Summer Dress styled 2 ways: Part 1

Sorry I missed posting yesterday, my weekend was a whirlwind and I had a huge event I had to attend for work that took up most of my time!  So a day late here is a new outfit post.

Summer Sale Alert

I have had a lot of questions about some of my favorite summer pieces so I decided to do a little

Body positive + tassels!

As with lots of people I have struggled with my body image.  I have had personal struggles with being too thin and now being at the heaviest I have ever been.  I am not a size 2 or 4 but rather in the

From Summer to Fall

It’s no secret I am dress obsessed.  I have told you countless times that I have a closet dedicated to them (addiction problem I know).  Anyway, so I hate that I can only wear most of my dresses in the spring and summer months, that is until now.  I decided to shop my closet to see how I could easily take my summer dresses into the fall and straight into my office attire.

While at work, I dress conservatively.  This entails cardigans, blazers, and avoiding short, bar armed dresses.  That rules out a lot of my spring and summer clothing.  For instance I really love this target dress I picked up.  It has a great pattern on it and pockets, but being sleeveless I don’t feel like its office appropriate without something over it!!  That got me thinking…The cut is perfect for work and since I am sick of wearing cardigans I decided to mix it up and add a nice plaid button down under it.  Instantly dressed for the cooler temps, and I avoided bearing too much of myself.  I added a necklace, blingy belt, and some leopard flats with a dark berry lip to welcome the fall.

Another option is to throw on a sweater over the dress to give the illusion of a skirt and top.  I found that this is a great way to layer a dress especially if it’s a thin dress you might get cold in during the winter.  I have even added a button down over the dress and under the sweater when it was really cold.

Lastly try taking the button down and adding it over the top of the dress, tie it at the waist for another great look, like I did here.  I like how this gives the illusion of a smaller waist, plus it adds some detail to the outfit, while toning down the neon dress.

By layering your dresses you instantly give life to your closet and wardrobe without spending money.  This is a really good trick if you ever participate in a “NO BUY” month!  This is super fun to do, and quite challenging if you are a shopaholic like me!

Outfit Deets:

Dress: Target
Plaid button down: J. Crew Factory (old), similar
Shoes: Nordstrom rack (old), similar
Necklace: J. Crew Factory, similar
Belt: Loft (old), similar

1 Dress 3 Looks

Todays post is all about transitioning from those warmer months to the cooler ones.  I hate buying something to only wear for a season or two.  I really try and buy timeless pieces or pieces that I can wear year long.  So when I looked at this amazing dress in my closet that I had worn once, I knew that this would be the perfect dress for that.

Look 1: Glam and girly

For this HOT Texas summer I opted for some major bling and a sexy pair of heels!  I found these heels on additional 50% clearance at Neiman Marcus Last call and just fell in love, plus Valentino on mega sale it was a NO Brainer that I had to buy them.  I threw in this Jimmy Choo Clutch from T.J. Maxx for a glam girly look, perfect for a wedding or night out with the girls.

Outfit Deets:

Dress: Eliza J (no longer available), similar

Heels: Valentino (last season) similar, 

Clutch: Jimmy Choo (via T.J. Maxx, old) similar, 

Necklace: Purple Peridot

Earrings: Purple Peridot

Look 2: Work Appropriate

For the Second look I added a Navy Blazer.  My office is always freezing so I end up wearing an extra layer.  This blazer added a little warmth and some sophistication to my party dress.  I love how it changed the look just enough to give a preppy and sophisticated girly look.

Outfit Deets:

Dress: Eliza J (old) see above for a similar option

Bag: Tory Burch, Similar

Blazer: Target (old), similar

Heels: BCBG (old), similar

Outfit 3: Warm and Cozy

Last I did an outfit for winter.  I love adding some warm tights and booties to any dress, even though it's a whopping 40 degrees outside in the winter, which is cold for me, I still want to feel feminine under all my layers.  So I added a simple white peacoat to fight the cold air but something I can take off once I'm inside since the heat tends to get cranked in the winter.  I absolutely LOVE Old Navy's pea coats, they are trendy yet don't break the bank.  At one point I owned like 5 of them in all different styles and colors.  Since I am posting this in August I couldn't find a link to any of their coats, but once those temps start to drop check their website because they always offer a good sale on them!

Outfit Deets:

Coat: OldNavy (really old), love

Dress: see first outfit post

Shoes: Target (old), similar

tights: Target (old), similar

I hope you enjoy the looks!

Love Always, 

Amelia B.

                                                                                                 Linking Up with Tucker Up