Goal: to look like a princess. Every day.
I love midi dresses. They make me feel like a special butterfly, like a princess, like I’m in a Audrey Hepburn film – you name it. It is great that the midi dress trend is still going strong a few years after we started seeing the first of those dresses in shops. You can dress them up, dress them down, and there are a lot of different styles you can go with a midi dress, from streetwear (with a good pair of trainers) to fancy dinner in London. For me, the fancy look always wins!
It was only right, then, to wear my favourite midi dress to one of my favourite dream-come-true places: the Palace of Versailles. Or most specifically, it’s gardens. I went early in July with my boyfriend, and we avoided the castle (there was a queue of at least two million people to go in…) and headed straight to the gardens. It was a beautiful summer day, and all we could see was colourful flowers, beautiful marble statues shining in the sun, and bushes trimmed to perfection.
Every summer, the gardens come to life as the fountains are lit every hour or so and baroque music is played along the main paths – making you really feel like you are stepping back in time, and as though you could almost stumble upon Louis XIV and his court during your wander. Every spot is carefully planned, and shows how much work has gone in the displays, the geometry of each square of flowers, of each bush, each statue. The gardens of Versailles truly are a work of Art.
My boyfriend nicely took so many photos of me, at every corner, because every single view is worth capturing. My outfit just made me feel like I was blending in with the surroundings and, if I can say so myself, I am really happy with how all the photos turned out.
This dress is from Zara, and the quality is wonderful – thick material but very floaty, the lace is strong and I know won’t get damaged in the wash. A little extra for every day outfits, but life is too short to not wear the pretty dress if you want to!
Another place I didn’t want to miss was Marie Antoinette’s Hamlet. It is a ten-fifteen minute walk from the Grand Canal, and well worth the aching feet at the end of the day. There, you can meander around the Temples, the amazingly well-preserved cottages and of course pet goats and donkeys at the Queen’s farm. Simply delightful!
Going to Versailles means that wearing flats is the best option. I never wear heels anyway (only when I am in a very good mood and I know that I am going to spend most of my time sat down…) but I would recommend you avoid heels if you decide to go to the gardens for the day. You will end up walking so much, comfort is the way to go. I am wearing my brown flat sandals which I love because they literally go with any outfit I have.
No need for heels anyway – the dress was just enough to make me feel like the new Marie Antoinette lost in her comforting nest of a garden… Well, with my head still very much attached to my neck, thankfully.
What are your thoughts on midi dresses?
Lots of love,
Julia x
