On My Mind: Summer Wedding Outfits and Italian Water Shoes
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This summer has been a big wedding summer: Two of my close friends each got married in the last month, and my sister-in-law is getting married in August. I honestly love going to weddings — to celebrate my friends, of course, but also as an excuse to dress up and, in the case of the two weddings recently, plan a trip. The first was my friend Annie’s on the North Fork in her mom’s beautiful backyard garden. The forecast had been iffy leading up to the weekend, and my friend-group chat was abuzz with texts about what everyone was going to wear if it rained. I’d been planning on wearing a floral silk La DoubleJ dress similar tothis one(which I was actually sent after interviewing the founder, J.J. Martin, for “What I Can’t Live Without” in 2019), but at the last minute I chickened out of wearing silk in the (predicted) rain. So I went to Zara the night before we drove out to Greenport and left with thisyellow dressthat prompted someone to ask if it was Lanvin when I wore it at the wedding (not bad!). Not to mention that the swingy shape was comfortable for grazing on some of the best pickled vegetables I’ve had at the really delicious aperitivo, dancing, and cheering on the other guests as they took a swing at the piñata that came out later in the night.
Next up was my friend Misty’s wedding on Lake Garda in Italy. My husband and I planned a weeklong trip around it and were pretty blown away by the foot-of-the-Alps scenery and the lake that was so clear you could see the rocks on the bottom (very different from the seaweed-y lakes I grew up going to in New Hampshire as a kid). The wedding was dreamy: It took place at a villa surrounded by olive trees and lavender bushes, and the dinner menu included trofie with clams and a pretty fabulous cake completely covered in raspberries. It was a really special weekend, and we spent the following week swimming in the lake, reading by the pool, and eating a lot of local seafood. For the last day of the trip we went to Milan, where we went to the top of the Duomo, bopped around the Quadrilatero della Moda, and had dinner at La Libera before flying home the next morning. Of course, it wouldn’t be summer vacation without some shopping … Here’s what I bought for the trips and while traveling.
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The dress I wore to my friend’s wedding on the North Fork. An ideal shape for dancing to ABBA and eating carrot cake.
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True to form, Annie, an expert vintage shopper and yard-sale-goer, alerted us that the morning of her wedding Linda Fargo was having a yard sale. A few of us got up early and were there by nine when it opened. It was definitely worth the early rise: I left with a red pareu from Malatesta (a ’90s brand designed byCristina Gitti, who foundedMatta), a little French side table that was only $45, and some cool coral-colored clip-ons with silver trim for just $5. This vintage silk shawl from Malatesta is a similar shade to mine.
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I went a little nuts atLido, a wonderful boutique in Greenport that carries reasonably priced pieces found by the owner on her trips to Europe, North Africa, and India. I’d last been there probably six years ago and still wear a dress I bought then — this time, I bought this dress, caftan, and shawl (which I ended up using to cover my shoulders at the Duomo a couple weeks later).
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We also stopped inFeel the Fire, a hot-sauce shop in Greenport, and bought this jalapeño-and-lime one that’s been great on rotisserie chicken and with summer corn salads.
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For the Lake Garda wedding, I wore a full-length coral Pleats Please dress similar to this one but with a high neck. I actually ended up layering it overthis cotton slipbecause it was a little sheer and I was making a speech.
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It was weirdly difficult to find a bag and shoes that paired well with the Pleats dress — luckily, Misty texted me links to this 1920s mesh bag from Whiting & Davis and these vintage Manolo mules, both of which ended up being a perfect match.
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I didn’t do a ton of shopping in Italy since we were on the lake most days, but I did get this little square scarf at La DoubleJ in Milan that I plan to wear bandana-style in my hair.
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I was looking for a new bikini before the trip and landed on this classic J.Crew one in the shade “Early Purple,” which reminded me of black-raspberry ice cream.
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Within five minutes of being on the lake, we realized that water shoes would be necessary. (Seeing rocks through clear lake water is one thing; actually wading onto them is another.) We found some random half-sporty, half-dorky ones similar to these at a beach shop in Desenzano del Garda, and they just might be my favorite souvenir.
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These are the latest pair of Margaux shoes I’ve tried, and the brand doesn’t miss! They are the most comfortable kitten heels I’ve tried, and the “Rose Lizard” color feels neutral but still has some texture. I wore them for our first-anniversary dinner last week, and they felt dressy but not overly dressy for a Sunday night out.
Editor’s note: The “rose lizard” shade is currently sold out, but you can sign up to be notified when they return. In the meantime, they’re available in “espresso crinkle patent.”
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I go through phases with makeup. Sometimes I won’t buy any for months. Other times I’ll be magnetically drawn to the 86th Street Sephora every time I leave the subway stop on my way home from work. This is one of those Sephora times, and lately I’ve been loving everything from Saie. I have this gloss in the “Dip” shade, which is a nice soft mauve-y rose.
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Still in the makeup mood, I bought these at Violet Grey’s very pretty boutique on 78th Street. The Sarah Creal blush gives a natural, just-sunburned-enough-looking flush, and the Fara Homidi lip pencil is super-subtle and nice for pairing with a lip oil like the Saie.
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