Lovely dress! Does the waist tie come off or come untied? You might try wearing it wrapped and pinned rather than tied, and put a draped cardigan over the dress (the volume would look good with the narrowness of the skirt). Reds or purples would be especially nice with that color, which looks like a shimmery brown. You might go a bit casual with boots--a riding-inspired boot, perhaps.

That's a lovely dress; that color is so rich.

It is a dressy dress; for me, I would probably wear it as such. Maybe a cropped bolero would work with it? Nude fishnets and a nude heel, a red clutch and you are good to go.

This is so timely because I just wore a similarly dressy cocktail dress in a casual way yesterday! :D I wore mine with a denim jacket, ballet flats and a cuff bracelet (it's very warm here still). My dress is a little more plain in that it doesn't have a bow on it, but it's a very similar shape and made of satin. Is the bow removable? It may make layering difficult. I love Garmenta's suggestion of wearing a draped cardigan over the dress, and riding boots. I think the key is to wear flats of some sort with the dress--wether they be boots or flat shoes, like ballet flats. You could layer a chunky sweater over it too, if you found one that is a good skirt length. What about:

Denim jacket + scarf + textured hose + flat knee high boots (to use Angie's "formula" outfit suggestions)? You could probably wear a heavier coat over a denim jacket for outdoors.

Kristen's "dressy" suggestion is good too, for more formal occasions. I like the idea of a bolero and a red clutch.

That is a gorgeous dress! I have no suggestions, because I've never done this before. I will be very interested in seeing what you come up with. And Ana, I am awaiting your daily blog today!

What about a tweed blazer and boots?

If the belt can be removed or wrapped and tucked neatly around the back, you could put a cardigan over it, belt it, wear tights and boots, then it becomes more of a skirt.

Beautiful dress i'd never have thought to dress it down. Do post piccies of what you come up with x

Fabulous dress!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love the color and love the way it fits your lovely figure! Chic and stylish!

Thank you all for the ideas and compliments - I'm flattered!

Kristen, I LOVED the outfit you suggested! The red clutch is now on my wishlist.
But now I am confident I can dress my shimmery gray sheath down. Garmenta, Ana and Lori, the waist tie can be removed, which, I agree, makes matters easier for me.
I am definitely trying Ana's formula (you look amazing on your cocktail dress! I wish I could still do ballet flats here...) with a denim jacket, scarf, textured hose and boots. The only problem is that I don't own a pair of riding boots in a color that goes well with this dress. I will have to go with the suede slouch that has a 2 inches heel, since the other pair is more of a rain boot.

I also loved the idea of playing with cardigans and jackets, belted or not, over the dress and I will be sure to post pics soon!

Welcome to the forum Erica, and thank you for your kind words.

What a pretty frock! I’d undo the bow, tie a knot and stick a casual tweed flower pin over it. Add slouchy flat boots, denim jacket and a cross body bag. Voila!