to drop kick this roving robot.
May used to mean Spring flowers, time for fresh new beginnings, and a clean house with open widows. Now it means pollen and procrastination. Everyone is sneezing from allergies (…or is it Covid?) and walking around in a Clariton fog. Mother Nature is being stubborn and keeps going back to her abusive ex-boyfriend wind and rain, so everytime we put our sweaters away she says, “Wait a minute…not so fast.” And even though my to-do list is a mile long I still find myself wasting time by reading up on the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial. I don’t really care about them but sometimes getting sucked into someone’s else’s stuff is a mind numbing distraction from all the stuff I need to do. It’s all there right in front of me and yet I just keep stumbling when I start.
Time is almost up for those of us with seniors in high school and I am filled with conflicted emotions. On one hand it is definitely time, the signs are all there that our kids are ready to go and that’s a good thing. On the other hand the next thing you know I find myself sniffing the Dreft laundry detergent in the grocery store and crying over the memories of freshly washed onesies.
There almost isn’t enough time to be sad because May feels so busy. There is prom and graduation parties to be planned and none of that comes easily or inexpensively. Go ahead and guess what it costs for a girl to get not just one prom dress, but a graduation dress, a graduation party dress, a senior dinner dance dress and dresses to wear to all the parties they are going to. Don’t forget to add in hair, makeup, nails and probably tanning. And do you know how hard it is to find oversized balloon numbers that say 2022 that are in stock to and ready to ship? They should open grad themed stores just like they do around Halloween. You know all those Halloween Adventure Stores that randomly pop up and then just as quickly disappear? Yeah, we need those.
So if you are like me and your brain is starting to hurt I thought it may help if I threw together a few ideas for graduation dresses for us, the moms. And the aunts, the grandmoms, the sisters, the cousins, etc. Basically if you are a girl and you need a dress I found something for almost everyone in range of styles and colors. All Remember, you will probably be having your picture taken more than you are used to, most likely in front of some detailed photo banner wall backdrop that one of those super crafty moms saw on Pinterest and rebuilt out of reclaimed wood. When getting your photo taken remember that bright colors look good and make us look less pasty, but by all means if black is your feel slim, trim power color than definitely wear it! When wearing prints, they tend to show up on photos better when they are bigger and bolder, too small and they can look blurry in a photo. And yes florals are big this year, and keep in mind they hide a multitude of sins, including Covid wine bellies (Hi, that’s me), and anything you may drop onto your lap, or sit in, while you attend your 3rd picnic of the day.
I’ve combed thr
Click HERE to shop all my dress picks.
Click HERE to shop all my dress picks.
Also important is I added a section where you can shop wraps, jackets and cardigans. Depending when and where your ceremony is it could be 90 degrees and then 45 and raining, all in the course of 2 hours. It’s good to have something reliable to throw on or leave in your car as your party hop. And don’t listen to trends or in or out, a classic denim jacket ALWAYS works as does a pashmina/wrap. Classic wraps can be found in any color and can be overnighted from Amazon. You can also choose a printed one to throw over a solid dress for an easy way to step up something that may feel like it needs a little something extra. I first saw this scarf below in a client’s closet and and it literally went with like 10 things she owned. It’s available from No. 109 shop in Kennett Square. And yes, they ship to you if you aren’t local.
Click HERE to shop all my jacket and wrap picks.
Speaking of hopping your feet are going to hurt. You will be doing a lot of walking and a lot of standing, and some of it may be on grass. So skip the stilettos and opt for a wedge, block heel, or a flat sandal to avoid aerating your neighbor’s lawn. You can go basic with a beige color sandal that will pretty much match anything all summer, or you can make a statement with a bright accent color as seen below.
Click HERE to shop all my picks for shoes.
Oh and don’t forget the waterproof mascara. Whether they are over watching your baby get that diploma, or when you look at your bank account after that first college tuition payment, you will probably be shedding some tears. And if you are standing near me at a party and you smell the faint scent of baby Dreft detergent well know you’ll know why, I probably caved and bought it for myself and my memories. And if I am sniffing and sneezing I swear it’s just allergies. I also feel compelled to shout that out loud any time I am in public and I sneeze. No one asks but they all stare so I awkwardly announce it – anyone else do this???
So grab a cocktail or a cup of coffee and your credit card. Shop all my recommendations here and then you know there is 1 less thing you can cross off your list! Happy Spring and Thanks for reading!
Suzie
