When I was discussing potential blog posts with my friends, one of the most frequent topics that came up was styling clothes for different events. One of my personal golden rules when it comes to styling and shopping is to invest in quality pieces. I'd rather have a small versatile closet that can be mixed and matched easily than have way too many clothes for my closet that could only be worn once. To me, a good fit, quality material, and versatility are the top 3 things I look for when I shop. However, if you find a quality piece with a perfect cut, how do you transition it in between seasons?
One of my favorite pieces that I've ever purchased was this Navy Scalloped dress from J. Crew Factory. I had admired it for about a year before I found one in stores, since I don't live less than an hour away from the closest J.Crew, let alone J.Crew factory. It's the perfect shift dress. The length, cut, and details are fantastic. I'm a huge sucker for a good LBD (little blue dress). I won't even lie to you, it looks good online, but it's the kind of dress that looks good on everyone.
Navy Scalloped Dress (Sold Out) // Wedges (R) // Oxford Shirt (Similar) (L) // Statement Necklace (Sold Out, but Similar) (L) // Belt // Shoes (Similar)
The first time that I wore this dress was for a double date night with my boyfriend and my other good friend in the South Side in Pittsburgh. It was one of the hotter days of the summer, around mid-August, but I surprisingly wasn't miserably in the dress, although it is a bit thicker of a material than you'd expect. I styled it with my favorite summer wedges from Michael Kors, and a rose gold watch from Charming Charlie's.
It's the perfect semi-formal dress, but can definitely be styled casually or business casually. On the right, I decided to step away from the original statements of the dress itself and build from it.
This past weekend I attended my end-of-the-season tennis banquet at a local Ital ian restaurant, but didn't want to wear something too dressy. On its own (like in the picture on the left), the dress would have been a little out of place, especially since it has been really cold these past few weeks in Western PA. I decided to play towards the business casual look by adding a Ralph Lauren Oxford under the dress, and belting it. One of my favorite trends is to add a pop of color. The dress and the shirt are both blue which seemed a bit too monochromatic. I added red platform pumps, and a white belt and necklace to help add a little more dimension to the traditional preppy look.
If you need an easy way to transition an outfit from Summer to Fall or Winter, I definitely suggest layering pieces. It looks polished, and yet keeps you warm. It's the traditional "prep" look, but after adding the right accessories, such as a statement necklace or bright shoes, it will give it a modern feel. Cardigans, vests and scarves are also really fantastic for changing a look around. If a piece needs to be more modest, add a cardigan and a scarf. If you need to keep warm, add a vest, or even a trench coat. If the piece is extremely monochromatic, or a bit "blah" on its own, add color. Fall fashion revolves around jewel tones, but that doesn't mean that you have to stay away from brighter patterns as long as you keep one thing as the "statement" piece, and keep the rest (cut and color) neutral.
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