Rose Garden

a woman in a green silk wrap dress with pink roses stands on a stone staircase
a woman in a green silk wrap dress with pink roses stands on a stone staircase
a woman in a green silk wrap dress with pink roses stands on a stone staircase
a woman in a green silk wrap dress with pink roses stands on a stone staircase

When I was little, my mom used to quote me an “old” song Rose Garden by Lynn Anderson:

I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden
Along with the sunshine
There’s gotta be a little rain sometime
When you take you gotta give so live and let live or let go
Oh-whoa-whoa-whoa
I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden

(And it goes on. Highly recommend, it’s super catchy!)

As a kid, I liked it, though I probably didn’t “get” all of it- like the whole relationships have ups and downs, and not being perfect is aok. As a teenager, while Rose Garden was still catchy, I didn’t like it as much- because it was my teen years that my perfectionist tendencies really came out.
Yes. I’m still fighting them today.
It’s not that I don’t understand that there truly is no thing as perfect, and that everything will go to plan all the time. It’s that I want things to be perfect and to go to plan, from outfits to pictures to social interactions. I can forgive you any “imperfection” but have a hard time extending that grace to me.
In fact, why most pictures here on the blog (IG is a bit different) are from shoots is that I really expect every outfit, shot, look to be perfect- and that’s easier to control on a shoot. So the few times that I can let go and just shoot what I’m wearing in the wild? Completely out of my comfort zone and yet completely a blast.

We can debate if it’s ironic that I did it this time in a dress that is essentially a rose garden.

a woman in a green silk dress with pink roses on it, close up of floral rings
selfie of a woman in a green silk dress with pink roses
a woman with a glass of champagne in a green silk dress with pink roses on it
a woman in a green silk dress with pink roses

This was the dress I wore to Mother’s Day dinner with my family (I told everyone all night that I was on theme as my mother’s name is a form of Rose!). It’s a vintage, silk Flora Kung (we will be chatting about this designed in the future!), and all of the pictures here are ones taken at our celebration. I made my sister do an impromptu photo shoot on the stairs outside the restaurant. (isn’t she great?!?) I took selfies and close-ups throughout the night. And while I can look at some of these pictures and wish that they were slightly different, shooting “as is”, was fun. It made the night a little more exciting. I also had to trust that these pictures would work- the good ones and the bad.

It’s a lot like the Rose Garden song- perhaps the take away is that I need a little bit of control and out of control. By no means will I stop with photo shoots, but perhaps I can open up my rose garden (practicing my puns for Father’s Day ;)) to impromptu shoots. Maybe both make a beautiful garden.

What about you? Do you like to have a bit of control or are you completely comfortable doing things on the fly? How do you handle the balance in that- the good and the bad? And – do you remember the song “Rose Garden”?

a woman on a stone staircase in a green silk dress with pink roses

Some Style Notes:
-The silk in this Flora Kung dress is just exquisite. Highly recommend!
-You can’t always get the perfect size in vintage shopping, this dress is a little big (it’s a size Small) but the cut is still incredibly flattering
-Shoes are my beloved Sarah Flint’s, you can use code SARAHFLINT-BAINVESTMENTPIECE for $50 off your own pair
-Below I’ve linked some Flora Kung I’ve found for you and some contemporary floral pieces for your shopping pleasure.

Hoping that your weekend and your garden get what they need this weekend! XO RA

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RachelAdelicia

Actress, avid shopper, and a lover of fashion. Hoping to make the world a better place one pair of shoes at a time.

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