A lush lawn, beautiful flowers, colorful bicycles, rocking chairs lining the porch, plenty of historic charm, plus a lapping lake and horse carriages trotting along. Maybe this evokes an image from a fairytale? Maybe, if you are one of the lucky few who know of the hidden gem of Michigan, it evokes visions of Mackinac Island. That’s right, it’s a real place! A magical island filled with beautiful and historic charm to be exact. The perfect place to experience the true meaning of Pure Michigan, and an equally great place to pull out the prettiest stripes and ruffles. Not on the horse carriages (although that could be pretty cute), but on your own person.

I think sometimes we picture areas with high tourism as places for comfy clothes made for exploring. But one thing I love about Mackinac Island (out of MANY things) is that while it’s a tourist destination, it’s also a peaceful place that allows you to step back in time and to slow down a little. (There is even a movie about how it transports people through time – Somewhere In Time.) It’s a place where it just feels right to “dress the part.” In a town where you can only get around by foot, bicycle or horse my mind goes to women of yesteryear who looked so elegant in their long gowns, corsets and beautiful hats. The island takes me back to a time when dressing well was an everyday occurrence. A fashionista’s dream destination, don’t you think?!

This outfit is my own spin on that classic look of yesteryear. It’s also the perfect transition of a summer look that works well into fall too. A midi-skirt with different color stripes (front and back), beautiful ruffles and a sweet bow give old-time charm. When paired with a coordinating tank top, then layered with an army green jacket (tied for a modern twist) and bold sandals (which could easily transition to sneakers or boots for fall) it brings it into the 21st century. While they may not have had sunglasses back in the day (like the late 1800’s, early 1900’s), my outfits are never fully styled without them. And these days, the styling isn’t complete without a pretty face mask to match.

This outfit is modern and chic, but it does pay tribute to styles from the past. It’s always good to draw inspiration from bygone eras. While not every thing that was once fashionable comes back in style in the same way, there are plenty of ways to interpret past fashions in fresh new ways. To dress the part, just look around! See what emotions the place you are in stirs within you and what eras it best represents. Mix this with your own fashion and voila, you’ve got the perfect past into present look.

Jacket: Gap (similar here)   Skirt: Anthropologie (similar here)   Tank Top: Similar Here  Sunglasses: Sunglass Warehouse  Sandals: Similar Here  Photoshoot Location: Island House Hotel

You too can transport yourself back in time and submerge yourself into the magic that is Mackinac Island. A full “must see” post will be coming soon, but in the meantime, I recommend staying at the Island House and checking out these posts (1, 2, 3) for more info on what to do and what to see.

Signed with Style,