Spring Teacher Outfits... OR When you really just want to wear a dress

Hello! It's finally beginning to feel like spring around here, and I'm probably more excited than I should be. As I said in my last post, I patiently waited until after Easter to break out the spring stuff, but that was as long as I was willing to wait. When I got this dress, I wondered how often I would get to wear it since it's a spring dress with long sleeves. So, when I saw the forecast for today, I knew today was my day. Doesn't that sound like something the hero of a movie says when they're talking about something that's actually important? 

But still--it was a good decision. A bright green dress on one of the first warm days of spring is a good idea. This one has a few things that make it delightful:
1. It has an elastic waist.
2. While it has long sleeves, they are not heavy. 
3. It's a loose fit. 

This dress from J. Crew Factory comes in green and navy. I love the green because I'm a firm believer that spring is a great excuse to wear all the bright colors you can find. 

I paired it with a belt to give it a bit more of a structured look and wore some of my favorite spring shoes. I was at DSW the other day and saw that they were selling these again this year (although in a different shade). Hooray for all! 
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They also have these cute shoes ...that I might like better...

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  I love these shoes because they make it through the day but still have a bit of a dressier look than flats or sandals. I've also had this belt for several years, but I'm linking a few cute options. I really like Banana Republic belts because they hold up really well. 

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Here are three options (I finally figured out how to put the link with the picture, so just click on the image! Yay for technology!):

I do have one philosophical thing to say before I go. I must say that this dress is not necessarily the most flattering for me, and I'm not exactly in peak physical condition, and I am so white it's almost like I'm translucent. But I just decided that I like this dress, it's comfortable and forgiving, and looking like a runway model isn't really a top priority for me, so I'm wearing this dress whenever I want. I think as teachers, having so many eyes on you every day, it's easy to be self conscious, but I'd say, as I've said before on here, wear what you want. As long as it is school-appropriate, wear what makes you happy. Wearing a bright green dress made me happy. 
So here are my spring tips for you:
1. Wear what makes you happy--within reason. 
2. Once you've built a stable wardrobe that gets you through most seasons, it's fun to add in a few spring and fall items. While I wouldn't encourage these purchases in the first few years of trying to build a wardrobe, they are fun to have and fill a great space between fully warm or fully cold weather. 

Well--I'm off to finish up this lovely Friday! 

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