Mad About Madras

Dress (J. Crew); Monogram Tortoise cuff (Tagged Designs); Shoes (Lindsay Phillips); Monogram Shoe Clips (Initial Perfection)

         I like this J. Crew madras dress so much I bought it twice.    Well, I didn't actually mean to buy it twice.  I found it on eBay, new with tags, and bid on two available in my size.  I was fairly confident I'd be outbid on one of them, so I hedged with a bet on the second one.  As it turned out, I won both.  I'll probably just resell the one I haven't worn yet, though it is so comfortable and fun, I plan to wear it a lot so maybe I'll just keep it.  It also coordinates perfectly with the customized navy and green monogram shoe clips on my Lindsay Phillips switch flops (see prior post for a close up of these shoes that are getting lots of wear this summer).  I'm also getting lots of wear out of my recently acquired faux tortoise cuff from Indiana business Tagged Designs, featured in a recent installment of IN Fashion Friday, as well as here. 

         Madras fabric is one of my favorites for summer.  It's a timeless, preppy classic, and I love how breathable it is in the hot summer heat.  I've collected lots of madras pieces over the years, from shorts and watchbands to a purse and button downs.  I've also used madras fabric to add a bright, slightly nautical element to a guest bedroom at our lakefront home, and a few summers ago I had chambray-backed madras napkins made to coordinate with the invitations and complement the table settings for a lakeside lobster boil with dear friends (big shout out to my Mom for sewing these fantastic napkins!)  Here are a few pics that showcase her mad madras sewing skills (something I really, really wish I'd taken time to learn from her when I was younger):

Fashion is what you buy; Style is what you do with it!