Posts Tagged: dresses

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

[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 Weekend Chic outfit: To the maxi (dress)

By IN Personal Style

Working mom weekend chic outfit: Maxi dress, Kate Spade sandals

Until maxi dresses became a big trend in the last couple of years, I’d never really worn one. Then I fell in love with this maxi I stumbled across at Target and I see the appeal.

Because a maxi is only fitted at the top, it is super comfortable and awfully forgiving of anything going on below the bustline. Don’t feel like wearing Spanx today? Forgot to shave your legs? Maxi dress!

Work It Wednesdays: Working mom outfit photosAnd because the skirt is flowing, and the fabrics are usually lightweight, a maxi can be completely breezy and cool for summer despite the length.

In fact, that’s why I wore it on this particular day. The forecast, once again, was for a temperature approximating the surface of the sun, with slightly more humidity. And ladies, I just couldn’t with getting dressed that morning.

Hello, maxi dress!

(An added benefit, if you don’t need much support on top and your maxi dress is fitted enough in the bust, is that it removes the need for at least one item of unmentionables. No bra, no bra strap.)

  • Maxi dresses: Love or hate? Discuss.
  • I paired my maxi with flat sandals because I honestly can’t imagine wearing such a casual dress with heels. Is it just me?

Maxidress: Mossimo (similar, $35, Old Navy or $148, Theory at Bergdorf Goodman).
Sandals: Kate Spade First (similar, $40, Dillard’s).
Necklace: Wilow Stil ($48, Bluefly).
Working Mom Outfit Level: 1/Weekend Casual

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 the free email series, 7 Days to Better Shopping. It’s my gift to you!)

[Affiliate links disclosure]

Most flattering wedding dresses for the pear shaped body

By IN Advice, Style Q&A

Wedding dresses for the pear shape

Reader Mary writes to ask: “My daughter is getting married in October. What is the best type of dress for a pear shape?”

Many of the tactics for flattering a pear shape with other garments, like a T-shirt, carry over into dresses. So when it comes to wedding dresses, the biggest difference is the length of skirt and level of embellishment we can draw on to employ these tactics.

  • Draw the eye upwards. Look for gowns with embellished bodices but simpler skirts. Think beading, detailing and interesting necklines.
  • Widen the shoulders. Speaking of necklines, a bateau (boatneck) or deep scoop is perfect here.
  • Emphasize your narrowest part. Let a well-fitting, boned bodice (and shapewear) be your friend here. An Empire waist is another option.
  • De-emphasize your widest part. Be careful that the fullness of the skirt doesn’t begin at your hips. And whatever you do, no bows or trimmings here, either.

As for the skirt style, your best bet is fuller without being voluminous. You don’t want the hemline to be narrower than your hips; it will just emphasize them more. But a giant ballgown skirt will only make your bottom half look that much more voluminous. You want to wear the dress, not have the dress wear you.

Of course, you’ll want to try on lots of options in order to find the one that’s best for you. When you find the right dress–you’ll know it!

What to buy

J Crew ball gown
$750 - jcrew.com

Tadashi Shoji ball gown
$565 - neimanmarcus.com

Anoushka G one shoulder long dress
£360 - houseoffraser.co.uk

Phase Eight bridal gown
£360 - johnlewis.com

Anoushka G cocktail party dress
£350 - houseoffraser.co.uk

Feather hair accessory
£25 - houseoffraser.co.uk

Monsoon flower hair accessory
£8 - monsoon.co.uk

 

Thanks for reading. Please leave a comment or share it with someone else; just use the handy sharing widget below. (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!)

[Disclosure: Some links are affiliate links.]

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

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 the free email series, 7 Days to Better Shopping.

[Affiliate links disclosure]

How to choose the right shoe to wear with a dress

By IN Advice, Style Q&A

Choose the right shoe for a dress

Reader Marni writes to ask, “I never know exactly which shoes to wear with a dress. How do I know what will look the best?”

Great question! I sometimes have this same dilemma myself, so it’s a great opportunity to refresh both of us on some of the guidelines.

(And–as is true of the Pirate Code–they’re really just guidelines. A true fashionista knows how to break every rule in style!)

So here are some tips for choosing the right shoe to wear with a dress.

  • Style. Let the style of the dress be your first guide. Is it a summery, spaghetti-strapped sundress? Then don’t wear thick, chunky shoes. Is it a sleek little cocktail dress? Then a cotton espadrille won’t work.
  • Season. Match the season of the dress to the shoe. Lightweight spring dress + sandals = yes. Lightweight spring dress + fur-lined boots = no.
  • Color. This one can be a bit tricky. You can never go wrong wearing black shoes with a black outfit, but any other color can veer into bridesmaid matchy matchy territory if you’re not careful. This is where the nude pump trend is especially helpful. Or try a bright complementary color, like yellow with navy or red with neutrals.
  • Occasion. Where are you going to be wearing the dress? The same black dress might call for a pair of pumps in the office and strappy sandals for an evening out.

Now for the rule-breaking: try several pairs on and see what works. That lightweight spring dress might actually look boho chic with the right pair of boots. Flats might look great with a dress you assumed would demand pumps.

Look around for ideas, too. Fashion editors make very conscious choices of the shoes they pair with dresses in magazine spreads. Outfit posts on style blogs or found in Pinterest can give you inspiration.

And if nothing in your closet works with that new dress you just bought? You now have a golden excuse to go shoe shopping!

What to buy

Marc New York safari dress
$72 - bluefly.com

J Crew Elinor dress
$148 - jcrew.com

Oasis bow back dress
$82, sale - asos.com

Stuart Weitzman Littleneck boots
(no longer available)

Tommy Hilfiger Tutti flip flops
(no longer available)



[Disclosure: Some links are affiliate links.]

Share the love

Thanks for reading. Did you like this post? Please leave a comment or 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!)

Outfit post: Ending my search for a new LBD [Level 4/5]

By IN Personal Style

Level 4/5 working mom outfit: Calvin Klein Little Black Dress, Tiffany necklace, Nine West kitten heel pumps

Like anyone offering style and wardrobe advice, I’ve sung the praises of including a classic, flattering Little Black Dress (LBD).

But after I wrote my post on how to buy a new LBD, I realized I needed to follow my own advice.

The one hanging in my closet was at least 15 years old–and about one size and 4 inches too short. What works at 26 does not always work at 41, n’est-ce pas?

Work It Wednesdays: Working mom outfit photosI am here to tell you I feel your shopping pain. Even knowing the kinds of silhouettes that look best on me, I ordered and sent back 6 different dresses from 3 different online stores, no farther ahead than when I started.

Then I discovered Calvin Klein, one of my favorite labels, was having a sale. I ordered 3 dresses, hoping at least one would work–and I kept two.

I should have started at Calvin Klein. After all, another piece of advice I offer is to find which stores or labels work for you and start your shopping there!

This is one of the two dresses. Although it’s dressy enough to wear to a cocktail party, it’s of a softer jersey material and covers enough of the body that it would be entirely appropriate to wear to work as well, especially with a blazer or cardigan on top.

The detail of the criss-crossed V neck works on me because it helps balance my smaller top half with my bottom. The side shirring defines the waist and is especially forgiving of the midsection. And the length hits perfectly just above the knee; short enough to avoid looking dowdy, but long enough to avoid looking inappropriate, especially at the office.

Shoe selection is always tricky in the winter time. Most of my more evening appropriate footwear is a strappy sandal–weird with hose, but too cold to wear bare-legged in February (even if it was mild enough on this Saturday to take a few photos coat-free).

  • Fab mamas: What do you think? What shoes should I wear with an LBD in cold weather?
  • Black hose or tights only? What about a nude hose, a la the Duchess of Cambridge?

Dress: Calvin Klein surplice wrap V-neck sheath dress, $139.50.
Shoes: Nine West (similar, $47, 6pm.com).
Necklace: Tiffany oval tag necklace, $425.
Outfit level: 4/5

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 the free email series, 7 Days to Better Shopping. It’s my gift to you!)

[Affiliate links disclosure]