Swoon-Worthy Shabby Apple

At 5'8", I sometimes have trouble finding dresses. Cocktail dresses may look adorable on the rack or in the window of a Melrose boutique, but trying them on is a bit of a joke - everything winds up being unbelievably short on me. Perhaps that's why I like Anthropologie so much; dresses there almost always come to right above my knees, which is perfect for me. I've learned that stores like Bebe or Guess are pretty much never going to work - I prefer NOT to show my butt when I bend over, thanks. While we're at it, let me mention that it's also sometimes hard to find something that isn't too low cut. I'm busty, and there's a time and a place for cleavage, but it's definitely not ALL the time.

So enter Shabby Apple, a site I learned about through the Anthro blogs. Their dresses are all modest - no exposed shoulders, no cleavage, no high hemlines. Yet somehow, they are all fashion-forward and flattering; no frumpy baggy styles!

I won a contest through Shabby Apple a while ago and got some awesome artwork out of it in exchange for a pie recipe, but I still haven't gotten around to ordering a dress from them. Their new Academia collection has me swooning:

I looove those sleeves!! This one is my favorite, and the model is wearing amazing tights - she's styled SO well with a chunky necklace and marigold heels. Unfortunately, I can't find the tights on the Shabby Apple site. These are kinda similar (over at ModCloth).

That color is pretty amazing, and the cut is really classic. And how gorgeous is this model and her amazing hair??

This one is from the Sidesaddle collection... I love, love, love the Tiffany blue and brown combo, and the color blocking here is super flattering.

Since I haven't tried on any Shabby Apple dresses, I can't really vouch for their quality, but I've read lots of positive things about them. For now, I'll keep lusting after them, and maybe one day I'll pull the trigger and buy one! Follow Shabby Apple's blog for interesting insights and fun contests.