Life, LIBERTY and the pursuit of spring dresses!

What is it about that first spring day, when the mercury hits 70F (that warrants a dress in the North East), life suddenly seems so much better that you must have a pretty dress and perhaps some open-toed footwear to match? While last spring/summer was all about the maxi this year, the hemlines are rising. And while one may wear a maxi (I surely will wear the ones from last year) the possibilities are endless this spring. To reinfuse my wardrobe, my quest for the perfect spring dress began in earnest.

While dresses of all shapes and lengths are important this spring what makes this year exciting is the variety of floral prints. To me, florals are synonymous with LIBERTY prints; just the way COLGATE is synonymous with toothpaste or ESCALATOR is synonymous with a moving staircase. Imagine my delight when I saw a television commercial announcing that LIBERTY of LONDON was doing a collection of their famous prints for TARGET! I love TARGET! Now here is a store that clearly understands the needs of a Fashionista + Frugalista. Clearly, a 5 minute drive to get a Liberty print anything seems more economical than a Trans-Atlantic flight. So, you see, that is money saved already!

Sure enough, Miss M and I headed over dutifully to our "Tarjay" and right there on the main pad, in all their colorful glory were the LIBERTY print dresses. Now, I've always known Liberty-like prints to be small, tightly packed colorful floral. Some may refer to these as Ditsy prints. I was quite intrigued to see, darker ground colors as well as different scales of florals and whimisical prints (a.k.a conversational prints). In just a couple of basic silhouettes and two lengths (midi and a maxi) the designers at Liberty let the prints speak for themselves. Neutral ground florals and dark ground whimsicals were the stars of this capsule collection. The dress I picked out for myself - a peacock feather print, black ground print, smocked bodice with ruffled tiers. The Isis print dress is modestly priced at $29.99 I thought it was worth it for the print.

This great dress, can be dressed up or dressed down. Paired with a few basics and a few spring must haves, this dress is very versatile. Few basics that I thought would go great with this pretty dress- a cardi, a jean jacket, metallic sandals (flats or wedges), a peep toe shoe or a ballet flat in a fun color. As for jewellry and othr accessories, with a print that speaks volumes, it is perhaps best to keep them simple and minimal. I particularly like the wisp earrings at Forever 21 which pick up the feathery detail of the print, as well as thin metallic bracelets stacked on one wrist. Both of these items, of course to be worn seperately and not together. I love adding a pop of color with a clutch for a night out or a date and a satchel or shoulder bag for work, shopping or day time. I realise, my outfit choices topped $100 but some of you may have these basics in your wardrobe already, in which case just add the dress and enjoy!

As for me, my pursuit of the sundress continues. I much prefer a splash of Liberty on my accessories such as a wallet or a soft scarf. How has your pursuit of a spring wardrobe worked out? I'd love to know!