I get a thrill out of reinventing an item. A scarf tied into a top, a swimsuit as part of an everyday outfit, a necklace worn as a belt, a shirt fashioned into a skirt, etc., etc. These styling tricks 1) help you get more mileage out of the pieces you already wear, 2) make your outfits feel more personal and original, and 3) breathe new life into clothes you’ve been neglecting.
This feels especially relevant during wedding season. So many of my styling clients feel stuck when shopping for event dresses because they don’t want to invest in something they’ll only wear once, but they aren’t sure how to make that dress feel like anything other than eventwear once the wedding is over.
I also know a lot of my readers are around my age (late twenties to mid-thirties) and are finding their style evolving, but don’t necessarily want to part with the pieces they loved in their twenties.
Or maybe you’re simply trying to maximize your cost-per-wear (peep my four-look rule: before buying an item, you should be able to visualize at least four outfits you’re genuinely excited to add to your repertoire).
The trick is to rethink the purpose of the item. Today, the focus is on dresses. They don’t have to be the entire outfit. They can be one piece of it.
And one great way to do that is by layering underneath.
This is a technique I’ve been using for years, especially in winter when I want an extra layer. One of my favorite combinations is a cocktail dress over a pair of distressed denim.
Now that’s genre-mixing. Nothing contrasts with a dress better than a pair of pants.
Recently I’ve been thinking about how useful the same trick is in hot weather too. That idea was reinforced when I saw the below look from Rosie Assoulin’s new collection for Target (launching today, Saturday 7/25 at 11 AM ET).
Rosie Assoulin has been masterfully styling dresses over bottoms for years:
The shirt dress looks inspired me to pull out a long shirt dress that I love in theory, but that can feel a little too overwhelming on my frame.
Worn open over tiny track shorts and secured with a crochet belt to create a more dynamic silhouette, it’s no longer a simple shirt dress. It becomes a layering piece.
Or, worn with a pair of trousers and leaving the buttons open, it adds movement, dimension, and interest to the outfit:
I liked this so much I just might wear it to dinner with Ethan, his parents, and my parents this weekend (with one more top button secured)!
As I wrote last week, white cotton is the ideal lightweight summer fabric. The tradeoff, of course, is that the lighter the cotton, the more see-through it tends to be.
So, to make this cotton dress a bit more modest (and a little less sweet), I layered it over a pair of poplin pants:
And FYI, it’s still plenty cool enough to go on a five-mile summer Therapy Walk:
There are those itsy bitsy mini dresses we have amassed over the years. In case it’s not clear by now, I am all for a micro-length clothing item. But sometimes, I don’t want to look like I’m wearing a version of an American Apparel skater skirt from college!
So with an elevated straight-leg trouser, I switch up the entire silhouette.
More likely though, for everyday life, I’d reach for the poplin pants again (and I did):
And, sometimes a printed mini dress just needs something to balance it and make it feel a little less juvenile:
This kitschy strapless mini I’ve had for years flares out just enough to fit over jeans and let me really genre-mix. The contrast between the playful mini dress and the everyday white denim is exactly what makes the outfit work.
I’m not typically a dress person because I don’t love one-and-done clothing. But the second I add another layer underneath, a dress starts to feel like an interesting element, rather than the entire outfit.
And not for nothing, I’m with kids all the time now (hi, thirties!), and you’re always sitting cross-legged on the floor. Having shorts, jeans, or trousers underneath is unexpectedly practical, too!
I have found the below method/products to be game-changing for my wavy/curly/whatever-it-is hair this summer. One thing worth noting: I highlight my hair. Ever since I started a few months ago, the texture has become so much easier to style, and I need to wash it far less often.
I wash my hair every 3–4 days. Every wash involves Curlsmith Frizz Control Shampoo, and every other wash I use K18 Detox Shampoo first.
While still in the shower, I flip my head upside down and either use a ridiculous pink sparkly brush I got at a Marie Claire party (that I have since fallen in love with) or my fingers to detangle my hair. I then scrunch my hair up toward my head to wring out the excess water before attempting to plop it on top of my head and secure it with the Crown Affair microfiber towel.
I leave it up in the towel for about fifteen minutes. If it feels like it’s dried too much to keep the curls distinct and has already crossed into frizzy territory before I’ve even applied product, I just add a little water with my fingers. Then I scrunch in Crown Affair’s leave-in conditioner, followed by mousse.
My hair stays pretty good for at least a day. To refresh the shape of my curls (and tame some of the day-after frizz), I’ve been quickly hitting the top pieces with this 1/2-inch curling iron.
Ok, that was very vulnerable for me because I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing when it comes to beauty. If you do know what you’re doing, please let me know if this routine is a complete mess!
Have a great wkend!
xo,
Eliz
Your hair is gorgeous, and whatever you’re doing is working, Elizabeth!
I’ve been doing dresses over pants for years, since the mid-00s at least. It’s such a fun way to extend the life of a short or sheer dress!🤘