Beach culture in Toronto is a funny thing. Despite being a waterfront city, we oddly have almost no beach (or even waterfront) culture at all. I’ve actually met people who live in the city who weren’t aware that there was a waterfront in Toronto! Even though our lovely strip of Lake Ontario is blocked by highways and condos, we are still really lucky for our downtown to be so close to the water.

Since there is no way in heck that I would ever actually swim in Lake Ontario, hanging out by the water in Toronto mainly involves tanning, and, if I’m lucky, the tanning will take place on sand, rather than cement.  One of my favourite spots in the city to spend time by the water is Sugar Beach, located just across the Redpath Sugar Refinery.

This pretty little pink-umbrella spotted patch of faux beach is a place that I’m lucky to have only a few steps away from where I live, and it’s an easy stop on my way home from work. And I’m not the only one who loves it, this convenient mini oasis in the city is a favourite pit stop for many downtown dwellers.

The beach attire at Sugar Beach consists less of bikinis and sarongs, and more of what would be appropriate for a patio hangout.With the right items on, you can take an outfit from a cool downtown day look, to one that is totally appropriate for playing in the sand, in mere seconds.

I absolutely love this little sundress from Old Navy. Once I removed the Chanel purse, Haight & Ashbury bomber jacket, and Cacharel shoes, I went from work-ready to beach-ready in a blink of an eye.

Not only is this a great city-to-beach dress because the spaghetti straps can be pulled down for tanning purposes, but you could also easily sport your swimsuit underneath. Since picking it up at my local Old Navy (at The Eaton Centre) this dress has quickly become one of my favourite summer dresses.

Beach life in Toronto might not be all “surf’s up!” and “hang ten!” but  hey, we’ve gotta work with what we’ve got!

What I Wore: Women’s Poplin Sundress  in Blue Flora from Old Navy, bag Chanel, sunglasses Dior, shoes Cacharel, bomber jacket Haight + Ashbury.

This post was sponsored by Old Navy. Check out Old Navy‘s latest fashion lineup in store or online at oldnavy.com.

The post What I Wore: A Sweet Summer Dress at Sugar Beach #OldNavyStyle appeared first on Gracie Carroll.