The Alice + Olivia brand is one of my favorites when I’m looking for a holiday or special event dress. Alice + Olivia was created in 2002 and is based in New York. The head designer is Stacey Bendet.

My impression of the Alice + Olivia line is somewhat mixed — their designs are stylish and contemporary, but also feature items that I’d describe as cute and girly.

Recently, I came across the A + O “Love is in the Air” shift dress. My initial reaction was that the dress is very cute and happy, and that it’d be perfect for a sunny day. When I first came across the dress at the Nordstorm Web site, I really wanted to buy it because I was just getting ready to take a trip to California to visit family. But I thought the Love-is-in-the-Air shift dress was just a bit too expensive ($550.00) for a piece of clothing I’d probably only wear once.

But, I still really like that dress! After initially passing on buying the dress, I’m thinking I’ll wait and hope the dress goes on sale — I am planning to take a trip to Europe (Spain and southern France in particular) and this dress would be absolutely perfect!

So, the “Love is in the Air” shift dress by Alice + Olivia isn’t right for everyone (of course, no dress is!) but I think it’s a great dress that makes a “happy” statement. Check it out!