Cut out dresses are kind of like crop tops — one inch too much or one burrito too many and you look like you’ve never owned a mirror and are just a slave to the trends (major nono!).

I was drawn to the cut out of this Topshop dress because though it’s front and center, there’s still something a bit modest about it thanks to the shape of the dress (love a good shifty A-line). It fits like a gah-luv — read: glove — which is probably for the better since it doesn’t allow that second burrito to wiggle it’s way down my esophagus. Plus, that oversize pizza slice cut out allows for that extra bit of coolness — as in temperature, not a level of popularity — that everyone wants when it’s scorching hot and humid outside.

 Had I been wearing this dress in the city, I would have opted for a pair of colorful wedges, but rocks/beach/bike rides call for comfy sandals, which gave my tootsies a rest from their toe squishing, pavement stomping weekly routine. And speaking of weekly routine, I’d better get to work!

Topshop Cut Out Dress // Ralph Lauren Sandals // DIY Necklace

//photos by Claire Meyers (@cmey)