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Dressing items up and down

catgirl

Veteran

Do you do this? I have a hard time switching between modes with the same item. I have dress up items and dress down items, but I don't often do two-fers. Like if I have a black dress I will dress it up different ways but always UP. Or vice versa.

I feel this is a skill I lack and would love to hear if you do this, and with what items and how. Is it more suited to certain types of items (like plain black dresses)?

Dressing

35 replies

Latest reply was from Faith

Aziraphale

Veteran

Well, like I mentioned in Torontogirl's thread, I wear jeans a lot, and they're the quintessential dress-up-dress-down garment. So I guess I do have a lot of twofers. Tops can be dressed up and down easily too, as can skirts...actually, come to think of it, lots of my clothes can be dressed up or down.

For me, dressing something up involves wearing it with either tighter or more structured items, and with higher heels and more makeup and possibly jewellery. For example, I might dress down a pair of jeans with a slouchy tee shirt that is semi-tucked, a cardigan, and flat boots. I'll dress up the same pair of jeans with heeled, fancier boots or dressy shoes and a sleek fitted tee shirt and blazer. Or I might wear a crisp button-front shirt with them, with or without a topper. If I'm really dressing them up, I'll go for very high heels and maybe a cuff bracelet or even a necklace (rarely).

I think that's why I have more trouble with skirts. For me, skirt hemlines matter a lot. My short skirts only really look good with flat shoes, and that always ends up as a casual look. My skirts that are longer than knee-length only look good with heels, but heels automatically make me feel dressed-up. Jeans are more versatile that way because the same pair can look good with both flats or heels.

I'm no help with dresses, because I almost never wear 'em.

ETA I find that black, navy, grey and white are the best colours for me when it comes to dressing something up. I don't know why, but to me, colours feel more casual. I'm not very adventurous that way.

leopardluxe

Veteran

I do it all the time. Usually with a jacket of some kind (e.g. blazers or dusters). I also do it with certain skirts and dresses and some of my more feminine looking blouses (I like to dress them down with ratty jeans).

I even have a few pieces of really ornate jewelry, like a multistrand pearl necklace with a large turquoise and gold centerpiece that looks like it was made to wear with a ballgown, that I often wear with a crisp white menswear looking collared shirt, BF jeans and some pumps or boots.

I think if you experiment a bit you start to get a feel for what works for you and begins to edge you out of your comfort zone slowly without feeling terribly self conscious about it.

carter

Veteran

Several of my work dresses can be dressed up to cocktail level with a change of jewelry, shoes and handbag. A few can be dressed down with comparable changes in accessories. I don't think I have any that can go both ways though.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I do it all the time. Mind you, my level of "dressing up" might not even count to some, and my degree of "dressing down" might seem dressy to others.

I think it is easiest with modern classic items, or with your own personal essentials.

An example below. Dressed up (1,2); dressed down (3).

But, let's see:

Jeans: Dress up with silk shirt and fab jacket and refined footwear. Dress down with Cons, a sweatshirt or tee.

Jacket: Dress up over a skirt or dress or trousers; dress down over denim.

Dress: Dress up with heels and accessories; dress down with a denim jacket.

And so on.

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texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I don't have to dress up much, but when I do I usually go for a high/low thing - like if I'm wearing jeans I might wear a silk blouse and heels with sparkly jewelry to dress them up. Or if I want to dress down a nicer pair of pants, I might wear them with a denim style shirt or a utility style jacket, etc. I might wear a silky black tank and python belt with chinos to dress them up. And probably some arm candy - I'm preferring a bracelet more to a necklace right now for whatever reason.

DonnaF

Veteran

I have a few (washable) blouses suitable for work that I would also wear with jeans, and a denim and chambray shirt that I would wear with work appropriate pencil skirts. Colored tights and booties also make those skirts more casual. My spruce green utility vest and silver down vest dresses down a look, whereas a more polished blazer dresses it up. A cropped denim jacket would also dress down a look.

BTW, I have more dress down days by far than dress up and look professional days, so I'm better at dressing down! I have also decided that throwing on my pumps, which are basically sitting shoes for me, will be sufficient to make me look work appropriate.

always trying

Veteran

There are limits to this idea of dressing up or down-but basically this started with something like the LBD worn to the office with jacket or cardi, pumps, and if any jewelry plain silver or gold. Then for evening no jacket, glittery jewelry, high heel dressy shoes. And if it is winter or cold-your faux or real fir. This still goes, but one can make the range wider. But to me means a dress that looks good with a denim jacket and casual shoes (not sneekers) to dress it up a blazer, or similar jacket, and dressier shoes, like dressy sandals, heels or pumps. For jeans-there seem no way to dress up the torn distressed kind-they are just way too casual. IMO, plain colors in dresses, pants or all sorts, just dress up better than prints, unless the fabric is of a dressier nature.

Diana

Veteran

Sometimes if I have to go somewhere dressy immediately after work, I'll play a "dress up and down" game where I try to use the same pieces in both a lab and evening outfit.

For example:
http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....y-to-night
http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....nge-artist

(The first one is kind of cheating as I did have a place to go and change before the event. The second outfit was transformed from day to night in the work bathroom!)

Deborah

Veteran

I think I do this a lot. I do for example have a few garments that I only wear to work - they are a little more classic or conservative and get worn for presentations etc - but otherwise I really like my clothes to be able to go anywhere, within reason. For example my new oversized dress can be dressed up for work or an event with the right shoes and accessories but I have been thinking I could wear it more casually with long leggings and my wedge sneakers and maybe a leather jacket for a relaxing weekend brunch.
My black asymmetric hem tunic can be dressed up over skinny leg work pants or a pencil skirt, or more casually worn with with skinny jeans and flat tall boots. I tend to use footwear and /or accessories to dress this up or down.

I would love to see you take this on as a mini project and perhaps put have a go at putting together 6 combos (featuring three specific garments) in which you show the three items each in a casual ensemble and a dressy ensemble. Post them and perhaps we Fabbers can offer some thoughts and encouragement?

Lyn D.

Veteran

Ooh- sounds like a challenge to me!
And I will follow with interest, because I don't do this much either- possibly because I have too many clothes?

unfrumped

Veteran

Great thread and I'm interested in more ideas, too.
Maybe the degree of up or down is the deal--I have not mastered the semi-formal cocktail party dress that is also for hiking, for example.
I have a few things where "work" would be the middle ground, church or daytime casual would allow a fun item--denim shirt or fun shoes--and evening might be dinner out or the theater, where I could wear "lady shoes" and some jewelry.
Since I have so little luck finding dresses, this is usually bottoms--a pencil skirt, the Leith track pants, classic or slim pants.
In this same vein, I'm moving away from buying tops with built-in bling, even though my magpie gene loves them and they call out to me as instantly festive. Instead I am gravitating toward something like finer wool knits and then add statement necklace or metallic scarf for dressy, and wear plain to work. The blingy things don't get enough wear..

catgirl

Veteran

I'm wondering if part of the deal for me is that I have to mentally separate work and home somehow. To have clothes that bridge both would be practical, but would also make it harder to feel the sense of phone booth change to alter ego. And my MOTG style is so much more RATE than I can be at work.

A challenge would be fun, if only to learn that this is not something that will work for me! Great idea, Deborah. Maybe I'll start a mini-challenge thread where we can all post pics.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I don't do this much. I'm sure it's partly because I don't have to dress up much, but I also don't like the high/low look that much for me (as far as levels of fanciness goes - financial high/low is always great). Even with jeans, I have jeans I wear with tee shirts on the weekends, and jeans I wear with nicer tops and my knit blazers, and I rarely mix them up. I think that's why I struggle with the boyfriend jeans look - to me loose, lightwash jeans with distressing go with casual tops, not workwear.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

The first thing that came to my attention was that I figured dress up meant going out on the town, but you meant dress up as work appropriate. So, right there is a divergence. I have some things, as already mentioned, jeans foremost, that do this. Some dresses can go from day to night. But I remember trying to dress down my LBD last year and putting a white cotton (almost denim) jacket over it and it felt very contrived to me. Like saying, "look, the denim jacket means casual!". It didn't feel organic at all. I should add, I've purged all denim and denim-like jackets for this very reason. They did not feel authentic to me. More like I was playing a suburban MOTG role that is very far from my style core. But I digress! Now to dress up or down things, shoes are the most important factor for me. Period.

rachylou

Veteran

I do have a wee problem with it. If I dress down something too often, it becomes a rag all too quickly... I'm rough on my clothes when I'm just out and about.

catgirl

Veteran

Mo I feel just the same way as you about classic denim jackets - can't ever feel comfortable in one. I do have a denim moto that is much more my style though. But the whole denim over dress thing is really hard for me - even though I love it on Shannon! Why is that, I wonder?

I think I prefer my dressy items dressed down and my casual items dressed down. Never do I willingly go in the other direction.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I dunno - I feel like a grade A poseur in one! lol
But, yes, give me a moto and I feel at home. Again, goes to one's style core I think.

deb

Veteran

If it is in my closet it has to go up and down. I started doing this years ago when I worked at the bank. It just makes my life easier. I guess the only item this will not work for is shorts. I never dress them up.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Oh, I do it all the time -- mostly on the dressing down an item. This is the only way I'd get wear out of some of my favorite items, because they are dressier than my lifestyle demands.

I do the denim jacket over dress or skirt thing a lot -- I also liked combining the denim jacket with dressier trousers to dress them down too, when I tried that. I dress down silk shirts and tailored blazers with distressed or faded jeans and casual footwear. Or I'll dress down pumps with boyfriend jeans.

I don't know why, but this feels pretty easy to me. Maybe because my life does not have the kind of work/not-work separation you describe. It's all quite casual, other than special occasions or really important meetings, which are not very frequent, so I find a dressy/casual hybrid works well to take me to a wide variety of situations and functions.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

I don't dress down my dresses, though most are for the opera. I do however dress down blouses, blazers, skirts & shoes.

TraceyLiz65

(website)

Veteran

Funny you should mention this as the following pics are what i put on my blog today with my Olive Cargo Joggers worn two ways...

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catgirl

Veteran

TL, there you go!

Sarah A

Veteran

Well, this immediately caught my attention since trying to have a good for everything I actually do wardrobe versus imaginary life wardrobe is high on my goals.

Love Umfrumped's comment "I have not mastered the semi-formal cocktail party dress that is also for hiking, for example." ... Mainly, because I have indeed worn patagonia gear dresses to the last three weddings I have attended. Once with a sequined topper, once with a large satin and lace scarf and the third occasion without embellishment (that wedding was outdoors and an "anything goes" dress request from the bride) ... But now that isnt what we are talking about....

For work. Aye. That is harder I think. A wedding at night when it is dark you see the sparkly accessories much more that the poly spandex blend gear ya know? At work during the day? I like Deborah's idea... how about a challenge! And Mo is onto a ton with the shoes setting the tone for the outfit. UWP boots for RATE MOTG and something a bit more refined but that still feels like "you" seems like a good idea to play with for this. I dont see scarves or jewelry as real game changers for your style but they are certainly a conventional way to "change up" an outfit.

Caro in Oz

Veteran

The smaller my wardrobe gets the more I do this. I have summer dresses I wear with casually gladiator sandals or dressier with my Okalas. I wear linen harem style pants with a tee & Birkies round the house or at the beach & when I go out I wear the same tee & pants with either the sandals or Okalas & a linen jacket. It really allows me to have fewer but better pants & tops & put more of my money into footwear & jackets (which I love).

I do the same in winter with leather coats/jackets & booties. Jackets & footwear also work to make my clothes more or less conservative - a dress & the Okalas are fine for DH functions yet still feel like me.

krishnidoux

Veteran

Start with footwear!

Add (=dress up) or retrieve (=dress down) color.

Wear a visible cami or tee underneath = dress down.

rae

(website)

Veteran

I feel like I'm always dressing up jeans for work. Or dressing down office-y things. That said, my range of dressed up to dressed down is not that huge. Dressing up jeans with a blazer, or dressing up a simple sweater with a skirt, adding a fancy necklace to a tee... usually as far as it goes.

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unfrumped

Veteran

Ii hope to do more multi/ occasion pieces over the next year or so.
Like caro I hope to focus on fewer basic items and find the finishing pieces that change the look. Like rachylou, I worry about trashing some of my better items but I feel I've got to get over that for some items at least.
For me I think it's about moderation and remembering to have fun. If I really like an item I'm going to want to find ways to wear more places, and I get some satisfaction from trying to be a little bit creative with dress up/ down
ideas, and also to feel less acquisitive, to do more with less. But there will be some things that probably will stay stuck in one world or another, so I don't want to obsess about it.

It brings me back to mo's numbers.

JulieJohn

Veteran

I do this without even realizing it was a skill. I think it's cause I don't have many clothes, so they must do double duty, or sometimes triple.

I think a challenge would be a fun thing, to learn if I'm doing it right.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Umm, well, if I wear any sort of heel with any sort of skirt or dress that is dressed up for me. The rest of it is a free for all.

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