The Liebster Award

Liebster Award - The Dressed Aesthetic

As somewhat of a blogging newbie, I hadn’t heard about the Liebster Awards until very recently, when the lovely Lindsey of Have Clothes, Will Travel nominated me! It was pretty flattering – and rather circular, given that Lindsey is a huge part of the reason I started blogging in the first place. At the start of this year, she asked me to be her Featured Fashionista for February – in answering her interview questions, I really verbalized my style philosophy in a way I hadn’t before. Long story short, it crystallized the idea that had been brewing forever – to start a…

Rumor Has It

Rumor Has It - The Dressed Aesthetic

When I stumbled upon this dress, the title on her etsy listing read “Rumor Has It” and it stuck with me. Now whenever I wear her, I can’t ever seem to get Adele out of my head. But I actually rather enjoy it, because I’ve always found that life is much better with a soundtrack. Don’t you wish that life existed the way it does in the movies, where a trained professional always plays the perfect track at the perfect time? The happy music swells during joyful moments, a romantic tune kicks in right before the kiss, and I would pay attention…

Spring Forward, Fall Back

Fall Forward - The Dressed Aesthetic

To pay homage to all of your Northern Hemisphere folks and the glorious crisp weather you’re experiencing, I’ve decided to fall splendidly into autumn today! I’ve actually spied this dress popping up a fair bit around the interwebs lately – like there was a leaf-shaped bat symbol projected into the sky calling this dress to come out of her various places of hiding. Do you ever notice that happens a lot? As if thinking about a certain dress or speaking her name aloud shifts something in the universe, shaking her sisters out of the branches…

Smart, Sassy and Stylish:
Meet Miss Amy May

Smart, Sassy, & Stylish: Meet Miss Amy May

It has come to my attention that there’s a lot of negativity on the internet (shocker I know). Scrolling through my Instagram feed, I see a lot of comments about people combatting body shaming and unwelcome criticism, lack of self-confidence, and all around negative energy. And it’s not all that surprising, considering images are paraded in front of our eyes about the women we’re supposed to be, the body we’re supposed to have, the items we’re supposed to buy in order to achieve some unrealistic ideal. And when all of these images are clouding our vision, it’s hard to see through it…

Lounging Apparel

Lounging Apparel - The Dressed Aesthetic

Something I find amazing about bygone eras is the effort put into dressing seemingly for every aspect of life. Awhile back, I scooped up this stunning vintage quilted jacket, cozy and warm with an appliquéd rose dancing on her shoulder. It wasn’t until later when she arrived on my doorstep and I clocked the label inside, I realized that this beauty was once-upon-a-time designed as ‘Lounging Apparel.” I love that the simple act of being at home and relaxing was reason enough to dress up. Cause then getting all dressed up for a Wednesday seems downright normal.

Lust List #8

Lust List #8 - The Dressed Aesthetic

It’s that time of year where it feels as if we’re barreling towards Christmas at lightening speed. What is it about the end of September that turns my eyes towards the next year already? I want to put on the brakes – I have way too much 2015 business to attend to before 2016 starts beckoning me towards her. I have, however, made the time for one of my very favorite blog features…

Daisy Chain

Daisy Chain - The Dressed Aesthetic

As I skipped off to work today, donning a minty green vintage confection with a daisy chain delicately sewn around her collar, I started to think about the things in the universe that connect us. By definition, a “daisy chain” is simply a string of daisies threaded together by their stems. In engineering, a daisy chain is a term to describe a wiring scheme where multiple devices are wired together in sequence (used for good and occasional cyber-evil). And in medicine, I’ve heard it used to describe a series of organ transplants involving one matched donor. But they’re all meant to imply connection – pulling…

{Sewing}: Sheer Madness

{Sewing}: Sheer Madness - The Dressed Aesthetic

After the craziness that was the making of the Dahlia Dress (which took a good 6 months to complete in between all of the travel and 12 zillion pattern pieces), Sewanista and I thought it was a good idea to try for a quick win – follow a fairly straightforward pattern and quickly reap the rewards. Ohhhh when will I ever learn that when it comes to my sewing projects, nothing is ever as simple as I expect…

I’ve Got My Eye on You

I've Got My Eye on You - The Dressed Aesthetic

Every now and then, certain items catch my eye and I can’t get them out of my head. And generally, those items involve glitter. You know the drill – you see something amazing and talk yourself out of it. Reasons ranging from ‘it’s not quite the right shade of blue’ or ‘you’re not sure it’s practical’ all the way to another desperate attempt to put yourself on a spending binge. My weak resistance flowed like lava from the Inevitability Volcano. Oh, I can come up with excuses like the best of ’em (I’m also rather skilled at coming up with rationalizations. A…

Poppy Fields Forever

My love of scenic prints knows no bounds. I have a particularly soft spot for photo realistic prints, and as Spring is looming here in Australia, flowers are blooming and so is my wardrobe. The bright red poppies on this Chicwish skirt just sing out for warm weather and skipping through fields and falling asleep in the shade of your favorite tree. Naturally a conversation about poppies turns my mind to the Wizard of Oz and the closer I look, I realized I have an deconstructed, Dorothy-themed outfit, complete with ruby slippers and a hot air balloon brooch (I swear, sometimes…