Smug Mummy Style: The Chic Cover-Up

Here at Pretty HQ, our summer mornings often follow this pattern:

8 am: wake up, putter around with coffee (me) / tear around with trains and wild abandon (Master P)

9 am: realize it will soon be uncomfortably hot outside, rush to gather the Triple Summer S (swim things, snacks, and sunscreen) for a splashpad outing / energy expenditure

9:20 am: prepare to leave house, only to realize I've forgotten at least one of the three "S"s and possibly child

9:45 am - noon: actually leave house headed for splashpad, pray for decent weather & a good nap ahead (me and Master P both)

Most days, a basic cotton Target maxi or cover-up (like this versatile Webster at Target wonder) gets the job done. Sometimes I have other errands to run or friends we're meeting afterwards for lunch, though, and for those occasions I'm trying to find something a little chicer.

The trouble is, anything we mamas wear to the splashpad (or the beach, or the pool . . .) has to be able to withstand both the heat and the water, shoes and hats (the latter of which are likely to be included in a festive toddler game of water toss) especially.

Enter this ikat Anthropologie shirtdress, which covers the, uh, cover-up/dress basics, but is cute enough to pass when we're out amongst the non-toddler set. Somedays I forget there actually *is* such a set, but . . .

hat / dress / sunglasses / bracelets / boat tote (forever and ever, amen) / sandals / towel / watch

Please forgive the random torso-in-bathroom shot - photography (life) is not my friend today.

Notes about that dress: I can't get a photo to properly show the darling details at the shoulders and the sleeves, but it's worth checking out in person if you're smitten too. Also, though the label peskily suggests "dry clean", mama here has retired from both the law and the dry cleaners; with polyester like this (yes, Grandmother - on occasion unnatural fibers are the best plan), I wash on delicate & hang dry.

To the Americans amongst you, merry Independence Day; to the others, ah . . . enjoy the Pretty dress here. Master P and I are busy practicing our 4th of July parading, so pics up soon . . .