Friday, January 13, 2012

Dress Over Jeans

In the late 90’s, my sister reported to me, in her most horrified voice, that my cousin had taken to wearing jeans under her dresses. I imagined long, prarie-style dresses over stone-wash, boot-cut jeans and shook my head at such a fashion faux pas. Little did I know that I would one day emulate my cousin's combination, with a little tweaking. For my own dress-over-jeans looks, I choose an above-the-knee dress and dark, slim jeans.


Dress, Branna Studio San Francisco (thrifted). Sweater, Joseph A (thrifted). Jeggings, Mossimo. Belt, thrifted. Boots, Dan Post. Headband, self-made. Earrings, Urban Outfitters. Kitty, Zoro.

I understand my cousin’s motivation for pairing the two garments. The denim adds warmth, modesty, and a utilitarian feel to a frock. I love how dresses flatter my figure, but hate how they restrict my movements. With a pair of jeans underneath, I can sit as unladylike as I please.



Some of my favorite, past, dress-over-jeans looks:


Ok, the last two feature jeans under a skirt (the last one hiked up above the bust), but close enough!

Slim, dark denim works under a variety of dress types: shirt dress, slinky dress, a-line dress, full-skirted dress, knit dress – as long as the hem hits above the knee. I’m a fan. What about you? Do you wear denim under a dress?

15 comments:

Rachel said...

I love the jeans under the dress look! You definitely pull it off. I love your boots too.. and your kitty is adorable!! -Rachel (for the birds)

Marie said...

I am a fan of the way you do it, but somehow I always manage to pick something a tad too bulky that gives me a larger than needed ass.

Marie @
Lemondrop ViNtAge

Jude said...

I love it when you wear the jeans dress/skirt combos and am green with envy. I've tried it on, but being just under 5' tall, it doesn't do a whole lot for me. What a beautiful kitty!

maryeb said...

Until I saw your post I'd forgotten that, when I was a kid, I'd wear pants under my required uniform skirt. A smart move in the winter. Of course the pants were not sleek, stylish denim. I will definitely give this look a try.
I also like the look of the sheer dress layered over the patterned sweater. A pretty look and cozy too.

Rachel said...

Cute! You inspired me to wear a dress over jeans today too. And cute cat! I have a tuxedo kitty myself. =)

Megan G said...

Great post. I love your jeans + dress looks. I usually use more of a tunic if I'm layering over jeans simply because my "dress" lengths from in micromini (for layering) or knee length.

Bookmarking this post to link to. This is the perfect inspiration for one of my Fashion Challenge days.

The Tote Trove said...

I remember being equally horrified by this look in the 1990s when I saw it in a Delia's catalog. Who would wear that?! I thought. But now I think it's really cute and have even been known to try it myself! It's funny how our style attitudes change over time. This is a particulalry good picture of you. Love the headband!

Sheila said...

I am a fan, and will be doing this look next week as part of the Megan Mae/Keely Fashion Challenge: Layering. I haven't worn it for a while, but it's a great look.

I like the slight Western look to this outfit, and of course, Zoro is looking lovely.

Ann said...

This is a great look and I'm going to copy it as soon as I can! I also like the earrings and headband, but we'll see what I can pull off. Thanks for your inspiration every day!

Healthy and Homemade said...

I love dresses over jeans, this is a super cute look =D

Rose said...

I know this post was all about dress-over-jeans, but I LOVE that hairpiece! Beautiful!

Anonymous said...

i think the "effortlessness" is the most impressive part of the outfit. It's what I always strive for and you have nailed it here. ~LBF

Anonymous said...

This gives me some ideas. I just bought a cute Mimi Chica dress at T.J. Maxx for $3. It is a bit short and sheer to wear by itself, but putting it over jeans and leggings is a bit more sensible. I like that you featured silky dresses and shirt dresses here to show variety. Hopefully I can get my dress to look as good as yours. :)

Christina said...

I love wearing my favorite sundress and skinny jeans together. I am never sure it looks cute to anyone but me. You make this look fun, fashionable and put together.

Anonymous said...

Wicked cool look! It looks casual but chic and polished. I've been doing this look since it became trendy in European and Japanese fashion about 10 years ago. It's one of the most flattering looks for my shape.