(photographed at Rum Row at The Gates Key West)

Outfit Details:

off the shoulder floral dress (this dress  and this one are similar styles)
Embellished Steve Madden “Calabra” sandals (available in two colors)
Ferragamo cat-eye sunglasses
all bought at Nordstrom Rack

When I was in fourth grade, I had one piece of clothing on my wish list: a velvet, off the shoulder bodysuit with bell sleeves. It was very specific. In fact, I don’t think I ever even saw one in a store; it was just my vision of the perfect garment. This was, by the way, in the 90s. I was also wearing bubble necklaces and velvet chokers, crochet vests with matching hats, and cutoff shorts with flannel patches all over the front. I lived in a 90s kind of world, you know what I mean? All I was missing was that dream bodysuit of jumbled trends: velvet, off the shoulder, exaggerated bell sleeve, snap bottom bodysuit (somehow this was a huge thing). I ended up settling for a velvet baby doll dress with normal sleeves – I know, basically nothing about my wardrobe has changed – but I never forgot that fictional wonder of bare shoulders and perpetual discomfort. Somewhere along the way, trends changed, and I gave up the ghost. I also (unfortunately) became self-conscious about my arms and wouldn’t dream of bare shoulders, but my pretty little tattoo-in-progress has helped me move beyond that just enough – so much so that I didn’t immediately skip this off the shoulder floral dress, when I found it (on sale!) at Nordstrom Rack . Even though it’s not velvet or a bodysuit, it made me nostalgic, and I surprised myself by adding it to the pile of things to try on…and surprised myself even more when I bought it for my upcoming trip to Key West. It just felt like the perfect island dress, and I couldn’t pass it up. The loose sleeves and bloused top make me feel a lot more comfortable; they balance out the bare shoulders and shorter hemline. I paired it with some embellished Steven Madden sandals, a straw boater hat, and a big pair of cat-eye sunglasses for a hot summer day in the Keys, where things like arm hang-ups just aren’t a thing…but color, bare skin, and sandals are.

This post was made in collaboration with Nordstrom Rack.