Another Year Wiser

Another Year Wiser - The Dressed Aesthetic

Believe it or not, my birthday was on March 15 and life has been such a whirlwind lately I’m only NOW getting to posting the outfit! However, the awesomeness of the day has definitely lingered these past few weeks. Although some people dread their birthday more and more with each passing year, I have big plans to celebrate hard and age gracefully…

This year was a pretty amazing celebration. Endless calls and texts from my favorite people, a rather decadent homemade fondue (my husband knows the way to my heart is via melted cheese), and some seriously swoon worthy presents. One of which was this perfect pink lace dress from Chotronette. I nearly fainted when I saw her, she is just that pretty. And moreso because my mom and Mr. Dressed had concocted an elaborate hoax where I didn’t think anything had arrived in time, only to look up and see her winking at me from the doorway. Needless to say, I was one happy birthday girl…

Another Year Wiser - The Dressed Aesthetic

Another Year Wiser - The Dressed Aesthetic
Outfit styled using Dressed for iPhone

Another Year Wiser - The Dressed Aesthetic Another Year Wiser - The Dressed Aesthetic Another Year Wiser - The Dressed Aesthetic Another Year Wiser - The Dressed Aesthetic Another Year Wiser - The Dressed Aesthetic

Birthdays can come complete with a lot of different connotations. When you’re a kid, they represent milestones. You can’t WAIT to get to the next, because it usually comes with some awesome newfound freedom. Staying up an hour later. Getting to wear makeup (we got to pick one type of makeup every year starting at 13. I think I chose lipgloss first…). Getting to go to high school. Getting to vote. Drink. I honestly can’t even recall the milestone that felt like I crossed the magic threshold to adulthood. It was simply that I turned around one day and was.

And on the flip side, birthdays can be an annoying reminder of the youth we’ve left behind. Of the fact that years are passing and adult responsibilities are piling up. But, I like to think that the good is just beginning. That there are milestones to reach I haven’t even dreamt of yet. To take each birthday as it comes and be imbued with the same excitement I felt when I could proudly proclaim I was five (cause being 4 was so last year). Because there is no reason to look wistfully back at the past – it served its time. And given that my teens trumped my first 10 years, my 20’s definitely outshined my teens cause I finally knew everything, my 30’s laughed in the face of my 20’s naiveté, I can only imagine that when I get to my 40’s, my 50’s, and beyond…. it’s just going to get better. Each year is just patiently waiting for her moment.

Another Year Wiser - The Dressed AestheticAnother Year Wiser - The Dressed Aesthetic Another Year Wiser - The Dressed AestheticAnother Year Wiser - The Dressed AestheticAnother Year Wiser - The Dressed AestheticAnother Year Wiser - The Dressed Aesthetic

I think perhaps that’s one of the reasons I love vintage so much. Because it seems like each piece is sitting, patiently waiting for her moment too. Forgotten in dusty cedar chests and shoved amongst the folds of a mending pile. Not shiny and new, but sometimes tarnished and wise. This is a garment that’s been around the block a few times and could tell you a scandal or two. Smiling fondly at her youth, with no real desire to go back to that naiveté.

And as this gal quietly marches further from that girl in her 20’s, I’m doing so with anticipation rather than wistfulness. Cause I still love that girl. The girl who packed two suitcases and moved around the world. The girl who was so fearless and determined, untarnished and inexperienced. But I also love the woman of today who is older and wise(r). Who is finally smart enough to know there is still so much left to learn.

 

xoxo

Outfit Details:
Dress: gift, Chotronette Strawberry Frappe, sold out (similar or budget-friendly)
Necklace: gift, Swarovski
Handbag: Anthropologie, sold out (similar)
Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell

Lip Color: Besame Red Hot Red

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