Same Old Wrap Dress

Wrap dress and cardigan, Mossimo. Cowl-neck tank, NY & Co. Slip and faux pearl necklace, thrifted. Silver pumps, BCBG girls.

I apologize for ANOTHER dark, blurry picture. I got home after sunset because of my haircut and my favorite indoor picture spot is a disaster area.



The haircut was more of a hair shaping session. My stylist cleaned up my bangs and layers. I told her I liked big hair, so she styled it BIG. It was so big that I had to squish it down a bit with a headband for the photos.

This is the same old Mossimo wrap dress that I’ve had for over a year now. While I’ve only worn the orange dress 10 times, I’ve made 12 different outfits out of this one in about the same time period.

Mail Bag: Red Halter Dress at Work?

You're so good at dressing down dresses! I just never think of them as anything but evening wear - I need to get over that pronto!

Do you have any tips for this red halter dress I just ordered from Banana Republic?

I'm afraid the cut and color make it too risqué for work or day, but I may not be thinking out of the box.

Karla

That is a beautiful dress! While the color and fabric are certainly business casual appropriate, the halter neck can be problematic. In my experience, halter necks are just too casual for an office. If you can cover the halter straps, though, this would be a great work dress.

Any number of cover-ups would look great. I’d try a cropped jacket or cardigan over the dress. With the dress’ high, fitted waist, you could try anything from a swing jacket to a fitted blazer. The waistline would look great dressed up with a belt, either over or under your cover-up.

For a classic color combination, try topping the dress with black, white, or khaki. Don’t be afraid to experiment, though. Hot pink or army green are fun color choices. In fact, I’d pair this with just about anything but primary purple (too “red hat society”).

I had a halter neck dress that I wore to work a few times (before I gave it to charity). Here are a couple of examples of how I wore it:



In the second pic, I wrapped the halter neck ties around my neck an extra time and left the ends dangling like a scarf.
(I also wore it a few times with a black shrug as a cover up. That was before I began my whatiwore2day blog, though.)

Have fun with this gorgeous dress! Even if you decide it’s too risqué for work, give it a weekend daytime outing. It’s too spectacular to save for evening.

Cinch

Dress, Max Studio. Waistcoat, H&M. Belt, swap. Patent slingbacks, Audrey Brooke. Moth earrings, Claire’s. Watch, Raymond Weil.

Thanks for your suggestions on what else I could pair this dress with. Ezibbets mentioned what a shame it is to cover up the pretty sleeves and I agree. By layering a vest over the dress, I managed to expose my arms (and the flutter sleeves), but keep warm enough in the office. I still have plans to pair it with yellow and/or turquoise, as many of you suggested!



I was feeling a wee bit silly after work. After finishing my staid outfit shots, I shucked my shoes and attempted some mid-air ballet-esque photos.



Yes, my feet were horribly dirty by the end (deck slime), but it was fun!

Coversome

Trench dress, Forever 21 (thrifted and overdyed by me). Striped tank, Express. Tooled leather belt, thrifted. Wedges, Montego Bay Club. Earrings, bead/jewelry/hippie store at the Bellis Fair Mall.

This dress bears a striking resemblance to a mechanic’s coverall. Except that my dress covers little instead of all.

Yes, I’m still working this thrifted and overdyed dress on my off time. But I mostly posted it to show you closeups of the earrings and belt.





I’ve always liked the name “Skye.”

Day Glo

Jersey dress, The Limited. Belt, Xhilaration. Shoes, Miss Me. Obnoxious earrings, Body Central. Sunglasses, George. Nude fishnets, Simply Vera by Vera Wang.

I suppose this outfit is proof that I don’t shy away from bright colors. In this light, the colors seem almost fluorescent. That’s why I’m wearing sunglasses.

I was bold this morning and cut off the dress’ attached self-belt. It was positioned too high and I generally don’t like the look of sash-style belts. When I’d cover the belt with a fitted jacket or another, wider belt, the resulting fabric lump was uncomfortable. I’m always hesitant to do something so permanent and destructive to my clothing, but I’ve had the dress for a just over a year (and worn it ten times) and it is starting to show signs of wear. Without the belt, I can style it in new and different ways. In case I do change my mind, I saved the sash ends so that I can sew them together and form a new self-belt.

Wrinkled

Embroidered jacket, Charlotte Russe. Strapless dress, Gap (thrifted). Beads, Body Central. Peeptoe pumps, Antonio Melani. Headband, Charlotte Russe.

I know why this dress’ previous owner donated it to charity: it wrinkles when you so much as look at it. I ironed the dress with care after washing, but hours sitting at my desk made it look like a bag of trash. I absolutely detest being wrinkled and spent the day engaged in vain efforts to smooth my lap. I’ll try ironing it with starch and wearing it to a stand-up event before I give up and send it back to St. Vincent de Paul.

I promised Quarterlife Girl that I would post a tutorial on how I create the bouffant dome on top of my head and left her disappointed. It’s quite simple and there is no teasing required. I just pull all or part of my hair back and secure it with an elastic band. Then, I grip the elastic with one hand, and partially pull hair out with the other so that it bubbles on top. It looks silly with the first pull, but, as you tug more sections out to add to the bubble, it forms a nice shape. Never pull on the sides; that will loosen the fastener and you’ll lose the tension you need to keep the hair bubble upright. Add a headband or sunglasses to accentuate the bouffant effect. QL – I know I still owe you a proper “hair post.” I won’t forget! (I just need to enroll a photographer in the project.)



Today’s Mikey comment: he insisted that my headband looked like a purse strap. He thought I had removed a strap, tied a bow in it, and put it on my head. This concept must have really fascinated him because he mentioned it in the morning and then, over and over again, that evening.

Stripes and Sheer Florals

Cropped jacket, London Jean. Sheer floral blouse, Jovovich Hawk for Target. Striped tank, Mossimo. Dark denim, Express. Sandals, Franco Sarte. Earrings, Panagea.

Super busy day today: my first ballet class in years, a Wyoming Players board meeting, and a Play Reading Committee meeting. After coming home and pulling weeds for an hour, Mike and I went to Kohl’s to use my $25 gift certificate and had dinner at an Indian restaurant. We were supposed to then see a 9:20 movie, but I was too tired. In fact, I was asleep by the time it started.

And here is Mike imitating my poses:

Argyle

Argyle cardigan, swap. Green tee, Steve and Barry’s. Skirt, Talbot’s (thrifted). Beads, Claire’s. Belt, Chinese Laundry. Bangles, Xhilaration. Slingbacks, Wild Diva.

Today is the final day of the training. I felt pretty rough because I did not sleep well (as usual) in the hotel room. I was glad that I didn’t have to force contact lenses onto my gritty eyeballs this morning.

Animal Instinct

LBD, London Times. Gold belt, swap. Leopard peep-toe wedges, Steven by Steve Madden. For day (left): Vest, Old Navy. Earrings, Panagea. For night (right): Crystal studded drop earrings, Express.
This is a simple day-to-night transition. During the day, I ran a training session. That night, the participants were joined by one of the company’s senior leaders for dinner. All it took for me to be dinner ready was to remove the vest, swap the earrings, and twist my hair up.

Freshen-Up

Sheer top and eyelet jacket, Forever 21. Strapless dress, Newport News. Floral pumps, Miss Me. Drop earrings, Xhilaration. Skinny belt (barely visible under jacket), thrifted. Gold watch, Raymond Weil. Sunglasses, George (the pair that EVERYONE has).



I’ve always really liked liquid-center gums. Today’s outfit reminds me of Fresh-Up gum, “the gum that goes SQUIRT.”



I officially give up on wearing my hair more than half-way down until my haircut next Thursday. I haven’t had it cut (or even trimmed) since AUGUST. Between the split ends and grown-out layers, it’s become completely unmanageable. I’m totally copying Fia and getting her cut. I even went so far as to print out her picture to bring to my stylist.

You can see a detail picture of today’s shoes here.

I bought this jacket last spring, but I’ve noticed similar versions popping up in stores this year. Kenzie (available at Macy’s) and Ann Taylor both have eyelet jackets available now. (I only see black on the Ann Taylor website, but I swear I saw white in the store.)

Feels Like Monday

Cardigan, Wet Seal. Baby-doll top, Oh Baby. Bubble skirt, Moda International. Belt, Chinese Laundry. Pumps, Colin Stuart. 30-strand beaded necklace, World Market.

I hear that baby-doll tops are “out” again. That makes me sad. I’ll never have a flat stomach (the trials of the short-waisted) and it’s nice to have a style option that is comfortable and concealing on bloated days. I guess I’ll just have to hoard my baby-doll shirts and plan to be unfashionable.

Bodies, Bones, and Buckle

Rose neckline tee, Daytrip. Mini with hem pockets, American Eagle. Peeptoe wedges, Etienne Aigner. Earrings, Panagea. Brass bangle, World Market. Wooden bangle, swapped.

Today is The Day After The Pig and I’m still feelin’ groovy. I took the day off work to spend time with Mike. We saw the Bodies and visited Big Bone Lick. Being the morbid, undead-obsessed person I am, I frightened myself by imaging the Bodies coming back to life as zombies and exacting their revenge. I could almost hear the plasticized figures crunchily yanking themselves free of the supports and the disembodied bits beating themselves against the Plexiglas cases, hungry for living flesh. (I read too many zombie books and watch too many zombie movies.) The display was both fascinating and creepy. I felt better after we left the dark exhibition hall for the bright sunshine. Mike and I drove south into Kentucky and indulged in some levity at The Licking Place.



I really like this shirt. I don’t normally shop at Buckle, but I’ve found that the store’s Daytrip brand resonates with my style. (I wore my other Daytrip top last week.)


Not so great detail shot of shoes (added 5/7/08)

Half Pig

Team P&G shirt. Running tights, W. Cap, Adidas. Sneaks, New Balance.

Not the most glamorous WIWT ever, but, this is What I Wore Today to run the National City Half Marathon (part of the Flying Pig Marathon events). I had a good time. I wasn’t too tired to check out the fashions of my fellow racers and the many spectators. Of course, pig tails, ears and wings abounded, but it was the running skirts that caught my eye. I’m using my Dick’s 20% off apparel coupon for one of those!

Casual Gray

Satin blouse with beading, Forever 21. Cropped vest, Charlotte Russe. Denim, M Jeans. Oversized beads, Xhilaration. Pumps, Victoria Spenser. Hat, Nine West. Kitty, Yoda.

I didn’t really wear the hat today, but my face is so white that it was throwing the camera’s white balance off. Shading it with a hat did the trick.

Under Da Sea

Sheer blouse with ruffles and tie neck, Forever 21. Floral skirt, Andre Oliver (thrifted). Capiz shell earrings, Xhilaration. Starfish brooch, thrifted. Roundtoe pumps, Mossimo.



When I was small, I loved to dress in themes. Okay, I still love to theme dress. Today is “Under Da Sea.” I’m wearing my tropical ocean blue blouse, shell earrings, and a starfish brooch at my waist. If you squint your eyes, you can imagine that the print on my skirt is of sea anemones not land dahlias. (Mike said that bit was a stretch.) My hair color has faded terribly, but I’m pretending I’ve got Ariel’s vibrantly colored locks.