I love a good classic piece that is also interesting. I often like to call this “timeless with a twist” or “classic with a twist.” Both shirt-dresses and stripes are classic and timeless, but the ruffle at the bottom of this dress adds a feminine flair that really drew me to the piece. I paired it with a long gray cardigan and gray lace-up heels, but you could easily wear this with black or burgundy to make it feel more “fall,” or pair it with bright colors to make it feel more “spring.” This dress is lightweight and truly season-less because you can change up the look drastically with the way you accessorize it. I paired it with lighter-weight items here because I shot this look in September when it was still pretty warm. However, even now that we’re into October, it’s still fairly warm here during the day, so I would simply add a trench coat for arriving at the office in the morning.
I also chose to style this dress two different ways, simply by changing the belt, to show you the difference a belt can make. In the first set of images, I wore the self-belt that the dress came with, taking it out of the loops and wearing it over my cardigan. In the second set of images below, I added a wide woven belt that does a much better job of cinching my waist.
Kate’s Styling Tips:
When getting dressed and buying clothes, look for pieces (whenever possible) that will accentuate the smallest parts of your body, and/or make the most flattering parts stand out. For example, nearly every woman has a smaller natural waist. By defining it, you’re breaking up your outfit and cinching in the clothes to really make your waist look smaller and give more of an hourglass shape rather than being straight up and down. A belt, like the one I styled below, also adds visual interest to your outfit and makes it look more interesting and put together. It’s amazing how much accessories can add to an outfit, so don’t discount them!
Finally, let’s talk about the scarf. Again, the pieces that can really take a simple outfit to the next level are the accessories! I just took a square silk scarf, rolled it up, and tied it around my neck so it would be more like a necklace and not have long ends hanging down. You could also move the tied ends to the back of your neck. I love doing this because I think it really ties together an otherwise simple outfit. I especially love to pair silk scarves with white button downs because they look very chic and timeless. It’s not hard to look put together if you have the right accessories.
