Well hey there rooftop photos! Long time no see!

In the third installation of my "Work on the Weekends" series let's all take a moment and realize how terrible it's been in DC that I was dripping sweat after 20min at 9 IN THE MORNING.  In that last picture you can definitely see that the heat was starting to get to me and I'm sorry that I couldn't be all stoic and mysterious.

But I digress, as the point of this post is to spend some time talking about a dress I absolutely love but have never featured on the blog before. I picked this black and white beauty up a couple of years ago from Ann Taylor and it is probably the most well fitting dress I own. The length is perfect, I love the way it hugs right at the smallest part of my waist under the bust, but still flows over my hips so I don't feel constricted.

Do you have any dresses that you just know you look great in? I tend to "save" this one more often than I should, I guess because I know I can't replace it >.<.

So in my quest to find vacation pieces that also work for life in general, I have to recommend this dress from Ann Taylor. I was actually in store to try-on this one (didn't work for me, too long and the waist didn't hit the right spot), but the fun print combined with hot weather friendly linen makes the Amalfi Halter Dress a winner. Plus the halter comes up high enough on the sides and along the back to allow for comfortably wearing a strapless bra :).

In less happy, more real-life-can-be-stupid news, go watch this video. And I hope you can join me in doing what we can to make the United States a safer, more inclusive, place.

I'm not always one to "push" outside of my comfort zone when it comes to clothing, I like what I like and I'm ok with that, but this pants ended up being a wonderful exception.

Do I think they're the most flattering thing I own? Of course not. But they're unlined, perfect for summer, and with a pair of heels dress up a simple t-shirt quite nicely.

I like to call this particular wardrobe piece polarizing because among my friends it's inspired a lot feelings. Some good and some bad, lol, as few can decide what they think about it.

It's not a traditionally flattering piece, this dress doesn't hug my curves or showcase my waist, but I loved it from the moment I put it on anyway. I loved the colors and the pattern, the pockets (of course), and the way it was just kind of "there", as its own type of thing. I think it's good for my brain to have pieces where I don't feel beholden to the shrine of "thinner is better", and I'm glad to add this one to my closet.

It is as terribly, brutally cold here in DC as it is pretty much everywhere else (except Boston - props to the NE for surviving the apocalyptic levels of snow you've gotten this year). And on Valentine's Day I made the dumb-ass decision to try and take blog photos as quickly as possible without my coat.

Not a good plan.

*I've also mentally dubbed this my "Meghan Trainor" outfit. Was I a bit over dressed to be hanging out in Michael's and Home Depot? Yes. Did I care? Of course not!

Now this outfit was a case of happy accidents. I bought the sweater during Ann Taylor's 70% off sale sale, lol, and only when it arrived did I notice how perfectly it matched these burgundy jeans. Love when that happens!