SHOP MY OUTFITDRESS: BLACK SYNCHED WAIST DRESS [RUNS TTS, ALSO IM 5’7″] I CHAMBRAY: OLD, SIMILAR I SNEAKERS: ADIDAS ALLSTAR SNEAKERS [RUN VERY LARGE, GO DOWN ONE SIZE] I HANDBAG: YSL CAMERA BAG [HERE TOO, HERE TOO, AFFORDABLE OPTION, AFFORDABLE OPTION] I ACCESSORIES: JULIE VOS BRACELET C/O I JULIE VOS STUDS C/O I RAYBAN AVIATORS
Last week I shared this adorable little dress and nine ideas on how to style it. While I previously photographed it dressed up for the office, today we are chatting about dressing it down for the weekend. Anytime a piece is versatile enough to wear it both super casually and also very dressed up, it’s a winner!
First and foremost, whenever I am styling a dress to be more casual, I think about two things: layers and footwear.
LAYER OPTIONS TO STYLE A DRESS MORE CASUALLYOne of my favorite ways to casually style my dresses, and get even more use out of them, is by throwing on a white v neck tshirt and knotting it at the waist. Now you basically have a flouncy skirt! Depending on the dresses arm length you’ll need to wear a long sleeve or short sleeve tee.
Another way to dress down a dress is by layering on a light sweater layered and knotting at the mid section again. I love this sweater that’s on sale.
One tip is that if you don’t have enough material to make a real knot, you can just use a little clear elastic! That’s a great way to avoid stretching out your pieces too.
My favorite layer to add to a dress? A chambray button up. Why? Not only does it look so cute, but you don’t get the weight you sometimes get with a traditional jean jacket. Chambray button ups are light and cute actually worn or just tied around your waist.
If you like mixing prints, you can also tie a flannel or a plaid button up around your waist. Whenever mixing prints, I suggest tying in a consistent color between the dress and plaid. So for this specific dress, I’d pick a button up with mostly black in it like this one.
And of course, with a jean jacket! This one is my personal favorite because once you break it in, it’s formed to your body and oh so comfy. I’ve had mine for over six years! It runs true to size. Sizes are constantly restocked so if yours is sold out, check back each week.
SHOE OPTIONS TO STYLE A DRESS MORE CASUALLYI always suggest styling a dress more casually with adorable white flat sole sneakers. This look is also perfect for any vacations or walking through the city since it’s the perfect mix of looking cute, but also being practical and comfortable.
When pairing sneakers with dresses, stay towards all white, flat bottom sneakers like these Adidas Superstars, Vince slide-ons or chic Vejas. The all white color makes them much more versatile and your outfit more crisp. The flat bottom makes them much more polished than an actual athletic sneaker.
I just ordered this designer pair of white sneakers to try! I’m not a fan of their standard sneakers since they come scuffed up (weird..), but love the fresh look of this pair.
You can also always throw on pointed toe flats. While flats can honestly be worn for dressy or casually outfits, with a chambray or jean jacket layer, the outfit will pull on casual feel casual. I wear this style a lot for Casual Friday in the office!
To speak to the fit of this dress , I grabbed my normal size. The sleeves do have working buttons on the end as you can see in the photo below. The chest area doesn’t have a button, so I’ll sow one on easily, but for now I just used fashion tape.
I recently purchased this Saint Laurent Lou Matelassé Leather Camera Bag because I wanted a more casual black crossbody and I adore it! It’s very similar to the Gucci Disco Soho (reviewed here) in size, shape and use. I’ll do a blog post review dedicated to it because it’s a wonderful designer starter bag due to the versatility. I plan on reviewing each of my designer bags this year so that the blog post can be an informative resource for you when deciding on which to invest in! I just have to wait until mine comes back in stock at major retailers since it’s been backordered everywhere as of late.
That said, if you love the look of the YSL camera bag, but want a better price tag there are so many adorable options on the market like this from Tory Burch or this from Rebecca Minkoff. Both are brands I own and trust are worth your money.
What are you tips for stlying a dress more casually? Tell me below! Xo Mindy
SHOP MY OUTFITDRESS: BLACK SYNCHED WAIST DRESS [RUNS TTS, ALSO IM 5’7″] I CHAMBRAY: OLD, SIMILAR I SNEAKERS: ADIDAS ALLSTAR SNEAKERS [RUN VERY LARGE, GO DOWN ONE SIZE] I HANDBAG: YSL CAMERA BAG [HERE TOO, HERE TOO, AFFORDABLE OPTION, AFFORDABLE OPTION] I ACCESSORIES: JULIE VOS BRACELET C/O I JULIE VOS STUDS C/O I RAYBAN AVIATORS
PUREOLOGY SHAMPOO I PUREOLOGY CONDITIONER I T3 CURING IRON I IGK TEXTURIZING SPRAY I EYEBROW PENCIL IN ‘SOFT BROWN’ I CHARLOTTE TILBURY LIPGLOSS IN ‘PILLOW TALK’ I MARC JACOBS HIGHLIGHTER C/O I ST. TROPEZ TANING MOUSSE
