The Perfect Summer Dress

I don’t know what it is, but ever since I hit my mid-30s, I can’t find a single pair of shorts that fit me properly.

This little turn of events has been quite an issue because I live on the surface of the sun in Georgia.

Summers here are hot. When the temperature rises, a girl needs to keep cool.

So, since shorts are no longer an option, I have embraced the summer dress.

A dress is one of the easiest pieces to wear when the weather is warm. But finding the perfect summer dress can be quite a challenge.

I’ve noticed that many dresses, while trying to be lightweight and breezy, sometimes end up being too revealing as well. I want to stay cool — and I’m not against showing some skin — but I don’t want to show too much of it. Granted, you can always wear a camisole or slip underneath, but who wants to wear more layers at the height of summer?

Shabby Apple founders Emily and CK also had a difficult time finding stylish — not to revealing — dresses for themselves. After scouring trade shows, marketplaces and designer studios, the duo discovered the problem wasn’t that department stores weren’t buying the right dresses, it was that designers weren’t designing them.

So, they decided to design their own line — a line of dresses that would allow women to look fabulous without having to compromise anything else. And with that, Shabby Apple was born.

The kind folks over at Shabby Apple sent me their Barefoot in the Park dress, which I wore for Mother’s Day:

What I love about this dress is its versatility. It looks great with a pony tail and flip flops or can be easily dressed up with heels and jewelery. I even played around with adding a belt:

The style is perfect — it keeps me covered but cool. The fabric is a good quality cotton, with a little stretch thrown in. It’s the kind of dress that holds up well to a day of errands with the kids, but can just as easily take you to church and Sunday brunch.

And did I mention comfort? It’s like wearing your softest t-shirt.

The dress got rave reviews from both my mom and my sister. The dress even garnered a compliment from a lady I didn’t know who said, “I’ve been admiring your dress. That is absolutely adorable.”

There are a slew of other summer dress options over at Shabby Apple, all reasonably priced (with most in the $50 to $80 range). Here are a few of my favorites:

This white wrap dress practically screams, “Summer!”

This dress features one of the season’s hottest colors.

And this one — while a little dressy for everyday — would be beautiful for a special occasion.

See? Cool, fashionable summer dressing.

No shorts required.

Shabby Apple is offering Chic Critique readers a 10% discount by using the code chiccritique10off.