Betsey Johnson Classically Betsey pink heart dress

This is a rare non-Jfashion brand item feature post, but I'm excited about it enough to give it its own spotlight! I found it without purposefully searching for something like this, just when I was trying to kill some time and walk around a bit, so that makes it even more of a great find to me!

Betsey Johnson Classically Betsey Dress in pink 

These longer/midi-length tulle dresses are pretty trendy right now (or even mini-length ones, ala Selkie, ofc), but I haven't been dying to jump on the trend because I really questioned how much I would wear the item compared to how much they cost. (This is just for me personally because I don't tend to wear a lot of tulle.) I was actually just browsing the racks at Saks Off 5th when I saw this bright pink color jump out at me from a sea of long darker dresses. The size I (thought I) wanted wasn't available but the dress still seemed like it would be an OK fit, so I added it to my stack and went to try it on.

I posted about it in my stories and on Twitter and got a lot of positive feedback about it which kept it at the front of my mind. (There was also a Kate Spade New York dress that I had half an eye on as well but it cost 2x as much as this dress even at 75% off!) I continued to think about it over the weekend and then went back a couple days later, saw it was still available, re-tried it on and then decided it definitely sparked joy, haha.

with Steve Madden Lipa clear heel mules + Kate Spade New York picnic in the park purse -

with Liz Lisa gingham ribbon cardigan and Liz Lisa double ribbon clear heel sandals + DIY gingham ribbon woven purse -

with Honey Cinnamon fukubukuro jacket, Forever21 heart pouchette and Steve Madden Lipa clear heel mules + offbrand beret -

with Liz Lisa 3-way trench coat (cropped portion only), offbrand circle scarf and Michael Kors ankle boots -

with Liz Lisa momonga cardigan and Liz Lisa double ribbon clear heel sandals + Samantha Vega ruffle purse -

I bought the pink Steve Madden mules to specifically match with this dress! I was surprised to find something that matched in style and color so well, but I guess that's somewhat what's trendy right now. It was definitely an impulse buy influenced by my friend who ended up getting a twin pair in green! This type of almost acidic pink isn't in my typical palate + the midi length, so I didn't think I'd have a lot to work with in my wardrobe since a lot of my sandals have ankle straps which really cut off that portion of the leg, but I was pleasantly surprised to see how the double ribbon clear heel sandals did. I wish my red shoes were another option but sadly I wasn't fond of how the cross strap pumps paired with the length of dress. In any case, I actually think I have more options for coordinating the dress than initially anticipated, but absolutely no regrets buying the mules because they're A+ to me.

If you are considering this dress for yourself - please know it very much runs small. This is 2 sizes up from the size I typically wear (even including other Betsey Johnson dresses) and I think it fits almost perfectly. The bodice doesn't have any stretch at all, so keep this in mind!

I wore this dress to my going away dinner with my friends before leaving Hawaii for Japan! Paired with the Steve Madden mules ofc and a bolero from Hollister. I didn't have a suitable purse available in Hawaii (most of my stuff had been sent to Japan) so I borrowed this old one from my mom!

I was quite happy that I was able to put this together with my limited wardrobe (although I bought the shoes so that was cheating) and it felt appropriate for the occasion. I hope I'll feel confident enough to wear it in some way in Japan during the upcoming spring season!