dress: Club Monaco; belt: anthropologie (old); shoes: KORS by Michael Kors; bag: J. Crew; watch: anthropologie; earrings: DANNIJO

Much like my search for the perfect peplum, my quest to find a maxi dress to call my own was an arduous one. It routinely consisted of me going into a shop, seeing a long dress that looked superb on the hanger only to find that when put onto my diminutive frame, it swamped me like a midget playing in her bed sheets (not a euphemism).

Then I came across this striped number in Club Monaco. At first glance it wasn’t much to look at on the rack but once modeled in the fitting room, I was struck by its clean lines and simplicity. The softness of the fabric made me feel like I was slipping into bed but I felt the stripes (have we talked about how much I like stripes?!) helped it avoid nightgown status.

After a quick trip to the tailor (what can I say- I’m only 5’2″), it became a staple during the recent rash of hot weather we’ve been having in the city. After weeks of strutting my legs for the world to see, it felt refreshing to tuck them away in favor of ankle-grazing proportions. As the temperatures continue to rise, have your hemlines dropped or do you continue to go bare?! What are your summer essentials when the mercury launches into the 100′s?!