Fun in the Absolutely No Sun

So...I'm pretty scared of skin cancer. My dad had it when I was younger and had to get a skin graft. It was on his face. They took the skin from behind his ear and grafted it to where his nose met his cheek. It looked like someone put a piece of silly putty on his face for about a year before it healed and started to look normal. Every one of my grandparents have died of some sort of cancer. I'm not like a "don't use the microwave or cell phone" kind of scared of cancer person but when it comes to the sun I'm definitely the one of my friends lecturing everyone about sunscreen and shaking my head at their tans. I'll admit, I was accused of being dramatic when recently I went berry picking and got a slight burn on my chest that I was convinced meant I had contracted cancer right then. Clearly my friends do not know what they are talking about.

Anyways, I am going to the beach this weekend. In my new car. Because I trust it to drive to the beach unlike my old car. Now for some people the beach may mean scorching hot temperatures, bathing suits, and swimming. For Oregonians it means something a little different. Mostly wearing all your clothes and napping on the sand in moderate breezy weather. The most your body will be in the water is up to your ankles, and even then you'll likely shriek and jump back the first time your skin touches the water because it's that cold.

There's still sun though, and with sun comes skin cancer, which means that since I hadn't been to the beach in at least a year I needed an update on my beach wardrobe. Some people wear jeans and tees with a fleece or sweatshirt for when it gets chilly. I wear maxi dresses. They're impractical for really anything other than the beach. I guess if you're model tall or a hippie you can get away with them but I'm neither so for me they are beach wear.

It may sound silly but they're long enough to keep your skin hidden from the sun but loose and lightweight enough to not be too heavy in the sun. Plus there's the added bonus of it being likely the one time you can look like you're in a catalog shoot without looking like...well, an idiot.

These are the dresses I am trying to decide between.


Zulu Dress by Free People in 'Bark'


Sidewinder Slip Dress by Free People


Stargazer Dress by Free People in 'Black'

Here's some detail of the beading.



All will be worn sans footwear. Now all I need is a giant floppy straw hat...