Ann Taylor petite chevron maxi dress & Boston blossoms

Ann Taylor Mitered Striped dress c/o (also in maxi skirt or knee-length skirt version)

Talbots sandals (love! 30% off), 12mm pearl studs (similar), Hermes belt & Chanel bag

Maybe it's because this winter was so relatively brutal, but I don't remember spring in Boston being so gorgeous in past years. My morning commute to work takes almost double the time needed, as I'm stopping every block with mouth agape snapping photos (see some of my favorites on Instagram!). I hope no one here dislikes blossoms, as there might be a small overload of them coming right up : )

In the sale world, take 40% off most items at Ann Taylor using code SUMMER40 (ends Thursday morning). I picked out this online-exclusive dress, in case anyone else was curious about the fit. The design is simple but elegant; it can work casually around town with low sandals (as shown) or style it with an updo and drop earrings for fancier events like a wedding. After trying it on in my usual 00p, I'm confused by a few of the reviews that complained it was too long...I'm even on the shorter end of the petite spectrum (at ~ 5 feet tall) and am wearing it here with 1 inch heels! Although, it was a little close to dusting the ground here so I'd do a slightly higher heel next time, but I thought the length was good for petite sizing and required no alterations. Please see the bottom of this post for measurements and other details.

Here's a few items I own and love that are part of the 40% off sale:
- Breezy 100% linen sweater - on my spring / summer must-have list. You guys are probably sick of hearing about this versatile sweater - see it here, here, and here just to name a few.
- Embroidered dot button-up shirt - now marked down and on sale, so effectively 50% off. See my review here with it dressed up, and I've also dressed it down with distressed denim shorts on the weekends:

^ Express shorts, Talbots shoes, MK bag, Stella Dot necklace c/o, Ray Ban aviators

And if you like this chevron pattern but prefer it in other formats, I noticed AT has the same "mitered stripe" in a navy & white maxi skirt as well as a black & white shorter skirt, both included in the 40% off sale. The wider striped skirt is adorable but given my experience with AT skirts, I'm not sure if it'd fit someone my size without waist alterations (although, the one review there mentions it might run a little small).

Please note this dress is a sheath style and does not nip in at the waist - rather, it flares out gently in an A-line starting from the armpit down through the hips and then bottom opening. It does come with a black tie belt so you can cinch the waist in to your liking. I swapped that out for a leather belt, but the resulting belted silhouette is the same.

Measurements of the Mitered Striped Dress in 00p: 16" across armpit to armpit, 50 to 51" in total length. The outer material is 100% poly and it is fully lined, with an invisible back zip down the center. I know poly comes in many different forms and this one is a smooth one, not knit, with little stretch (the lining has no stretch at all). Tag says dry clean only, but I'm very tempted to test hand washing it cold since the material feels similar to other AT poly items that are labeled machine wash cold.

Here's a few newer pieces I'm eying from the 40% off sale, but haven't had the chance to try yet:

- Stripe tweed dress - very cute with the wide stripes against the pink tweed blend. At first glance my guess was the wide stripes would only be on the front half of the dress, given shortcuts that most retailers are taking these days. Happy to see that the stripes wrap around the back of the torso.
- Crepe tie-neck shell in lots of colors and prints. An office and weekend layering staple - I just hope the material isn't too thin in person.
- Chevron shift dress - a mod but classic look, and the material seems like it would be on the more substantial side with the embroidered-on dots.

Also, I was in a store recently and was pleasantly surprised by how pretty their new stone costume jewelry pieces are. I've collected a few favorite costume jewelry pieces from AT over the years and these are certainly a new contender. While in store, I unfortunately wasn't able to find any rings in size 5 to try on for size, nor did I see the cuff bracelet below that looks like it could be bent/shaped to fit smaller wrists.

I did get to see the faux stones in person and thought the coloring of both the rose quartz and lapis against the gold looked nice. Please note the first ring set trio is excluded from the 40% off, but half of the purchase price gets donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

As always, let me know if you have any favorite pieces & recommendations from this promo!