BLUE/WHITE STRIPES FOR JULY 4

July 4 Outfit and Striped Off-The-Shoulder Dress

The 4th of July is almost here! This year we’re headed to Cape Cod for the holiday weekend. A little beach time, ice-cream and fireworks will be so good. I’m excited to have a vacation that doesn’t involve flying. Road trips are fun because you decide when and where you stop – endless opportunities for adventure and serendipitous discoveries. Speaking of serendipity, I found this dress a few days ago, just in time for Independence Day while “window-shopping”. I don’t think I know the meaning of the word because I pretty much always buy something while claiming to be window-shopping.

If you’re undecided on what to wear for July 4, a blue/white striped dress is always a good choice in my book because you can wear it all summer. Depending on what your plans are you can dress this type of dress up or down. I styled it here in the traditional red, white and blue but you can easily change the look by swapping out accessories like the shoes and bag. I’ve linked my favorite blue/white dresses below as well as some accessory swaps that change the look.

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Sorry for the little blue ribbon that fell out of the arm of the dress. I usually cut those off before wearing anything and of course the one time I didn’t, it fell right out…

DRESS: ZARA. Also love THIS, THIS shorter one on sale and so cute, or this more casual one HERE | SHOES: CHARLES BY CHARLES DAVID similar HERE or HERE | BAG: FLYNN similar HERE | BANDANA SCARF: BP similar HERE in red or HERE in black

This is my first July 4 as a citizen of the United States. I lived in 4 other countries before coming to the US and even though I had never visited here I just had a gut feeling it was the right place for me – it’s strange how that can happen. So this year becoming a citizen is the culmination of a childhood dream and I’m glad I trusted my gut and came here.

I don’t usually like to wear typical holiday colors but since I frequently wear red and blue together it wasn’t such a leap to wear my red bag with this dress. Other easy pops of red that would be cute are a red scarf or red sandals. When I posted this a couple of days ago I couldn’t find this particular dress online but I just did so here it is and sorry it wasn’t linked earlier! I’ve also linked several other blue/white combo dresses in the outfit details above, as well in the shop-able scroll bar after all the pics. If you like a loose, casual look and fit this blue plaid off-the-shoulder dress from Madewell is also adorable (and currently on sale).

A blue and white striped dress is always a classic. I particularly love the look of blue/white with brown/luggage accessories for daytime wear. It’s a fail-safe color combo that works for many occasions. For my weekend trip, my bag will include several brown and nude sandals that are tried and tested for comfort (as well as style of course!). I’m planning to walk a lot, so comfortable footwear is a must. I’m also taking a wide-brimmed hat for the beach, pool and to protect my face from the sun all day. Last year I skipped a hat for July 4…big mistake.

If you’re doing July 4 by the beach, this J.Crew cotton maxi dress would be so cute and is currently available in all sizes. If you grab this, note that the fabric is on the more sheer side so a little half slip worn underneath might be a good idea. I also like it as a beach cover-up over a bathing suit or bikini.

What are your plans for the weekend? I’d love to hear!

I’ll be posting pics of my Cape Cod trip on Instagram. Have a great week and thanks for stopping by!