I just discovered my wildcard for summer. It's a dress I finished a couple of weeks ago. I bought the fabric and pattern more than a year ago, but didn't make it up till now because I had reservations about the fabric. Still, I wanted to try the dress pattern, and so I forged ahead with this fabric figuring it would be a good test of the pattern anyway.
The dress has buttons up the front, cap sleeves, a collar with a drawstring that pulls on the inside if the collar is worn up, side pockets, princess seams that flare out to a billowy skirt that is reined back in slightly by a bottom panel, sort of lantern-style. The dress had a big pleat down the back, which I had to remove after I got finished, because it just created way too much fabric in the back; I would not have worn it that way.
It's kind of a precious design to begin with, and add to that the linen fabric I chose, with a big, bold floral design in blues, greens, and gray on a white background, and well, you have a dress that is not exactly what you'd normally catch me wearing. Why, you might ask, did I pick this fabric? I do like the print and the colors; it just has more white in it than I would typically wear, so it's not as muted as my usual choices.
Anyway, here are some attempts to style it. I bought some white leggings on sale to try with it; and I also tried it with some blue suede booties that are SE Petty lookalikes from DSW, which I bought on impulse today. They are such a great shade of blue for my wardrobe, I couldn't resist. Not until I got home with them did I think to try them with this linen dress. I would say the leggings and the blue suede booties are wildcards along with the dress. Very out of my comfort zone.
1-3: metallic cut-out peep-toe booties (Paul Green); collar is cinched in 2.
4-5: same, with white 3/4-sleeved cardigan (Nic & Zoe)
6-7: with denim ballet flats (AGL) and jean jacket (AG, Robyn)
8: with jean jacket and metallic ballet flats (AGL)
9-10: with cobalt 3/4-sleeved cardi (Halogen) and denim or metallic ballet flats
11: with cobalt cardi and gray leather sneakers (Josef Seibel, Caspian)
12-13: with cobalt cardi and gray wedge sandals (DV by Dolce Vita)
14: same outfit with white denim-knit leggings (Hue)
15-16: same, with blue suede Petty look-alike booties (DSW's Crown Vintage, Tabitha)
17-18: jean jacket, white leggings, blue suede booties
19-20: jean jacket, white leggings, gray wedge sandals
21-22: same but with olive 3/4-sleeved cardi (Halogen)
23-24: same but with gray sneakers
I would love your opinions and suggestions on these attempts or other ideas you may have. I
have tried different toppers with it, because until we get another heat
wave or I go on a tropical vacation, I won't be able to wear it
bare-armed. To use Angie's expression, I definitely run cold. I am not
inclined to buy new things (beyond the leggings--and the tags are still
on those!--to make this dress work; it's just such an oddity for me.