ELEGANTEES JOANNA DRESS

Friends, I am back from a very long hiatus here to celebrate something very exciting!!!

Today is the LAUNCH DAY of a new Elegantees dress I designed for the Holidays! The Joanna Dress!

If you were following me a year ago, you probably remember that I had the incredible opportunity to design an entire Holiday collection for Elegantees last year. It was my design debut and a dream come true. I learned so much about the design process and I had so much fun! Thank you for all of your support during such an exciting time!

And so when Katie, founder of Elegantees, asked me to design another piece this year, it was a no-brainer. Of course! I knew instantly that I wanted to create a beautiful dress that would be versatile for everyday wear and Holiday soirées. And so the Joanna Dress came to life!

To give you a quick refresher about why I LOVE Elegantees so much...

Elegantees is near and dear to my heart because they not only create beautiful pieces of clothing, but their mission is so incredible! They partner with Our Daughters International, an organization working to rescue girls from the horrors of sex trafficking in Nepal. They not only save them, but also give these girls hope for a new life through counseling. Elegantees steps in by providing a hand up to these girls by giving them a job as seamstresses and pay them a fair wage. Also, the profits from each item you buy will help fund more rescue operations and bring hope to thousands of girls!

I hope you will consider supporting Elegantees' work by purchasing the Joanna Dress and any other items from the Elegantees shop! Plus, you can get 15% OFF your order with code GRACEINSTYLE!

The Joanna Dress went through a couple iterations before I felt it was perfect. From the start, I knew I wanted something a little more "grown up" from some of the more playful designs from my last collection. I also knew I wanted some kind of wrap design. And I'm so happy how the dress turned out! I'm obsessed with the beautiful tulip hemline, the draping of the wrap skirt and the bow-tie wrap details. Also, the slight puff of the shoulders adds more charm to the look.

The dress is available in 2 gorgeous colors: Burgundy and Teal Ocean!

For this post, I styled the dress three ways to give you an idea of how I imagine others styling it and how you can add this dress to your everyday and special occasion wardrobe.

STYLED FOR WORK: Pair the dress with a pair of leggings or opaque tights for a more conservative look for work. I am wearing black booties, but you can also wear pumps, flats, or knee boots for the work place setting. Warm up with your favorite peacoat or winter jacket, and you're good to go! Dresses are my favorite work wear because I don't have to stress about pairing a top and bottom when I'm running late or too tired.

STYLED FOR THE WEEKEND/CHURCH: Want to take the dress for a spin for a casual outing? You can also wear tights or leggings for these occasions, but you don't have to if the weather isn't freezing or if you want to wear your knee-high boots. You can even wear it with over-the-knee boots as well. I paired mine with my favorite ankle booties and a teddy coat.

STYLED FOR A HOLIDAY PARTY: I actually designed this dress with Holiday events and parties in mind. This dress can be worn for Thanksgiving because the fabric definitely has stretch to make room for a food baby and is comfortable enough to wear during your food coma nap. It would also be a perfect Holiday party dress and is simple to dress up with some statement jewelry, heels and a cute clutch!

I really hope you love this dress as much as I do! Let me know in the comments below! And don't forget to use code GRACEINSTYLE to get 15% off your orders :)

PHOTOGRAPHY BY: Ayaka Sano