Not a nighty…
I am so happy my little brother subscribes to my blog, but I honestly don’t think he reads it. He just comments on my posts from Instagram that show up on Facebook. And, I know, when he sees this look, he’ll make a comment about it being a nighty! Or, he’ll say something about our Grandma Luderman! He is just that ornery!
Growing up…
I was lucky to grow up when I did. I was just having this conversation with a friend the other day. I can’t imagine letting my children grow up the way I did. I don’t know if life was truly simpler then, or we just didn’t have the constant bombardment of news (usually bad) to warn us of the evils lurking near us. We lived in a huge neighborhood and had a school playground in our back yard (you can read more about that here). We didn’t have many family rules. One of them was to be home for dinner. I don’t know what happened if we weren’t because I was usually involved in helping with making dinner…rather supper! Another was we had to stay in our yard if our parents were gone. That wasn’t hard because of said playground. The last I recall was we had to be home before dark. Of course, the case could be made that dark has several definitions, right?
A little more…
One year, my dad put up a shed in our backyard. It was a nice metal shed that faintly resembled a barn which was the closest he would ever get to living on a farm. Mom was a farm girl and would never, and I mean never, live on a farm again. Anyway, I’m not sure what the shed/barn was built for originally. I think maybe it was just for overflow of stuff from the garage, but it was never full. Dad had built shelves on one of the walls, but they were never full, either. I do know that I soon took it over and convinced Mom and Dad to put a small mattress in there so my friend and I could sleep in it on summer nights. We would sleep out a couple nights a week. I don’t think we ever worried about locking it from the inside or worried about what could happen. What my parents didn’t know was we would also sneak out after the lights were out in our house. We would wander the neighborhood and just talk. Sometimes, there would be other kids out and about. We’d stop and talk to them but only for a little bit. The biggest thing was the thrill of breaking a rule and just enjoying the starlit nights, the lightning bugs, and seeing the neighborhood from a different perspective.
A tad more…
Eventually, we grew older and apart. I was a year ahead of her in school, and she was one of those girls who had “it.” You know what I mean, right? She wasn’t particularly pretty or smart. But, everyone gravitated toward her. As we got older, she had less and less time for me because she had a whole new bunch of friends. And, that was OK because I was growing into my own self, finding friends with different tastes and interests. I remember when my daughter was in middle school and had a friend who was the same way. She just attracted people to her. She was a very kind young woman. She was in my first fourth grade class and is a doctor today. I had other students over the years I taught who would have that same “it” quality. It’s just an indescribable thing, but it makes me wonder if anyone has ever studied the “it” factor. Hold on…I’m going to Google it!
The “It” factor…
OK, I Googled it. According to this article, there’s a lot that goes into it. I beg to differ a bit with the author. Sure, they make several good points, but the people I’ve known with the “it” factor don’t do many of the things they write about. I think it’s just an amorphous thing some people are lucky enough to have been born with. My brother, about whom I started writing this post, is an almost “it” person. Everyone who knows him likes him. Many call him Strohsie after the beer. His last name is still Rose and Strohsie sounds better than Rosie when you’re a big old dude! Here’s the thing, though. My brother has almost always been overweight. When we were growing up, he was just chubby. But, oh, my gosh, how he was picked on by the kids in the neighborhood. I cannot tell you how many people I popped a time or two for picking on my little brother (told you I was a tomboy). I’m so glad he grew into a happy go lucky halfways “it” kinda guy. So, Little Brother, this one’s for you (and no, it’s not a Bud or a Strohs)!
My outfit…
We took these photos a few weeks ago, and I can see it in my hair. I’m growing out my bangs. Remind me…never cut your hair into bangs again, Marsha! But, we’re here to talk about the clothing not the hair. This is the Tuva dress from Gudrun Sjödén. I think it was available in three colors, and I debated about this color making it look like a nighty. But, I just couldn’t see myself in the other colors (maybe burgundy and blue). It’s been sold out for some time, so I’m glad I nabbed it. I’m including front on photos so you can see the beautiful embroidery as well as the pintucking and lace at the bottom of the skirt. I added a slip I bought last year because this dress is fairly sheer. I know it’s one of those looks people will love, or they will hate. I absolutely adore it. I feel really special in this dress and look forward to wearing it for years. Who knows? Maybe, when it’s old and tattered, I will wear it as a nighty!
The Lewk!
I hope I’m not grossing y’all out with these sandals (and others) with the toe marks showing! These are Rieker, and I really would like to get another pair. The necklace and earrings are from Coldwater Creek back when they had brick and mortar stores so that makes them really old. The beaded bracelets were a lucky find at a boutique a couple of summers ago. I really like how the soft greens of my Lewk go with the neutral dress and slip.
Wrap it up, Marsha!
Well, this post was a tad all over the place, wasn’t it? I find it really difficult to just post an outfit whether it’s a dress or separates and just go with that. I have to have something to say. I guess it was time for a little more family history this post! So, can we talk? Did you grow up in an idyllic time like I did? What kinds of rules did you break as a kid? And, are you, or do you know someone with that “it” factor? What do you think the “it” factor is? Please leave me a comment or two, and we can talk. I promise to respond as soon as possible.
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Hi Marsha, what a lovely, cool dress and perfect for summer – it is definitely not a nightie! I always enjoy seeing what accessories you put with your outfits and usually come away with some ideas. I think we did grow up in simpler times and were protected because there wasn’t as much news and of course no social media. What a world we live in now. xx
Thanks, Sue! Oh, now, I’m really feeling complimented that you get ideas from me! I believe social media really has changed the world in many ways, not all of them good!
Such a pretty dress. ‘It’ people – hmm. Maybe those who always smile, always seems happy, show up and are reliable. They are good at lots of things and kindness would have to be a top personality of an ‘it’ person for me.
Thanks, Rosie! I think kindness would be important, too. But, lots of the people I knew who had the “it” factor weren’t particularly kind. I do think that being good at things and being very personable probably play into it, too.
What a lovely dress which as you must know now wouldn’t be worn in the UK or certainly not today as it is forecast to rain buckets in a few hours time. We are apparently going to have some warmer weather next week – for a few days. Our summer is like that – warm for around a couple of days and then back to wet weather and grey skies – sigh. Still, we don’t cope well with hot weather so maybe it’s for the best.
I think this white dress on you is great and it’s definitely not a nightie. It must be so cool to wear and is cool – right!
Thank you, Penny! You have certainly had a cold summer, especially when compared with last year. I’m hoping for cool weather when I go to Ireland and Scotland next month. I’m hoping you can wear some of those beautiful dresses and skirts soon. I do love wearing this dress because it makes me feel a bit like a princess…a Nordic one, maybe!
I loved growing up when I did and we had a lot of freedom too; something I tried really hard to emulate with my own boys. I don’t remember breaking any rules though. I was a real rule follower. Your dress is so pretty with all the lacy/ embroidery details.
Hahaha!!! I had to laugh when I read your rule follower comment. In almost everything else, I am a very strict rule follower. But, as a kid, at home, I always pushed the boundaries! I’m glad your boys were able to have that kind of childhood.
Thank you for the compliments on this dress. It is even more beautiful in person!
This post was fun to read, you brought back some memories for me! Being a kid and playing outside, lightning bugs, all the things I remember from my childhood. I do feel lucky to have grown up when I did.
The “It” factor is so interesting! Yes, some people sure do possess it – I am not one of them. But I sure have known people like that!
xo,
Kellyann
Thanks, Kellyann! I think it’s sorry so many kids don’t have the childhoods we did. Part of that is they don’t leave their homes because they’re tied to their electronics! There are lots of kids in the neighborhood behind us, but only a few are ever outside. I have seen a few lightning bugs this summer which makes me so happy.
I definitely don’t have the “it” factor, either. And, I’m really OK with that. I just think it’s funny the people who do have it.
Greatly enjoyed your charming memories of a simpler time…can you even imagine roaming the neighborhood after bedtime nowadays!? I’m an adult (-ish) and I don’t think I would even do it, haha.
Something about a white dress in the summer…so crisp and fresh. I feel like you need to add a photo of you walking a field or in a garden with a handled basket picking vegetables or flowers….super pretty and romantic (especially with the slip underneath).
UGH THE BANGS!!! I have been losing the battle with my scissors for years! My bangs only look okay right after I style my hair, then they revolt and separate like squabbling children. But the haunting words of an old friend, “bangs or botox,” creeps into my head JUST when they are long enough to begin the grow out. Leslie Clingan convinced me to stop coloring my hair…maybe YOU will be my champion in the battle of the bangs!
Thanks, Em! I will be your champion for leaving bangs out of the picture! I don’t know what I was thinking. I mean, everyone did it during Covid, but I resisted. So, of course, I have my stylist do it after Covid! I used to chop my bangs off, too, because it was so easy. I would just twist them up and snip the tip off. They were fine, but I’m afraid my forehead continues to grow. It couldn’t possibly be that my hair has decided to back up!
I do wish I had a field of flowers to walk through. I knew, though, that if we drove anywhere, this dress would be a wrinkled mess. Now, I don’t mind wrinkled messes except for photos for the blog! I do love these slips…they’ve become kind of an addiction.
I agree 100%…I wouldn’t walk around our neighborhood after dark, and it’s full of old people! It is such a different time these days. It doesn’t help that we are so close to Indianapolis, either.
Thanks, Em! I love reading your comments (but, I love reading your blog more)!
I was fortunate to grow up on the campus of a private boarding school. Us “faculty brats” had free range all over it (especially in summer when no students were there). We had the home before dark rule too.
Your dress looks perfect for your humid summer weather!
Oh, that must have been a lot of fun…especially in the summer! What did your parent(s) teach? I think just about every kid has that home before dark rule. Surprisingly, the humidity hasn’t been as bad this summer…yet!
Thanks, Anne!
My sister and I also grew up in an era where ranging all over our small town was considered pretty normal. My mom admitted to me as an adult that she did find it a bit nerve-wracking to let us do it but she didn’t want us to grow up in fear. A friend and I liked to set up a tent in our backyard and sleep out there in the summer. When I told my mom 30 years later that my friend, my sister, and I would sometimes sneak out to the gas station/convenience store in the middle of the night for candy, she was not happy to hear that, though! But to my recollection, we never even encountered another person.
I have to admit that this dress does have a bit of a nightgown factor to it, but so what? It’s pretty and looks comfortable.
Oh, Sally, you adventurer! We actually lived a couple of miles out of town so that was definitely out of the question. We had a tent, too, and would put it up before we got the shed. To this day, the smell of a tent that’s been set up in the sun takes me back to my childhood and the lake lot my parents owned.
As I told Jodie, I do have nightgowns from April Cornell that are more elaborately embroidered than this one is. I think the slip helps, though!
Thanks, Sally!
I can see the nighty thing, but that’s where accessories come it to make it an outfit. Love the embroidery and all of the history,
OXOX
Jodie
Thanks, Jodie! I have to admit I have some April Cornell nighties that are even more elaborately embroidered than this dress. I was hoping the accessories would do their job!
That is the perfect summer dress, Marsha, and definitely not a nightie! The embroidery detail is so pretty!
Jill – Doused in Pink
Thank you, Jill! I love embroidery, especially when it’s tonal.
This is giving me a vintage/Victorian vibe. I think it is lovely!
Thanks so much, Laura! I didn’t see that at first, but now I can!
This is a lovely ‘rambling’ post Marsha and I for one enjoyed it for just what it is! Your dress is lovely and you look all cool and summery! Thanks for being you x
Thank you so much, Debbie! I wish I could be content with just presenting an outfit, but that’s just not me! It is definitely “cool and summery” weather here. I hope you are having a marvelous weekend!