ikat-dress-blue-summer-style-capitola-california-travel-blogger 1

Is there anything better than a cute summer dress on nicely tanned skin? I think not! Bonus points if the dress is fair trade, eco-friendly and empowering artisans in my home city of Bangalore, all of which this dress is. Ikat is a traditional South-Asian dyeing technique that I've always been a huge fan of in my Indian ethnic wear, but it's been so fun discovering the print in contemporary and modern designs lately. This perfectly pocketed ikat print dress from Passion Lilie reminds me of home even while I'm off exploring new places. :)

I wore this look on a beautiful summer day when we explored colorful Capitola Village on the coast of Monterey Bay. If you're ever in the area, it's an adorable stop for a photo-op with it's row of rainbow colored beach shacks and lively pier. As if Capitola wasn't serving up strong enough vacay vibes, I figured my favorite hat of the season ought to do it. ;) How adorable is this raffia hat that my blogger bestie Jyo (of Cuppajyo) designed in collaboration with Hat Attack?? Poms on poms, please and thank you!