Posts Tagged: dress

The Core Wardrobe: Essential dresses for every occasion

By IN How-To Tuesdays, Personal Style, Style

The Core Wardrobe for dresses includes 3 types of dresses you can wear for any Working Mom Outfit Level, from weekends to Date Nights.

The Core Wardrobe is a list of the classic, fundamental clothes around which you can build outfits for any occasion. Each week in this series we’re exploring another clothing category. Today’s Core Wardrobe category: dresses.

The Core Wardrobe for dresses

How-To Tuesdays: Style advice and answers for working momsAs with the Core Wardrobe for skirts, the idea is to have the fewest number of dresses to suit the greatest number of occasions, across a range of Working Mom Levels. And as with skirts, neutral colors will be the most flexible and a knee-length cut the most flattering.

  • Day dress, such as a shirtwaist, wrap or sheath. A day dress is a versatile piece that can take you from weekend chic to client meeting and back. Pick the shape that works best for your body type. (For example, here’s how to pick a sheath for any body shape.)
  • Cotton summer sundress. On hot days, is there anything cooler? And it’s an easy way to dress for weekend casual or weekend chic. A maxi dress is a great option here, too.
  • Evening/cocktail dress, ideally a Little Black Dress (LBD). Wardrobe essentials don’t get more essential than the LBD. You’re automatically covered for every Level 5 event and Date Night you could ever hope to attend.

As with every category, this recommended list of basics is just that: recommendations. It starts with pieces that are the most universally wearable, but your personal style is the ultimate guide.

It’s also just a starting point. If you find (like I do) that dresses are the easiest one-step outfit there is, you might decide to make them the primary category in your wardrobe. Luckily for us, there are endless choices!

  • Fab mamas: What would you include on a list of basic dresses for every wardrobe?

Learn more about the Core Wardrobe and get a detailed, comprehensive checklist of what to buy in “No More Yoga Pants: How To Dress Better, Shop Smarter and Reclaim Your Style,” the step-by-step personal style transformation system. Join the Style List and be the first to get a sneak preview (and an early discount code, too)!

Working mom outfit of the week: The everyday LBD

By IN Personal Style, Work It Wednesdays

Working mom outfit of the week: Everyday LBD with Calvin Klein, Old Navy and Aerosoles.

One of the reasons the Little Black Dress (LBD) is considered a wardrobe staple is its endless versatility.

Wear It Wednesdays: Working mom outfit photosOften we think of this versatility in terms of the many ways it can be worn for Date Night level events, or of ways to take it from season to season.

But switch up the accessories even more to level it down and your wardrobe workhorse can be an everyday garment, too.

Here I started with my new favorite LBD from Calvin Klein. It may look like a date dress, but it has the comfort of a day dress.

With tights, boots and a denim shirt on top, it instantly feels more casual. I could wear this for a Saturday lunch date with the girls. In this case, I have a less formal workplace, so I wore it to the office.

Because the denim shirt covered up the part of the dress with waist-defining details, I added some definition (and a bit of color) with the red belt on top.

All these layers also took a warm-weather dress into winter wearability. (In cooler spring days I could imagine modifying this same outfit with lighter weight tights and flats.)

  • Fab mamas: Do you wear your little black dress any time other than Date Night?

Dress: Calvin Klein (similar).
Shirt: Old Navy (similar).
Belt: Target (similar).
Boots: Aerosoles (similar).
Working Mom Outfit Level: 2/Weekend Chic

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Learn more about how to build outfits–and how to find the garments for them that flatter your body and personal style. Join the Style List to get tips, tricks and ideas, straight to your inbox. As a thank you gift, I’ll send you 7 Days to Better Shopping, a week-long email guide to making the most of the mall.

Working mom outfit of the week: Kirna Zabête with a fishtail hem

By IN Personal Style, Work It Wednesdays

Working mom outfit of the week: Client Meeting outfit with Kirna Zabete fishtail hem dress, flats

Last October, when fashion forward New York boutique Kirna Zabête partnered with Target for a pop-up collection, I knew I had to pay a visit. A little bit of Manhattan style, without the train ticket or the big price tag? Sign me up!

Wear It Wednesdays: Working mom outfit photosAs I was noticing in last week’s year of personal style in review, I like dresses, unusual details and black and white patterns.

Checking all those boxes here, aren’t I?

I like the way this dress combines style edginess–one sheer patterned fabric overlaying another, the pleated bib placket, the fishtail hem–with a generally conservative shirt dress silhouette.

I wore it here with tights and flats to church, but I’ve also worn it with skinny jeans and knee-high boots to an evening mixer. The flexibility makes it even more cost effective than the low price alone.

Other ideas: with a blazer, or belting a sweater on top.

  • Fab mamas: What’s your favorite type of dress? Would you wear a fishtail hem skirt? Can you say “pleated bib placket” 20 times quickly?

Dress: Kirna Zabête for Target, $15 on clearance (at least for now!)
Flats: Balenciaga (similar, $59, Zappos).
Working Mom Outfit Level: 4/Client Meeting

[Affiliate links disclosure]

Learn more about how to build outfits–and how to find the garments for them that flatter your body and personal style. Join the Style List to get tips, tricks and ideas, straight to your inbox. As a thank you gift, I’ll send you 7 Days to Better Shopping, a week-long email guide to making the most of the mall.

Working mom Client Meeting outfit: Chocolate and turquoise

By IN Work It Wednesdays

Working mom client meeting outfit: Turquoise fit and flare dress with brown blazer, tights, belt and boots

Maybe it’s the onset of colder weather, but I found myself thinking of this sleeveless turquoise dress and wanting to find a way to wear it through winter. (It’s that wardrobe reuse thing again …)

Work It Wednesdays: Working mom outfit photosI like the way turquoise pairs with chocolate brown, so that led to my oft-worn blazer and tights. I could have worn these kitten heel pumps, too, but the brown booties seemed like they better balanced out the weight of the blazer and accessories at the top half of the outfit.

A little waist definition never hurts and this stretch belt was the perfect fit.

(And it’s not in this photo, but of course I wore this turquoise coat on top!)

  • Fab mamas: Booties or heels with a dress? Discuss.

Blazer: Calvin Klein (similar, $129, Lord & Taylor).
Dress: Calvin Klein (similar, $89, Dorothy Perkins).
Belt: The Limited (similar, $25, Mango).
Shoes: Impo (similar, $84, Amazon).
Necklace: Payless (similar, $25, Zappos).
Working Mom Outfit Level: 4/Client Meeting

Learn more about how to build outfits–and how to find the garments for them that flatter your body and personal style–with “No More Yoga Pants: How to Dress Better, Shop Smarter and Reclaim Your Style,” the fun, easy-to-follow style transformation system. Sign up for my email list to be the first to find out when it’s available (and get a special insiders’ launch offer).

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Outfit photo + review: Beach chic from Fresh Produce [Level 2]

By IN Advice

Outfit photo: Fresh Produce Effortless Dress

I like to think I have a consistent personal style. I favor clean lines, fitted garments, classic cuts and minimalist design. There’s a reason why I love Calvin Klein so much :)

So I was surprised when Fresh Produce asked me if I’d like to review an item of their clothing. At first glance, their aesthetic is quite different: simple, loose silhouettes in soft knits and bright colors.

Unsure what to choose for a review, I looked through the site. That’s when I found the Effortless Dress. As soon as I saw it, visions of the beach danced in my head.

I chose the color Reef, which is a vibrant lime green. I liked that it had the feeling of the very current neon trend without being so bright that it would be instantly out of style next week.

(Two other things I like: most of Fresh Produce’s clothing is made in the USA and founder and designer Mary Ellen Vernon is a female entrepreneur.)

When the dress arrived, I was surprised to discover that it wasn’t just an ordinary cotton knit. The little bit of added Lycra gives the fabric a smoother feel, heavier weight and much more fluid drape than a typical cotton dress.

When I put it on, it fit perfectly and felt great; it really is comfortable, especially in its normal unbelted state. (I’m wearing a size Small, which the size chart says is the equivalent of a 6-8.)

Although I’d originally imagined it as an easy-to-pack option for summer beach travel–and I still think I’ll get most of my wear from it in a casual setting–here I’ve dressed it up to wear to meet friends at the movies.

Silver seemed a perfect companion for a bright, cool color so I went all silver in my accessories: necklace, belt and shoes.

If this kind of simple, casual everyday clothing speaks to your personal style, Fresh Produce might be a great option for you, too.

[Disclosure: All reviews are my honest and unbiased opinion regardless of product source. I do not write paid reviews. The Effortless Dress was provided to me courtesy of Fresh Produce.]

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Outfit photo: DVF wrap dress variation #2 [Level 4]

By IN Personal Style

Working mom outfit: DVF wrap dress, Gap T-shirt, Indigo pumps, Limited jacket

I call Level 4 of the 5 Levels of Working Mom Outfits “Client Meeting” because it instantly communicates a specific kind of dressed-up-for-the-office. No matter how casual the workplace, we tend to dress better when we’re going to be meeting with our clients and customers.

That’s exactly what this outfit was for. It doesn’t get much career dressier than a DVF wrap dress, does it?

Once again, I was looking for ways to make this sleeveless wrap more office appropriate. In the winter I put a turtleneck underneath; for spring, a T-shirt did the trick.

It was neither warm enough nor the appropriate situation to skip hose, so I opted for these tights in a lighter taupe rather than the chocolate brown ones I wore in colder weather.

Because the dress is a pattern of black and brown, I went with contrasting black shoes. I love the shape of these!

The perfect jacket to go with the dress was this cream-colored faux leather one from the Limited. It almost looks like the jacket and dress were made to go together!

T-shirt: Gap (similar, $15, American Apparel).
Dress: Diane Von Furstenberg (similar, $218, Bluefly).
Jacket: The Limited (similar, $50 on sale)
Necklace: Stella & Dot (similar, $54 on sale)
Shoes: Indigo by Clarks Plush Weave ($109.99, Zappos).
Working Mom Outfit Level: 4/Client Meeting

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Outfit post: Level 5 date night

By IN Advice, Personal Style

Level 5, Date Night outfit: Dress, pearls and silver bag and shoes

This week’s outfit post is a demonstration of Level 5 of the 5 Levels of Working Mom Outfits–also known as Date Night. (What’s Level 5, you may ask? Just check out yesterday’s post for details.)

For this outfit, I wanted to show how you could use pieces that will transition from office to evening, so I’m wearing the dress from my Level 4 client meeting outfit.

(This dress, by the way, is a perfect example of the “what sizes are you?” phenomenon. I started off by trying on my usual size, an 8, plus one smaller. But because this dress is really only fitted through the bust, where I am decidedly not, er, generously proportioned, both sizes were much too big. I eventually wound up working my way down to a size 2 before it fit me without gapping at the neckline.)

Because this dress sleeveless and V-necked, all I had to do was remove the bolero jacket for instant evening appeal. The multi-strand necklace still works, too; the mixture of the sparkly beads with the pearls reads as less buttoned down.

I could’ve left the kitten heels on, I suppose, but silver shoes and accessories feel more “on the town” to me. I picked both of them up at Payless; when you wear something so infrequently, there’s really no reason to spend much more!

Dress: Ann Taylor. (Similar, $110, Nordstrom)
Shoes: Payless. (Similar, $95, Zappos)
Bag: Payless. (Similar, $39, the Limited)
Necklace: Van Heusen. (Similar, $36, Avon)
Outfit level: 5.

[Disclosure: Some links are affiliate links.]

Your turn

  • What are your favorite pieces for a Date Night outfit?

That’s a wrap

Thanks for reading; this is the last post in the 5 Levels of Working Mom Outfits series. I hope you found it helpful!

If you liked this post, please leave a comment. If you liked the series, please share it with someone else; just use the handy sharing widget below.

(Want to get more shopping tips and fun insider stuff? Join The Style List. It’s like a secret club in your email inbox! And when you join, you’ll get my free email series, 7 Days to Better Shopping. It’s my gift to you!)