Red, White, and Floral for Independence Day

red outfit, red linen trousers, thrifted white floral kimono robe, preloved duster, white sandals. yellow hat, thrifted style, summer boho outfit, Shelbee on the Edge

Let me start this post by wishing my American friends a very happy Independence Day! This year, our nation is celebrating its 250th birthday. This federal holiday commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence which officially established the United States of America as its own sovereign nation, independent of British colonial rule, on July 4, 1776.

In yesterday’s post, I shared a photograph from our country’s bicentennial celebration in 1976. I was two years old so I posed for the picture in my colonial costume without really understanding any of it. Fifty years later, I am here for another milestone American birthday, our semiquincentennial celebration. Hopefully, I’ll still be around for our tercentennial anniversary in 2076. I will be 102 by then and might not know what’s going on but it would still be cool. Heck, the way things are going on around here in recent years, hopefully our country will still be our country in 2076. All governments eventually fall, I’m just hoping ours doesn’t in my lifetime. Or my children’s lifetime. Or their children’s.

But let’s not dwell on the sad things that could happen. Let’s celebrate the good things that have happened! We are the land of the free and the home of the brave and there are still hundreds of millions of really good people living in America. Sure, there are some really bad folks here, but there are really bad folks everywhere. And if good is to win over evil, the good people really need to stick together!

The day before yesterday, I shared a red and white outfit for Canada Day. Living so near the border (less than 30 miles away), I wanted to celebrate my northern neighbors and the anniversary of the Canadian Confederation which united three separate colonies in one single dominion on July 1, 1867.

I took my red and white Canada Day outfit and easily transitioned it to a Fourth of July outfit by changing my robe and my hat. I could have easily added a blue topper for a traditional patriotic look in red, white, and blue but I’m not very traditional. So I decided instead of a blue topper, I would add a floral print that has a little bit of blue in it.

The first time I wore this thrifted duster, I layered it over a bright blue dress, which also would have worked for a patriotic outfit. But I really love the way this robe looks with red after wearing it with these same red pants and a black tee shirt for the Oogie’s Ice Cream 20th Anniversary Celebration in May.

I could have kept the same white hat from my Canada Day outfit, but my yellow hat with its colorful band was just so much better even if it’s not in the red, white, and blue patriotic color palette.

This outfit is lightweight and breezy, cute and colorful, and doesn’t look like a patriotic costume, making it perfect for any summertime celebration!