WHITE PARTY

During the summer of 2004, I had a share in a Hamptons house. It was an eclectic (nice for “odd”) crew, to be honest. The organizer was a guy much older than I was. I met him through a friend of a friend. He was a publisher, and he’d also written and published a book of his own about crashing parties. He actually stored a party crashing kit in the trunk of his car so he could sneak into exclusive Hamptons parties for which he did not have an invitation. The kit included things like different kinds of champagne and wine glasses, and they’d enter the party on the beach by entering at a “public” access point or they’d somehow sneak into a back or side door of the house. (I promise this story is going somewhere and is related to this blog post.) Back in the day, “white parties” (where everyone was required to dress in all white), were all the rage. I think P. Diddy, or Puff Daddy as he was known then, made them popular.

One night, Ian (that was this guy’s name) actually took us to a party where we were welcome. It was a white party. Being a newbie to the Hamptons scene, I remember what I wore: great fitting white trousers, a nicer wife beater, a silk pale pink sash for a belt and pale pink heeled sandals. I worried I was breaking rules by wearing a few non-white pieces, but the outfit would have been horrible without them. I also remember being hit on by a 70-year-old man that evening who ended up stalking me, but I’ll save that story for another time.

So here’s the point. I don’t presently attend white parties when I’m in the Hamptons, but if they are still a thing, wherever you are, this post has you covered. In addition to this amazing white shirt dress I’m wearing (which comes with a different belt of its own), I’m sharing my favorite white dresses of the season. ShopBop is on fire right now, so many that I chose can be found there. Click on the images below to shop this outfit and more white dresses than you knew existed.

SHOP THIS OUTFIT

SHOP WHITE DRESSES

IT'S A WHITE PARTY!

No, I’m not talking about my legs! But someone get this girl a tan, even if it’s a spray-on. Soon enough, I hope. I was looking at my Instagram feed and thinking I have a serious issue with buying white clothing, meaning I have too much of it. But when you find something that works, I say stick to it. White is a universally flattering color, but most importantly, it’s a color that screams “Vacation!” and “Summertime!” Two things I’m longing for.

I am absolutely in love with this dress that I bought for warmer months. They’ll be here soon, right? I picked it up on sale during the recent ShopBop event, but even without the sale, it’s affordably priced. It can be worn with espadrilles, flat sandals, and even a dressier heel to give you three different looks for three different occasions. Even better news—these shoes. They are a nice blush color and are made of a lightweight Spring/Summer fabric with a classic espadrille wedge heel. I typically wear a size 7 but ordered a 6-1/2 and they fit perfectly, so consider that when ordering. I purchased the bag last year, but lucky for you, they brought it back this season. Look back at my blog posts from last summer and you’ll see it in almost every fashion photo. It’s that versatile, so I’ve definitely gotten my money’s worth. The jewels are also a great staple for any time of year because the necklace can be worn three ways: each strand separately or together as I’ve styled it here. The bracelet is also one you may be tired of seeing, but you know I’m all about versatility. I don’t like to overdo it with the jewelry, so a simple pair of diamond studs (this faux version will likely fool a gemologist) is perfect. And for summertime when you’re at the beach, you don’t want to risk losing the real thing.

Shop all of these items by clicking on the images below. Everyone needs at least one white dress for the summer. I hope you find one here! I’m wearing size XS in the featured dress.