How to Wear One Dress, Three Ways
Do you ever have those days where you have to dress for three very different activities? You have class in the morning, meetings or work in the afternoon, and a date that night, but you don’t have time to come up with THREE different outfits!
It’s hard enough to leave the house satisfied planning only ONE outfit, let alone three! So here are some tips for switching up one pretty floral dress for three totally different occasions!
#1: Outfit for Class
Product Information: Fun Floral Dress, American Eagle. Messenger bag, Aeropostale. Lace up sneakers, Topshop. Long Sleeve crew neck, Dorothy Perkins. Brown Cardigan, Peacocks.
First off, I love this American Eagle dress – I have had my eye on it for a while and it has finally moved into the clearance section of the American Eagle website. So if you want it for yourself, cruise on over to the American Eagle website fast!
For class, I would wear this dress over a comfy long-sleeved tee with a nice cardigan on top, paired with some sneakers and my favorite messenger bag. Age appropriate and not too fussy (there is nothing worse than worrying if your outfit is getting rumpled while sitting in class!), this is a great, colorful outfit for a fall day.
If it’s a bit nippier where you are, you can throw your favorite coat on top of the cardigan, plus some tights and boots for a warm, yet still adorable, look.
#2: Outfit for Meetings or Work
Product Information: Horizontal Ribbed Trim Jacket, Forever 21. Bow Front Flats and Pocket Detail Bag, Yes Style.
I kept the color scheme of this outfit very similar to the first, so it won’t be hard to switch pieces in a flash!
I would keep the long sleeve red top on underneath the dress, but trade your cardigan for a nice jacket. I’d also swap the messenger bag for a purse to carry your work essentials. Throw on some cute flats and you are good to go! Of course, you could also throw on some leggings or tights if it is chillier where you are!
#3: Outfit for a Date
Product Information: Ombre Scarf, blnts.com. White Satin Clutch, Monsoon. Brown and Teal Pumps, Piperlime. Cardigan, Peacocks.
This would be a great outfit for going to see a movie with a certain someone or even just with friends.
To switch your look from work to date night, throw on a brightly colored cardigan to match the dress and add a nice scarf to provide some visual detail, before finishing off the outfit with some complementary (but not necessarily matching!) pumps.
Mix & Match Pieces = Outfit Options
For all these outfits, you could definitely mix and match pieces: keep the messenger bag for going to work, add the red cardigan for class, or wear the brown coat for a date.
The options are endless, but the idea is to have pieces that can work with just about everything in a color scheme that looks great on you! I didn’t include jewelry in any of these outfits, but I could definitely see a cute pendant necklace with the first outfit, a nice set of chandelier earrings with the second, and a beautiful set of bangles with the third.
Speak Up!
What do you think? Do you ever find yourself debating changing clothes for different times of the day? How do you carry one piece of an outfit (a dress, your favorite jeans, or that comfy sweater) through an entire day?
Let me know in the comments – I love to hear from you guys!
Posted on on October 27, 2009 / Filed Under: Fashion Tips / Tags: Class, Dating, Dresses, Outfits, Tips, Work
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Milana
Hmm… I like the idea of one dress three different outfits, it would just be cool to see one dress, three outfits for three different occasions!
Milana from FashionStyleAdvice
Luinae
I like the idea of this post- I should try thinking up ways to do it with my own wardrobe. With a little bit of though, I would have more wardrobe versatility and it would be like having a huge wardrobe!
Rayna
I love this article, I always have a hard time with the time transition, especially with dresses. Thanks!!!
Sarah
Adorable! I love the bag in outfit 2 and the shoes in outfit 3. I’d lose the Aeropostale bag, though.
hannah
i like the first 2, but i think the one for the date could lose the scarf and have different shoes(though theyre very cute) i feel like they dont really match as well.
Joc
I’m so glad you’re featuring an article like this. I also like to wear a loose dark pull-over sweater on top of a flowy dress like this to make it look like a skirt. Pair it with black tights and a long necklace and you have another class outfit! Also, have you considered the wearing-a-skirt-under-a-dress to mimic layers? I’ve seen it done but am curious how it would work in other outfits.
Katie
Hi y’all, great article! Just a reminder: you mean “complementary,” not “complimentary.” The dress isn’t giving you compliments, it’s complementing your style. I’m sorry if it sounds bitchy to write this, it’s just that I keep seeing this over and over on this site — I love this blog so much, so I just thought I’d mention it.
But nice call on that dress, I am so going to try to find that one now! Hopefully the length is totally boots friendly, fingers crossed!
Michelle - College of Idaho
Katie – Thanks for letting me know! Typos happen, unfortunately, and I always have a hard time distinguishing between those two words!
Joc – I have worn skirts under dresses, especially when it starts to get windy. I will sometimes where a white skirt under my favorite spring dress to prevent it from blowing up while I’m walking to class (always embarrassing) – two layers provide a lot more weight against the wind. To make it work, it really depends on the shape of the dress versus the shape of the skirt and if they work together. Check out the Uniform Project – the creator, Sheena, wears skirts under her “uniform” dress all the time!
Arielle
Great post! I love the dress, too. Please do more of these!
Carolynn
I love this, I live a little ways out of town and actually have to pack a bag a of clothes to chang into for the different parts of my day. I hope you do more of these.
Bailey
Ok, so I tried these three looks with my own clothes that looked similar (but think pink instead of red and no aeropostale bag), and I have never gotten so many compliments in one day! Great post! I loved it!