This past weekend, Mr. Dressedapp and I celebrated Valentine’s Day. While this holiday usually involves us getting dressed to the nines and hitting the town, we obviously had to modify our tradition and had a chill night in with fondue and champagne (no one here is complaining!). In other news related to Woman Plans, Universe Laughs, I had also hoped to unveil my latest Valentine’s Day themed circle skirt this week in honor of the Big Event…but we’ve been rained out for weeks which doesn’t show signs of stopping.
Despite a lack of dinners out or skirts to proudly twirl in, the weekend was an excellent reminder for Love. Not just romantic love (which always seems to dominate the holiday), but love for family and friends, love for colleagues and an amazing career, and perhaps more importantly, the love you need to show yourself. There’s a lot of self-care posts flowing around my social media given how much we are all struggling to cope with this new version of normal. Perhaps more than any other time, where we are pushing ourselves to the limit, we need to find the space that gives us permission to breathe. An ‘Apple A Day” for the soul, perhaps…
While scrolling through IG last week, I nearly fell over when I spotted a post featuring the twin to this apple-speckled dress! It was so amazing to see, because I had always believed mine to be homemade by a clever seamstress with a similar love for fruit themed appliqué.
Although mine is missing a label, through some pretty fab sleuth work by owner of said twin @liliandelafleur on the partial label she found on hers, she believes it to be a Vicky Vaughn. So there may be a few floating out there, ready to provide someone’s else’s daily dose of fruits as recommended by the FDA….
Perhaps one of the hardest parts of a pandemic, besides the stress and the worry and the isolation, is how obligated we all feel just to portray that we’re doing fine. As if making it all look easy is some sort of badge of honor. In a DM chat with on of my IG followers recently, she mentioned that we are all still wanting to give 110%…though 110% in a pandemic feels like 1999%. This resonated with me beyond measure, because each day feels like I’m expected to do the mathematically impossible. Where is this extra 1889% coming from I wonder?? Certainly not from a sustainable place….
So, I think we all need to step away from the dreaded To Do list, even for five minutes a day, and find the space where there are no expectations. Maybe your Apple a Day is found in a 5 minute meditation. A short walk around the neighborhood. Sketching a new design. Reading a few pages of a well-worn book. Watching some trashy tv show where you can switch off your brain (I am currently sewing and/or binging Survivor reruns as my low-commitment brain power tv indulgence. Ahhh those crazies…).
Whatever your self-care is, I hope you embrace it. And remind yourself that even if 5 minutes feels like an impossible ask in an already overwhelming day, your soul (and sanity) will thank you.
What’s your Apple a Day for the soul at the moment?
xoxo
Outfit Details:
Dress: Sweet Life Vintage (similar modern and vintage here, here & here)
Bracelet: Swarovski (similar)
Belt: gift, Alannah Hill (similar)
Handbag: Votta Vintage (similar)
Shoes: gift, Modcloth (similar here & here)
Lip Color: Retrofuturist
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