I am back today with another beautiful dress by Smitten Kitten Unique Boutique. Like last week's post, this dress is a new dress in their original line that just hit the store earlier this week, called Hawaiian Purr. And just like last week's dress, this one is the perfect fit, fantastic quality, and absolutely swoon-worthy!
I prioritize a dress made of 100% cotton. Though not stretchy, there is nothing more comfortable than a cotton dress. When made well, they fit well and last a very long time. This one from Smitten Kitten is no different. I love the zip front and full skirt. It has such an ease to it that I often look for in my dresses. Sure, I like to look fancy but I definitely don't want getting dressed to be TOO much work.
When I received the dress, I noticed the white lilies among the pattern and immediately liked it that much more. Then I realized I may not have ever shared the stories and memories tied to my name and the flower, for which I am named!
My mom wanted to name me Lily. Can you imagine me as Lily and not Sara? Sometimes I can! Growing up I was annoyed they decided not to name me Lily. My dad loved the name Sara and so the two compromised and named me Sara Lily (which is so funny to me because these days, my dad calls me Lily more than Sara, ha!). I do love my name as is and wouldn't change it now, though. It also made sense as my older sister is Tory Rose. So we fit together quite well.
Now, as for my younger sister, Emma. Sadly, my parents dropped a HUGE ball and didn't give her a flower middle name to complete the trifecta. Her name is Emma Noel, which is very pretty in its own right!
It's a mess-up we often remind my parents of, giving them a hard time for their blunder. They used to claim they just couldn't think of a flower to go with her name but they've given that up as we often can list off plenty for them on the spot: Emma Iris, Emma Daffodil, Emma Daisy, Emma Azalea, Emma BLACK EYED SUSAN - hehe, just kidding.
With a middle name like Lily, it's obvious what flower has followed me throughout my life. Boyfriends past (as well as husband present) have always given me (you guessed it!) lilies and I do favor them over many other flowers. I love all the colors they come in and the varieties available.
In college, there were a lot of Sara/hs in my class. In one of my freshman English classes, we had five or six! Some with Hs, some without. Obviously, the name was popular in the late 80s! It was hard to keep us all straight so many of my friends around the dorm started calling me Lily to differentiate me from the other Sara/hs and I didn't mind it at all!
Growing up, I also earned the nickname Tiger Lily, after the character in Peter Pan. I am not proud to say it was because of my fierce anger as a kid as I was prone to temper tantrums. However, I prefer to see it as a badge of honor for my never-ending sassiness and character.
I love having memories and history tied to my name - even if it's just my middle name. It makes me feel unique even if I DO have one of the most popular names as my first!
