4-day work weeks are the way to go!

despite the chilly temperatures this past friday, i found myself eager to take my new topshop swing dress out for a test run. am currently loving this "trapeze" silhouette, and paired it with a pair of warm tights and my knee high leather boots. over it, i wore a similarly "flared-out-at-the-bottom" houndstooth sweater as a necessary precaution against the cold, and finally managed to squeeze my bundled up self into a knee length black wool coat, your typical coat -- a-line and fitted.

a mere couple of steps out on the street, i began to realize that the hem of my dress was slowly creeping up the sides of my legs and if it hadnt been for the knee-lengthedness of my coat, i wouldve been flashing my little part of the neighborhood, some cable-knit-butt. after several failed attempts at tugging and re-tugging the hemline down, i gave up, made sure my coat covered me at all times, and smiled like i was wearing the most butt covering dress of all time.

i realized what was creating the problem. unlike this new revival of an old-swing-dress trend, my coat was still stuck in the "fitted-streamline" era, and this combination of two completely contradictory silhouettes was creating the most uncomfortable situation i could possibly be in.

i think its fair to say, in this battle of trapeze vs. fitted, my poor dress was defeated, left in a crinkly wrinkly sad state after i got home that night. this opening ceremony coat, however, gives me hope! (and a reminder to leave room in my budget for elbow-length gloves...)