When the heat and humidity settle in for the summer, I often reach for a dress. A light, airy fabric in a flowing style is always the most comfortable option.
The dress is here.
I add a necklace to remove the focus from the cleavage when the neckline is low. A small pair of earrings always accompany a large necklace. If I wear large earrings, I skip the necklace and wear a bold bracelet. If I wear a hat, I keep all the other accessories around my face minimal. The one accessorizing rule I always follow is to avoid adding too much in one place.
A similar coin necklace is here. (Use the code SAS10 for $10 off any one item at Beauty in Stone Jewelry.) Similar earrings are here. My skincare routine is here.
In the summer heat, Mr. Mickey often wears light khaki pants and a Havanah-style shirt with fun socks. Similar shirt here.
One of our favorite outings includes an afternoon of restaurant hopping. We enjoyed a light lunch of shrimp tacos and chicken salad on a croissant with Prosecco at a beautiful winery in Virginia. Nicewonder Vineyard features a fine dining restaurant that is also open for lunch.
We always look forward to a meal at Hickory.
The atmosphere and service are impeccable.
After a short drive to Abingdon, Va, we arrive at another favorite haunt, Anthony’s Desserts. We share desserts since they are huge.
As the sun starts to sink lower in the sky, we enjoy visiting the Lumac Rooftop Bar at the Bristol Hotel.
We often order the shrimp cocktail and share a bread pudding for dessert.
We took full advantage of the beautiful day to enjoy each other’s company as we leisurely visited some of our favorite places in southwest Virginia.
Dresses are my go to in the summer as well. Nothing is more comfortable in the heat and humidity. I always enjoy the pictures of your outings. Your joy in these outings comes through your posts.
Loved your guidelines for accessorizing…very helpful. Thank you!
Lovely post! Thanks!
Looking good – your beauty is refreshing and your style is outstanding.
We come here to learn fashion advice but we leave reflecting your sense of gratitude and making the most of the present. Thank you!
Thank you for your comment, Evelyn. You made my week!
Love this dress, I may have to run to the mall and see if it’s in stock! Nothing beats one and done dressing in the summer, separates are so fussy, and hot too. Your skin is beautiful, Susan, something to aspire to! I try to take extra good care of mine too, the neck and chest as well. Thank you for letting us travel along with you both.
Summer outings are such fun. You look cool in the heat!
I recently read your book recommendation, and thoroughly enjoyed the story thank you. May I return the recommendation, there are three books by a young British author Stacey Halls – I think you would enjoy them.
The Foundling
The Familiars
Mrs England
Thank you for all your inspiring posts.
Best wishes
Alison
Thank you for the recommendations, Alison. I’ll look for those books.
That dress is so attractive on you, good choice. I particularly like the elbow sleeve and the midi length. The neckline is a little low, the necklace is a perfect piece to wear. I love to reach for slacks/denim, etc., but I’m really liking dresses this season. There seems to be better choice of styles.
Thank you for sharing your day of restaurant hopping, beautiful venues and delicious looking food.
So enjoy your posts! I’ve been reading for a long time, never commented!
M
Thank you for your lovely comment. I appreciate it.
Oh, I LOVE LOVE the dress. You look beautiful. I may order it.
Always a good day when one of your posts shows up in my inbox. Sounds like a fun relaxing outing. Mr. Mickey looks stylish as well—you make a handsome couple. Keep sharing your advice for fashion, health, and living. This blog benefits many of us. Thank you.
You’re skin is absolutely amazing!
Thank you, Suzanne.
Could I ask what colour is your lipstick it’s such a soft but enhancing effect
The color is one of the new ones by Beautycounter here. It is called Vibrant: Blue Red.
You all might enjoy the Marked Tree Vineyard in Flat Rock, North Carolina outside of Hendersonville, North Carolina. It is a highly regarded and rated vineyard with beautiful views, great food, and wine; my older son works there!
Thank you for the recommendation, Kathy. We will check that out!
Love that dress and your hair looks great!
What is your current lipstick color? I really like it!
The color is one of the new ones by Beautycounter here. It is called Vibrant: Blue Red.
Yes! Dresses in the summer! I like everything about your dress- print & length, sleeve length, V neck, pop of color in the clutch. Your skin is beautiful ! I have just started using Beauty Counter because of your recommendation ( and with your links). Anyway, I always enjoy your posts.
Sadly, most dresses look dowdy on us older women. I adore you in pants…especially slim ones. You have a wonderful figure.
Such beautiful places you visit and enjoy! Sounds perfect! You look gorgeous!
those meals look wonderful and I would enjoy spending a day out doing the same too.
The dress looks beautiful on you! I love the shape and elbow length sleeves. Are you wearing the included belt? I couldn’t tell in the photographs. I have it in my cart to buy. Are there other belts we could substitute? A contrasting belt might cut my figure in two, though. At 5’2”, I need all the unbroken lines I can get! Thank you in advance for your thoughts.
I never wear the self-belts that come with dresses, so I cut the little loops off and toss the belts. If I did wear a belt, it would be a tan one, but I do not want to draw attention to my waistline.
Hi Susan,
Love your Summer Dress but not your Shoes.
Ankle straps make your legs look shorter & the Heels are too Chunky. Lighter ones in White would look better.
Love seeing what you are wearing
When the shoes are nearly the same color as your skin, the strap around the ankle doesn’t visually cut off the leg as in a high-contrast color such as black. Wearing white sandals with delicate heels draws attention to thicker calves and pink feet that may swell a bit later in the day. The style of shoe I am wearing in the photos looks more current, and they balance the thickness of my ankles, making them look more slender.
Good morning Susan and Mr Mickey.
I have done a few chores on a Sunday morning and decided to open my emails having just made a nice cup of tea.
Great to see you in my inbox, before I opened it I thought I won’t comment on this one as I seem to on every one
lately but it was so enjoyable my fingers somehow started typing. lol.
Great dress , skin to die for ( glad no signs of horrible react to sunglasses) , your braver than me wearing high heels, phew !
Orange bag again lifts whole outfit.,
To Mr Mickey, you look so relaxed and as always socks in tune with outfit but Mr Mickey I sincerely mean it when I say the shine on
your shoes always says self discipline and you and Susan have that in spades.
You restaurant hopping looks fun and food lookeds appetising, but it being a lazy breakfast Sunday morning here I think I will skip
Anthony’s desserts luscious as they look I would fall asleep after eating one of those, my word .
Have a happy Sunday to you in Tennessee,
Pamela from Wales UK .
Both of you are so refreshing!
Hi Susan
I love your style and I look forward to your articles.
I’m from Australia so our reversal of the seasons is interesting, whilst your presently enjoying sunny days and wearing light breezy clothes we are spending our days in woollens and long pants.
Anyway I just wanted to say hello and let you know how much I enjoy reading about you and Mr Mickey and of course your fashion advice.
Kind Regards
Caroline
I love that you and Mr.Mickey enjoy afternoons like you described together. That’s a beautiful thing.
I lost my husband 14 months ago and miss those special times together.
And you both always look so classy.
I’m so sorry for your loss, Sue. I hope your beautiful memories give you a lot of comfort.
It’s always a joy to open my email and see there’s a post from you! Love hearing about your adventures and exploring with Mr. Mickey and I learn from your beautiful clothing choices and comments! Thank you, Susan!
Is any style of dress I can wear with no heels or slight heel?
Any dress or skirt that ends at the smallest part of your leg will be most flattering. A nude shoe is more attractive with bare legs.
Sounds like a wonderful day!
I was reading an article in the NYT this morning about the “fashion” in the Sex and the City spinoff, And Just Like That.
The members of the cast are now in their 50s and are still wearing fashions that would have behooved them in their 30s. Excessively glamorous and costly, they seem so overdone in comparison to your natural approach to stylish, comfortable dressing.
Yes, they’re all very wealthy and live in the fashion mecca of the world, Manhattan.
And yet, none of them can hold a candle to your comfortably elegant style. And despite an embarrassing amount of plastic surgery, Botox and fillers, none are as beautiful as you, Susan. Thank you for always keeping it real.
Thank you Rebecca!
You look lovely. As always. I see the dress comes with a tie belt and belt loops, but I can’t tell from your photo if you are using the belt, or have left it off. Also, I believe you are about 5’7″. I am just 5’3″, so I guess this would be far too long for me. Also, I was surprised to see the dress is Polyester/elastane. I would have thought at was too hot for summer. I really enjoy sharing your adventures and I think restaurant hopping sounds like great fun. Love Mr. Mickey’s socks, of course.
The fabric feels and flows more like a crepe material instead of polyester.
What a lovely adventure!
Another wonderful post to savor! Thanks to both of you for taking us along on your outing.
Just an FYI on the novels by Stacey Halls that was mentioned by Alison.
Note for readers: in the USA, The Foundling is published under the title The Lost Orphan.
Alison, thank you for sharing your recommendation with the community. It’s on my list!
Susan you look so lovely in this dress and Mr Mickey looks great too. Thank you for sharing what sounds like such a fun outing with delicious food! You look like you are getting younger every time I see a post!
What a nice dress! It does feel good to dress up once in awhile. I don’t do it very often because we live in a rural resort area.
Beautiful pictures of Southwest Virginia.
I do want to say that I have used Beautycounter before and did notice my skin was improved. But I had some other kind of skin care I needed to use up and used that instead. I’m going back to Beautycounter because it was much better for my skin. I definitely could feel an improvement.
Glad to see your looking better after your reaction to your glasses.
I am quite long-waisted; would this dress work for me, do you think? I love the neckline and the 3/4 sleeves—what a lovely summer dress!
Ignore your natural waistline and let the dress give you a new one. It works for me every time! 🙂
Susan, you are so beautiful and Mr. Mickey is so handsome.
Susan,
Question………
Do you find that 100% linen garments shrink a little or a lot after washing. ? Is that the nature of the fabric ?
I am considering purchasing a top which is 100% linen.
The small fits nicely, but I don’t want it to shrink, don’t know if I should get the medium. Will it shrink some even if following washing instructions) ?
Your thoughts…..?
I don’t have any linen garments now, but as I recall they didn’t shrink, but be sure to follow the washing instructions.
Hi Susan!
Your outing sounds just like the kind of day my husband and I like to have; eating out!
You both look chic and classy as usual.
The dress is a great classic look and I like that you accessorized with red.
The hints about jewelry size etc. are quite helpful.
I love the dress! My problem is always length. I’m really short.
I went to college in Radford, Virginia, and still love Southwest Virginia. I miss it.
I just finished reading a book you mentioned, The Light Between Oceans, and it was wonderful! Any other good book recommendations? Thank you, Janet
I’m currently reading ” Wild, “and it is excellent. The author is Cheryl Strayed.
Je suis une nouvelle abonnée .J’habite en Provence . Je suis une professeur d’université a la retraite . J’enseignais la littérature de la Renaissance . Vos commentaires sont traduits en français .
Je trouve votre expérience intéressante . Votre philosophie de vie m’aide a améliorer la mienne . J’essaie de rendre chaque jour de ma vie supportable .Vos récits me prouvent que le bonheur est une affaire de volonté .
Bravo pour vos look , ils m’inspirent pour me vêtir chaque jour !
Comment va M Mickey ? C’est un monsieur charmant !
Au revoir !!!!
Célia
Thank you for sharing your fashion and skin care! I enjoy checking what looks nice in various occasions. I live in the mountains now and don’t go places as often as I did. That means I feel out of touch with what to wear when I do have something to go to. My clothes have been around too long and feel dated. Always nice to check out your suggestions!! Thank you!!
Please remind me of the name and style of the bra that helps with the back as well as the front?
Thank you,
The Ultimate Pretty from Shapeez.com.
Hi Susan….you always look great. i still check in from time to time and enjoy your site Debbie Carr
God Bless you both as you go through your health issues.