I will be 37 in a few months. It sounds as surreal as 2016, which to me still sounds like a science-fiction date. Being 37 is just as sci-fi. My birthday has always been and stayed a very special day. For the last 36 years I have been waking up excited and happy, wearing a sometimes visible, sometimes invisible crown all day. Will it be like that this year too? I really hope so.
In order to prepare myself with as many happy ingredients as I can, I have been looking for the perfect birthday dress for quite some time. Last year’s I was dancing around all day in the wonderful ‘Anouk‘ dress from Mrs Pomeranz. The print was created by children’s illustrator Genevieve Godbout, who also designed the print of one of my favourite dresses by Nadinoo in collaboration with Anthropologie. So this year I decided to go back to Nadinoo and Genevieve for a new favourite dress: the button-up dress with a lovely apple print.
If you have never heard of British designer Nadia Izruna’s label, then you are in for a treat. Her love of clothing and the desire to sew up cheerful, well-designed womenswear spurred her on to start her own label in 2009, Nadinoo.
Moving to the English countryside has had a huge influence over the mood and colours of her latest collection. ‘The Good Life’ is all about relaxing into a slower pace and appreciate all that is good in life. The 100% cotton cloth is printed by a small English print house.
All dresses (and aprons and pillows) are designed and handmade in our countryside studio in limited runs with a focus on quality and craftsmanship. The collection is seasonless, which means I will be able to wear it for years to come: the perfect birthday dress. Goodbye, disposable clothing. Hello, well loved wardrobe worthy of care and perhaps one day passing it on to my niece.
Nadia is really wonderful and she even changed the fitting slightly so the dress would fit me perfectly. And it did… Just look at how the dress was wrapped: all good things made with love should be wrapped like a gift.
Curious about the birthday dress runners-up? Here they are:
From left to right The Women are Boss dress from BOB, Rose Garden dress from Mrs Pomeranz, Anita Moon Print dress from People Tree, Grid Eyelet Sleeveless dress from Orla Kiely
