Mail Bag: Sweater Dress Layering

I was curious to see if you could give me some advice! I have this grey sweater dress. It's sleeveless turtle neck sweater and it has a cable pattern on the top half of it in the front. It's about knee length, but it's cold out! I was just wondering if you had any brilliant ideas of what I could pair it with to look cute and stay warm at the same time!

Jen

Your dress sounds adorable! I, too, have a sleeveless sweater dress and used to curse its lack of sleeves. Now, though, I see the liability as an asset. A sleeveless dress has many layering possibilities!

On top: You can wear all sorts of fun tops beneath the dress. For warmth and a pop of color, try a long-sleeved tee in your favorite shade. Purple and mustard yellow are trendy mates for gray. If you’re less concerned about warmth, a blouse with a sheer sleeve makes a nice textural contrast with the knit. Instead of, or in addition to, layering beneath the dress, you can top it with a blazer or cardigan. With a long sleeved tee beneath the dress, you can add a vest on top to add interest and define the waist. Unless the knit is fairly thin, I wouldn’t advise layering anything too chunky over the dress.

On bottom: Tights are the simplest choice. With such a basic dress, you could wear anything from a solid, opaque tight to a multi-colored argyle. You might also consider leggings and boots or slim denim and heels beneath the dress for a casual look.

Accessories: I’d choose bold jewelry with the chunky knit. Beaded necklaces, large pendants, or hoop earrings will balance the dress’ texture. Adding a belt to your ensembles may work….but be careful. I’ve found that belts over knits can make one look more dumpy than defined. Almost anything goes for shoes. Trendy choices are short boots or peep toe pumps (worn with opaque tights.) For a more classic look, pair your dress with tall boots. I just found a pair of tall, slouchy, gray boots at Shoe Carnival for $16.

Happy layering!

*Edited on 1/4/08: Check out Londyn's
outfit on January 3rd - she's layered a gray, sleeveless, tweedy dress over a bright, long-sleeved tee.