The Comeback of the Maritime Dress And Some Flowers

A while ago I read on some blog that the factory stores had a factory version of the Maritime dress in the sail blue color. Some of you will remember that I had ordered the Maritime as soon as it came out last year but I decided to return it for various reasons. Then I regretted not reordering it in a XXS but it sold-out quickly and never popped back.
So I patiently waited for the dress to show up on the factory website but it didn't and last week I decided to call around and have it sent from a factory store so that I could get it in time for my trip to Miami.
It arrived the day after I placed the order and I was pleasantly surprised. The main issue with the retail version was the weight: it was just too heavy for our summer. Because it's a dress to wear barelegs, I couldn't see myself wearing something long-sleeved and heavy when it's warm enough to go around without stockings.

The factory version is lighter and less sweatshirt-y, it is a very soft cotton compared to the retail one. Besides this, the dress is the exact replica of the Maritime, from the quite shapeless fit (this is the XS) down to the zippers on the side in a contrasting color:

The zippers are a little bit of an issue: because the material is less stiff it is also less suited to support heavy zippers, that stick out more than in the retail version. 

The price a week ago in stores was $52.50 (it retails for $74.50 but there was a promo) and it is probably less now. All in all I think that it is more comfy than the retail version and a little bit less stylish (or maybe it is just that something from a year ago lacks the wow factor or the freshness that it had when it first came out).

The right pair of shoes certainly help to make it more stylish. In the pictures above I was wearing it very casually with my boat shoes (to be honest I still feel a bit weird wearing these shoes. I feel like I went in a coma sometimes in the 80s and then I woke up 30 years later with the same shoes that I was wearing back then. Which reminds me of the book "Girlfriend in a coma" by Douglas Copeland that I read many years ago and left a long-lasting impression on me. Anybody read this?) but it certainly looks better with platforms, especially these in a similar shade of blue (they are a little bit lighter IRL):

Speaking of same shade of blue, I found this blue bag at Zara for $29. I was looking for a bag that could easily transform from carry on to pool bag and beyond. The fact that it's cheap and made of polyhuretan (aka plastic) instead of leather was a plus in this case because I don't want to worry about it getting scratched in the plane or at the pool (I vaguely contemplated ordering the Tillary in the sea blue but it is definitively too high maintenance for me, not to mention too heavy). This one is just perfect (althought I would have appreciated a zipper inside) and the color is TDF:

Now, with the excuse of Miami I also bought the Ashbury floral perfect shirt on sale. I didn't really like the print when it came out, it was a little bit too loud, especially in the dress, but all of a sudden it hit me that the shirt would look great with my green toothpicks. I am wearing a size 0 and I find it a smidge roomier than, say, the Casbah print from the summer. I am a big fan of the silk/cotton blend in the perfect shirts because they are more wearable in the warm months:

The darker green is the same green as the warm jade of the cafe capris and the N.2 pencil skirt but it has so many colors in it that you can wear it with just about anything. Look, it looks great even with the Lollis because there is a little bit of the same pink:

OK, time to go now. I still have a review of the Lucca sandals in heritage green to show you but I need to get a pedi first!

Do you have the factory Maritime dress or the Ashbury floral perfect shirt? Please share!