Transporting myself to “Paris” as often as possible these days. From the moment I first saw this Loft dress, I thought American in Paris. Not because the costume department of the 1951 musical had a particular penchant for polka dots, but because something about the navy and red pattern, midi skirt and sleeves reminded me of my first trip there.
I was eleven, it was summer break, I had been learning french for the past nine months and I had very earnestly practiced my ‘merci beaucoups’ and ‘je voudrais un croque monsieur s’il vous plaît’. I vividly remember crossing the Pont Neuf on our way to dinner and seeing a young woman walking in a polka dot sundress dress, red lipstick and sandals, the perfect Parisienne. I want to be her when I grow up, I thought and here I am twelve years later, still trying to cultivate my inner chic french style icon.
Since jumping on a plane is a long way off, why not visit my favorite French bistrot in DC, Le Diplomate? A little slice of the Quartier Latin right in my own neighborhood! But who doesn’t love sitting at a pretty cafe table under a bistro awning, whether it’s with your morning coffee or later in the day for steak frites and oysters and une bouteille de champagne.
Walking around the city in a great outfit lifts the spirits, it’s my go to mood-booster. This dress is effortlessly chic to style, with a skirt that practically demanded a good spin or two. Also it was a great co-conspirator in my one woman campaign to eat as many croissants as humanly possible on the particular morning we shot these photos.
There is something about polka dots that I find inherently feminine and romantic. It might be the slight retro connotation to the print. It might be dots bring fun and flirtiness, whether it’s swiss dots on a pair of stockings, or sundusted freckles across shoulders. It’s playful, it’s cheeky, but it’s undeniably classic. Like all good love stories really. And it is February after all.
xx
