All Dressed Up in Lela Rose…A Fairy Tale Dress

Fashion

Jun 17

I first discovered Lela Rose about three years ago when I was looking for a mother-of-the-bride dress. I had looked and looked for the perfect dress and nothing seemed to be quite right. I was in Charlotte, North Carolina with my daughter Lauren and was about to give up when we went into Capitol Boutique, a fabulous boutique at South Park Mall owned by Laura Vinroot Poole. We walked into the boutique and I told the sales person that I was looking for a dress for my daughter’s wedding and she said “I have just the thing”. When she showed me the dress, I absolutely loved it and it fit nearly perfectly. It was by the designer Lela Rose and I purchased it on the spot, feeling very relieved that I had finally found the perfect dress.

At that point, I was hooked and became just a bit obsessed with the designer. I purchased a second dress a couple of years ago to wear when I spoke at a tea in Lexington Kentucky. I’ve written about Lela Rose and photographed the dress I wore in this post!

The dress I’m wearing in these pictures is my third Lela dress and possibly my favorite. I feel like a princess in this dress and I know I’ll keep and wear it forever. It’s made of a heavy knit and feels like a dream to wear. I actually bought it to wear on our New York trip a few weeks ago, but didn’t get the opportunity. I just couldn’t bring myself to send it back so now I need to schedule another trip somewhere special so I can wear this fabulous dress. Keep scrolling to see pictures of the other two dresses below.

Lela is a New York based designer and her designs are sophisticated, elegant and colorful. Most of the clothing includes handcrafted details, such as the flowers on the dress I’m wearing. She also is an entertaining guru and has written two books that focus on her love of style and entertaining (I have both and pour over them regularly)! The first book was Fresh Air Affairs and the second.

This dress clearly needs very little in the way of accessories. I chose a pair of Jimmy Choo sandals (very similar here) that I’ve had for 25 years (and still love), a large white cocktail ring, and a small white bag from Veronica Beard.