a versatile fall dress + a story
#blogtruth. I went home recently for a family wedding and (surprise, surprise) had a bit of a last-minute wardrobe crisis – I had originally been planning on a rental from RTR, but it didn’t work out. So, like back to the days of old, my Mom and I found ourselves at the mall the day before the wedding looking for an eleventh-hour dress. Thankfully, our mission was a success, and I came home with this adorable midi dress by 1.State. My darling mother was so so generous to purchase the dress for me, in exchange for my promise of a blog post showing off the dress’s versatility. So, here we are.
It is a versatile dress – From the moment I tried the dress on, we both agreed on the idea that “you could dress it up, or dress it down” (typical, but true). There isn’t much beyond formalwear and sweatpants that you can’t actually dress up or down, and I’m a big fan of investing in pieces that can be styled many ways. This dress is great to start with: flattering cut, perfect fall floral, trendy midi-length... My suggestions ensue.
1. Dress it up. Although not how I had initially envisioned “my look”, this dress could not have worked out more perfect. It was SO comfortable and flattering (it hid well the full plate of butternut squash raviolis that I consumed for dinner), and was perfect for dancing all night! I was feeling major 40s vibes in this number thanks to the surplice top, cut, and the ladylike floral print. For the wedding, I paired the dress with sparkly statement earrings, strappy block heels, and a metallic clutch. Perfecto!
2. Dress it down. Yes, let’s do it! To give this dress a slightly more casual vibe, I ditched my sparkly statement earrings for some dark shades and swapped out my strappy sandals for my favorite leopard booties. I threw this BLANKNYC faux leather jacket (a favorite find from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, this summer) on top, and took this dress from sweet and elegant to chic and cool. Versatility, ladies. To switch it up yet again, (Sidebar: Mom.. three looks, here. Does this mean you’ll buy me another dress?!) I changed out my jacket for a slouchy, oversized sweater. The change up made the look even more casual, think: brunch, weekend shopping, etc. This version, didn’t give me much of a shapely silhouette, but more of a hobo-chic kind of vibe that, with the right attitude, can pass off as an “off-duty”, effortlessly cool kinda look. Watch out, brunch.
Do you guys have any favorite versatile garments?! I’d love to hear about them, if so! Lastly, to my faithful, but few followers: Thanks for hanging in there! I’m learning to find the balance between a full work week, taking an excessive amount of photos of myself, writing meaningful blog posts, and figuring out how the heck to design a website – Major learning curve! But thanks so much for taking the time – I’ve got a lot of exciting holiday content coming soon, that I cannot wait to share with you all. Until next time!
