Friday, October 26, 2007

Mail Bag: Multiple Looks with One Wrap Dress

I hope you don't mind another question from a fan. I found your blog after seeing you several times on wardrobe remix. You always look fantastic, and I get great ideas for my own outfits from your photos. Let's just say I'm a bit "challenged" when it comes to putting together a creative outfit on my own.

I have a black faux-wrap dress with 3/4 length sleeves. It has an attached, wide piece of fabric (sort of like a belt) that ties on the side. I have a pair of tall, black leather boots with a 3 inch heel that I would love to wear with the dress. Other than a colorful handbag, how can I accessorize to make this look less severe? I want it to look polished, but casual enough to wear to dinner and a movie with my husband.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

-CP


From the questions I’ve received and the keywords used to find my blog, it sounds like many wrap dress fans are looking for ways to create multiple looks with one dress. Here are my suggestions on a few looks you can create with a basic, (faux or not) wrap dress.

Siren. Animal prints and the color red scream “sexy,” so why not wear them both with your basic dress? Try animal-print shoes and a red scarf, or vice versa. Pump up the sex appeal even more with a pair of black fishnets. Va-va-voom!

Pop. As I’ve done with my own navy/white wrap dress, add your favorite accent color. Choose two or three of the following accessories in a matching hue: camisole, shoes, belt (if it doesn’t look strange with the attached, self-belt), headband, scarf, bag. By using different colors and different accessories, you can create many “pop of color” looks.

Wintery. As temperatures drop, try layering a turtleneck under your wrap dress and pulling on your aforementioned boots. A black turtleneck with a black dress is chic, but a colored one will brighten up your outfit at the neck and again at the wrist. If you’re bold, try colored tights for warmth and pizzazz. (I have to admit, now I have some fun ideas for winterizing my own wrap dress)

Business. Again drawing on personal experience, try a short sleeved jacket over the 3/4-sleeved dress. With a pair of pumps, you’re ready for any business casual event.

I hope I’ve given you some good ideas – I know I’m feeling inspired!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

oh my.. your koi necklace that you wore last month is sooo pretty... i'm thinking of looking for a keychain to pull apart and make into a neclace too! thanks for the idea!! also.. i just came across your blog yesterday.. i think u have a great sense of dressing and your colour coordination is just fantastic. i'm a uni student and am on a budget when it comes to shopping.. also.. i'm really short (1.5m) and have an hourglass shape... i live in Austrlia and summer time's coming soon (december).. i was wondering if you have any ideas on how i can dress in the summer because i'm a fan of layering and come summer, i'm going to struggle getting dressed everyday.. i hope you can give me some dressing tips. oh and i'm in my early twenties =) thanks Kasmira.. a make up artist once told me that my skin falls in the "autumn towards winter" colour pallette. do you have any idea what that means? i hope you can answer my questions.. your blog rocks!

Nemo said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Nemo said...

i really liked your idea... but can you suggest what kind of prints and fabric would look nice on a 5 feet stature? i am actually quite a bit fat (34D-28-36). and i was thinking if wrap dresses would look good on me or not. if it does, can you tell me if its better to get it tailored than to buy a ready made?
plz do help.

Kasmira said...

rl b - I'll try to answer your questions:

Fabric - unless you're wearing shapewear, you probably want to stay away from jersey because it tends to emphasize bulges. A cotton blend will hang better. However, jersey is the most common fabric I've seen...so think about shapewear.

Print - I've heard the maxim that a print should be in relation to your size, but I wouldn't pay attention to that "rule." If you find a print you like, wear it with aplomb! Personally, I'd look for a solid dress for more versitality.

Shape - I have a friend with a very similar shape to yours and she looks AWESOME in a wrap dress. Wrap dresses tend to overexpose big busts, so be sure to wear a cami underneath.

Tailoring - most dresses are probably too long on you. I recommend getting any dress, including wrap dresses, hemmed to your knees. You could do that for yourself, even without a machine. I'll post a "how to" in April, for my Recession Challenge.