tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge

My Favorite Summer Dress & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #229

tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge

My favorite summer dress is a few years old and I have never shared it on the blog before now. I picked up this black and white tie dye sundress when I worked in my local consignment shop a few years ago. I honestly cannot even remember when I worked there…all the days, weeks, months, and years really do start to blend together the older I get and the more pot I smoke! If I am not mistaken, I worked there for the duration of the school year when Ralphie was in kindergarten and Archie was in second grade. That would have been 2018-2019. Now Ralph will be entering 3rd grade and Archie 5th. How the heck did that even happen? Weren’t they just toddlers like last year?

In any event, I do remember this dress coming into the shop and I was immediately drawn to it. The brand is Ruff Hewn which I have found to be really good quality apparel. However, it is a size large and at the time that I first saw it, I was more like a double extra large. But I tried it on anyway and it fit so I bought it. This dress has definitely lived up to the great quality standard that I had attributed to the brand as well. It is a lightweight tee shirt material that is perfect for hot and humid summer days. And I literally wear it twice a week during the summer months. I don’t know how I had never photographed it before now.

Since losing some pounds, the dress is actually now a little too big on me so I have to wear a cover up of some sort to hide my very visible bra straps. Even the top of my bra cups stick out now because apparently my boobs have shrunk with the weight loss as well making the neckline of the dress a bit oversized on me. But I don’t care because I generally always wear this dress braless anyway. Just floating around my house in a very non-Jabba the Hutt manner!

tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge

In general, I hang all of my clothing to dry whether it is out back on the laundry line when the weather permits or a drying rack in my bedroom. Nothing goes in the drying machine except for underwear, socks, towels, and most pajamas. Since this dress was starting to look a bit too big on me, I decided to toss it in the dryer to firm up its shape and it came out perfectly! The laundering instructions do say to dry on medium so I felt comfortable tossing it in there, but I always fear that darker clothing items will get wretchedly faded in the dryer. I suppose drying them on the wash line in the sun would have the same effect though. But I still prefer to hang dry when I can!

I generally wear this dress with nothing else but a pair of underwear (and even those are optional on really hot days), but that just wouldn’t do for an outfit post sharing my favorite summer dress. I had to style it and accessorize it to make it blog worthy. It is no secret that I love the combination of black and white with little splashes of red. So when I reached for a white kimono to cover the ill fitting top of my dress, I decided red absolutely had to be the accent color. I have had these flat red sandals for a few years as well and they have come in handy eery summer since I bought them. The same with my white straw fedora…it makes multiple appearances every year. My necklace is really old, like pre-blogging days old (I started this blog in 2015) and I have no recollection of where I bought it or how it came into my possession. But the color of the beads were so perfectly matched to my sandals that I decided to give new life to this old necklace. My earrings are fairly old as well and have become favorite staples in my earring collection.

tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge
tie dye dress, thrifted style, kimono, fedora, fashion over 40, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge

Do you have an outfit or wardrobe piece on repeat this summer?

Featured Favorites

Reader Favorite (Most Clicked)

Lizzie of Lizzie in Lace shared her post, Floral Skirt Outfit & Chicwish Summer Haul, featuring a gorgeous rose printed skirt with a darling lacy cap sleeved blouse. This outfit is so whimsical and pretty and perfectly Lizzie!

Lizzie in Lace
Lizzie of Lizzie in Lace

Fashion Favorite

Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish shared her post, Soft Surroundings Tropical Print Botanica Dress, and I am in a downright swoon over the stunning colors and beautiful botanical print on this dress. It is absolutely stunning on Jess.

Non-Fashion Favorite

Debbie of Your Styled Story shared her post, On the Other Side of Fear. If you are in need of some serious inspiration and badass motivation, Debbie is your girl! She has faced the fear that has held her back from realizing her greatest potential and now she is thriving in the most magnificent way. I know I am certainly inspired and motivated after reading this post. You should go read it, too!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

On the topic of tie dye, I want to remind you all that the theme for July’s Good Buy/Good-Bye Book is tie dye, so be sure to send us some of your favorite tie dye pieces this season! I will publish a reminder post later this week featuring a look back at my tie dye outfits over the years. Until then…

Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

Linking up with these Fabulous Link Parties.

Outfit Details: Dress-Thrifted (Ruff Hewn) / Kimono and Necklace-Old / Shoes-Shoe Dazzle / Earrings-Cato / Hat-Kohl’s

I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.

84 Comments

  • Claire

    Sorry lovely can you delete the comment about, not sure what went wrong there!!

    This is a great idea, to shrink your clothes. Everything goes in my drier in Winter, that will be why most of my clothes are too small 🙂 Thanks so much for hosting, love your featured blogs.

      • Claire

        Hi, Shelbee. Aww sorry. I must start putting my reading glasses on!! They were upstairs so I tried to manage. Thanks for this 🙂

        Thanks so much for linking up to The Wednesday Link Up #TheWednesdayLinkUp I hope you can join us today for The weekend Link-Up?

        Love this dress.

  • Mica

    Such a cute tye dye dress! I think it looks really good with the red and the sheer coverup is perfect with it too!

    Thanks for the link up!

    Hope your week is going well 🙂 We went to a theme park yesterday to kick off the school holidays 🙂

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thanks so much, Mica! It really is a great dress and super comfortable! It sounds like you had a great time kicking off the school holidays! We are easing our way into summer vacation here in the most lazy way possible. Haha.

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Tamar SB

    What a perfect summer/July 4th outfit.
    I am with you on the dryer, esp since I have industrial apt building ones not the…every fancy setting dyers. Everything except the old t’s, socks, etc are in the dryer!

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thank you, Mireille! I didn’t even think of a tee layered on top of the dress…and tied at the waist! What a cute idea! Thank you for that suggestion. I am going to try it the next time I wear this dress…maybe today! I do love my hats all year long, but I get weird about thrifted ones. I need to get over that with a big ole can of Lysol or something. Haha.

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Jessica A Jannenga

    Thank you for the feature my friend! I do love the dress. Yours looks great as well. I love a high low hem and certainly the comfort factor. Wonderful job accessorizing! See, that dress was meant to be! I do not put alot in the dryer either, except I leave my jeans air dry and pop them in for the last 5 minutes to soften, otherwise they are like cardboard!
    Have a great week friend!
    jess xx
    http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thanks so much, Jess! It was my pleasure to feature you in that gorgeous dress. I do love a high-low hem as well. I have quite a few of them in my closet. As for jeans, I go back and forth with how I dry them. But they definitely need the dryer so they aren’t so stiff. If I have towels going in, the jeans will go in with them. But if most of the laundry is being hung out to dry, I’ll hang the jeans, too. I hope your week is off to a great start!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Tatiana

    Black and white with a little red statement is my most favorite combination!!! I would never notice that this dress is big on you, if you didn’t say so, Shelbee… In my opinion, it fits you perfect, especially now the oversized items are on big trend! Love this outfit so much!

    Tatiana

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thanks so much, Tatiana! Black and white with a splash of red is my favorite combination, too! For as long as I can remember really. I think I did a pretty good job making it all work and not appear as ill-fitting as it really is. Part of the problem is my lack of diversity in bra styles. Every bra I own is full coverage so if a neckline dips low, my bra will show. I need to rectify this problem soon. But God, how I hate bra shopping!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Christina Morley

    Nice summer outfit! I didn’t realize it was a tie-dye. It’s got a classy look for a tie-dye. I visited the “Creating an outfit with velvet” post. The photos were fab (like the blog’s name). I took Amanda shopping for winter clothes and saw velvet pants for her age group, but she wouldn’t go near them. Velvet is not her thing, I discovered. 😀

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thanks so much, Tina! I think the little band of tie dye just around the hemline definitely makes the dress a bit dressier than a normal tie dyed tee shirt dress. Of course, accessories also help with that. I love all things velvet! Maybe Amanda will change her mind about velvet in the future. But if she doesn’t, that’s cool, too!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Deborah Stinedurf

    The tied kimono is the absolute perfect way to add some shape to the dress! However I’m like you, when it’s hot outside I just allow my loose fitting dresses to flow free with no accessories or add-ons because the heat makes it unbearable. Thank you so much for the feature my sweet friend! xo
    Debbie
    http://www.yourstyledstory.com

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thank you, Debbie! I have been embracing the tie at the waist thing for a while now because it is the magical solution to giving my very rectangular shape a hint of a waist line. But when it is hot and humid and there aren’t many people around, loose fitting garments with no bra is the way to go! It was my pleasure to feature your very inspiring post, my friend. Keep rocking with your badassery!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Renee Open

    ROTFL! Jabba the hut Style =D =D

    I have a fav summer dress too and rarely wear a bra at all and certainly not with that dress. Maybe I’ll share a pic next time I wear it!

    I love the addition of the hat and kimono <3

    Lovely as always and thank you for hosting friend!

    (PS I have a fun date tonight =) Will have to tell you about it when we chat).

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Aw, thanks, Renee! Did you read the Jabba the Hutt post that I linked?! I seriously believed that I look like him for over 20 years of my life! Haha. I definitely want to see your cute braless summer dresses! And I am looking forward to our chat. Have a fabulous date night, my friend!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Rena

    Shelbee,

    I do indeed have favorites that get worn a lot and my fav dress also has a tie-dye pattern. Yours is super cute especially with the hi/low hem. Have you considered cinching it up at the top of shoulders? No complicated sewing required. Just create a fold that you can tack down and maybe camouflage with a large button sewn on top. I’ve done it a few times with tops that are a bit too roomy around the armholes to make them fit better. Anyway, you look great … fun and chic.

    Rena
    http://www.finewhateverblog.com

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Rena, thanks so much! This is the dress that reminds me of your tie dye dress! I did not even think about cinching up the shoulders, you brilliant woman! That is definitely something that I will look into doing. Part of my problem is also that all of my bras are full coverage so anything with a lower neckline causes me an issue. I think the easier solution might be to invest in a few demi bras or whatever sort of bras are not full coverage. But maybe that’s not easier because bra shopping is the absolute worst thing ever!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thank you, Jodie! I can totally see Lesley styling something similar! In fact, now that you brought it up, I am pretty certain she has styled something very similar before, hasn’t she? Great minds share great style!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Darlene

    Regardless of “why” you added pieces to this dress outfit, the outcome is adorable!! You look so cute in this! I love red with black and white, too. It just always works and makes a statement. SOO cute! You are definitely thinner, my friend. Not required, but since you are feeling happy and healthy, it’s something to celebrate.

    xx Darlene
    P.S. Just returned from a great trip to Kauai and trying to find my groove after a super laid-back vacay! I will have to catch up on what I’ve missed since I left the plug part of my charger at home. I have to wonder if a part of my psyche said, no, don’t work while you’re gone! Lol!

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Hi Darlene! Thanks so much for this lovely comment! My weight loss journey has been a result of just wanting to feel healthier and I really do feel healthier! Welcome back to non-vacation reality! I can’t wait to read about your trip! I think it is a blessing in disguise that you left your charger behind. I lost signal completely when we went to the music festival 2 weeks ago and I took that as a sign that no connection was a good thing. I turned the phone off and didn’t even take a single photo! It was sooooo nice to be unplugged and unreachable for 3 days. I hope you are having a great week!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Marlene, thanks so much for stopping by! Skirts are a great alternative to dresses for the summer months! I almost never wear jeans when it starts to get warm out unless they are super loose light weight denim. Give me all the easy breezy airy things this time of year!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom

    I really love a good tie dye piece in the summer. I hang dry a lot of pieces in my wardrobe that I think will shrink or just age faster in the dryer and then I iron them. This sounds like a comfortable piece to wear inside or out in this heat and yet it looks super cute on you!

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thanks, Carrie! I have added quite a bit of tie dye to my wardrobe over the past few years. I love it! And this dress is definitely one of my favorite tie dye pieces. Even though I generally prefer brighter colored tie dyes, the black and white gives me lots of styling options. I hope you are having a wonderful week!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thanks, Laura! It was definitely a great find! I cannot remember what I paid for the dress but it was less than $15 and I have worn it countless times over the years so I have gotten my money’s worth, for sure!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Anne M Bray

    Summertime!
    I waft about in my huipils (Mexican tunics). Which all need mending!

    Speaking of which, if your dress is roomy at the armpits too, you could take up the extra fabric at the shoulders to raise the neckline (sew or safety pin). And instead of evenly pinching in front and back, you could do it from just the front.
    Oh, necklines and diminished (or no) boobs. A lot of garments I now wear backwards! That won’t work for this hi/low hemline unfortunately.

    Thanks for the tie dye reminder. I’ve got some victims!

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thanks, Anne! Rena also suggested that little shoulder alteration trick. I may have to give it a try. But I am starting to think that the issue is more my lack of bras that are not full coverage. The top of the bra sticks out of everything that has the slightest bit of dip at the neckline. So my first course of action may be bra shopping (ugh) and if I cannot remedy the situation with bras, then alterations may be in order! I am not a fan of wearing things backwards because I also feel the neckline is choking me then! I look forward to your tie dye submissions!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

      • Anne M Bray

        I hear you on the strangulation issue.
        Do I choke myself or scare everyone with my gnarly chest?
        And then there’s the problem of when you lean over and,
        Hello!
        bare all.
        Haha.

        Possible to wear a cami with built in shelf bra? Or sports bra top?

        • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

          Oh my gosh, Anne! First of all, there is absolutely nothing scary about your chest! But the lean over issue could be a problem with an oversized neckline! Oh dear, sports bras and cami bras are no good for me! My boobs are much too heavy for any of those things. So not only do I have huge boobs to deal with but they also weigh so damn much that no cute solution works for me ever! Grrrrr.

          xoxo
          Shelbee

          • Anne M Bray

            Oh, you have no idea… wierd spider veins, The Scars (rawr)…

            I was afraid you’d say that about your bosom. Bra shopping it is. Oh joy for you.

            xxox

          • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

            Why does the word “bosom” make me giggle? I am so childish! And who decided that our boobs have to be all perky and lifted up anyway? Why aren’t saggy boobs and flat boobs or no boobs at all just as stylish as moderately sized firm boobs? I want answers! And my boobs want freedom!

            Ha.

            xoxo
            Shelbee

  • Suzy Turner

    I can totally understand why this is your favourite summer dress, Shelbee! It looks so comfy and floaty – perfect for the heat! I love that you threw it in the dryer to try and shrink it a little bit. Genius!
    I also love that you admit to having no recollection where your necklace came from lol! I have so many things I can’t remember where they came from. I’m so glad it’s not just me lol!
    Hugs
    Suzy xx

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Aw, thanks so much, Suzy! I haven’t tried the dress on since I put it in the dryer but it looked like it was nicely reshaped from it. Maybe I will put it on again today. It’s a hot and humid day again. I generally recall where and when I purchased things, but I do have a LOT of things so some definitely fall through the cracks of my memory!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thanks so much, Lauren! This wrap has proven to be incredibly useful! I have had it for years and wear it very often. It is actually starting to fray along the edges and it is getting discolored from too much laundering. I may have to start looking for a replacement soon! I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Sheila (of Ephemera)

    Shelbee, how sweet is your jammy dress? We should all own a dress like that for wearing around on the hottest, laziest days, am I right? I love it accented with the red sandals, and that is a lovely necklace (although I did laugh at your “very old” pre-blog 7-year old necklace – I have jewelry that’s older than me!).

    Your dress reminded me of the Tie-Dye theme, but that’s one theme I’ll be skipping this time. I literally do not own anything tie-dyed, and can’t even remember if I have ever owned anything tie-dyed. It just isn’t my bag, baby. 🙂

    Thank you so much for the wonderful link-up party! I so appreciate it.

    Happy 4th of July!

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thanks so much, Sheila! I definitely own things that are much older than 7 years as well! But I do kind of have this very bold timeline in my wardrobe that separates things that I owned pre-blogging from things that I have acquired since I started blogging. I also have things that I refer to as “older than my marriage” because that is the only time reference I can think of…did I own this before I met Jeff or was it something I purchased after we began dating? As far as tie dye goes, it doesn’t have to be your bag, baby! Hehe That is what keeps this fashion blogging business fun, isn’t it? That we all have our own different styles that we can appreciate on others even though we may not wear them ourselves. Variety is the spice of life! I hope you had a wonderful Canada Day and are enjoying the holiday weekend!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Barbara Chapman

    Shelbee, you are so funny! I have a couple of sundresses like that where undergarments are optional. 😉 I actually think I might have a quick fix for you: 1) Take the top of the shoulder straps, pull up to where you want the underarm and neckline to be, and 2) Stitch from the inner neckline down to the armhole on each side. Do that twice to really hold it (by hand or machine) using a needle for knit material (machine sewing, obviously). That should take up the slack and then you can just cut off the material about a half-inch from the new “shoulder seam” and sew under each new selvage to prevent fraying. You can also sew the ends together and tack down towards the back of the dress underneath. 🙂

    Anyway, long description but a tailor could do this for you, but really it can be done by hand or machine. Happy to feature your post at Share Your Style #309 this week for you! <3

    Hope you had a great 4th of July,
    Hugs,
    Barb 🙂
    p.s. Love all the dresses that your friends shared!!!

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thanks so much, Barb! I think I might actually be able to solve the issue with some new bra purchases! All of my bras are full coverage and if I wear anything that has a lower or wider neckline, the top of bra sticks out! I hate bra shopping but it is a necessary evil and I really need to upgrade that part of my wardrobe! If it fails, then definitely alterations are in order for this favorite dress of mine. Thanks for sharing the alterations instructions! It sounds easy enough. Have a fabulous day, my friend!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

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Shelbee on the Edge