Suggestions needed on converting two dresses for fall

We had a blast of unexpected cool weather this morning, and I dove for a couple of new dresses I had been thinking were perfect for fall: the Entier Classique grey sheath I got at NAS, and a similar purple belted sheath I just picked up last night at Macy's.

Thing of it is, the lack of sleeves has turned out to be a real problem! I tried them both with multiple sweaters and jackets this morning, but nothing really worked right. They're stunning dresses without any coverup, but with it, they kind of look ordinary.

I will try to put together some outfit possibilities and take photos this weekend, but here are the dresses without. Does anyone have ideas for what to wear with these when it gets cold? I really want to wear these in the fall and winter, but if I can't then I will return them. They both still have the tags on.

The new purple Mad Men sheath from Tahari:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/k.....841555216/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/k.....otostream/

The grey Entiere sheath from NAS:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/k.....422321375/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/k.....422321375/

Thanks for your help!

16 years ago

Danja

(website)

Active Member

Kristen, have you tried wearing an open cardi in some nice color (cherry red, burnt orange, cobalt blue) and then putting a skinny belt over the cardi. You know what I mean? I have not tried this myself, but my really fashionable co-worker was wearing this the other day, and I really liked it.

Another idea would be a turtle neck in pretty much any color. I saw something similar in Lucky magazine, September issue, although the dress was a little looser. And you can kick it up a few notches with those gorgeous "shoes for all seasons" you got and some fun tights.

Both dresses fit you so well and are really beautiful. I think you can make them work during cold months. See how full of advice I am now that you all have given me great ideas for my problematic dress.

shannon

Wow! I love the second dress! It looks sooooooooo great on you! You'd better keep that one. It does not look one bit ordinary to me. The first one is nice too, but not as nice and more ordinary. I would think a simple classic cardigan would look perfect with the sleeveless dress. No?? Can't wait to see!

anne

Veteran

Just wanted to agree that those dresses are stunning.

I wear my one of my sheath dresses in colder weather with a long sleeve, tight fitting tee.
http://i297.photobucket.com/al.....sd3017.jpg

Have you tried that?

Laura

I was also going to suggest one of your signature boyfriend cardis, both belted and unbelted. What do you think?

dipierro76

Member

beautiful dresses!
I agree with Anne - you can wear a long sleeve or 3/4 sleeve layering tee that hugs the body underneath the sheath dresses to bridge the seasons - you could do crew necks, turtlenecks or scoop necks depending on how much skin you wanted to show.

Check out http://www.myadea.com

They are great layering tees made from an Italian microfiber that are lightweight yet breathable. AND there are a ton of colors to choose from.

rute

Gorgeous dresses!!

Cardigans, skinny belts, tights and boots!
or
Long sleeve shirt (under the dresses), tights, boots and a trench coat!

londonkiwi (now back in NZ)

Those dresses all look fab on you. I think at this time of year I would go for cardigans simply because if it warms up during the day it is easy to take them off, anything underneath the dress isn't so simple.

In winter I would pop on boots and tights and either pop something underneath or again go for a cardigan.

Kristen

Ohh, great suggestions! I did try my bf cardigans and some open regular cardigans, but the look wasn't working for me this morning. I think I wanted it to be *dressier*, but it lost that with the cardi. I'll post some photos so you guys can see what I mean.

Anne, I love the idea of the long-sleeved layering top, and it looks great on you! I think my problem is the only color I have for long-sleeve right now is white, that just looks dumb. My only concern with the layering top (either turtleneck, scoop-neck or collared) is that the dresses fit very close and the tops tend to leave lumps. Hmm, will have to work on that...

Dani

Kristen, I will be anxious to see your pictures of outfits. I, sadly, returned the NAS sheath dress as I just couldn't make it work well for me with the items I currently have in my closet. When I asked the same question, Angie mentioned a denim jacket. Have you tried the silky blouse under the Entier dress? I think a turtleneck might work under the purple dress as well as cardigans and a denim jacket over that one as well.

I'm now on the hunt for a three season sheath dress for myself. Good luck!!

medusa

A turtleneck was my first thought as well. Maybe it would be too lumpy, though.

Angie

Fashion Stylist

*big spanner*

The dresses are best as is. They look beautiful! No need to fix them or be clever with them. No extra layers except for a coat and possibly a cami. Stay warm in other ways:

o Hose and boots
o Scarf (cravat style and tucked into the dress)

I have a few frocks like that and the only jacket that works is an edgy cropped biker style. Otherwise things look too matronly. How do those ideas grab you sweet, Kristen?

Ahhh, Angie, now that's a spanner I can appreciate! Yes, "matronly" was exactly the word I was thinking when I tried to add a sweater to the dress; the look was suddenly much more casual and less fitted than the dresses deserve. They're just so pretty as they are.

The problem is the arms; my legs and neck is fine, but my arms get freezing when it's cooler out! I don't know if I can pull off an edgy biker or denim jacket at work; I really wanted to be able to wear these dresses to meetings with executives so I need something less edgy than that, but more dressy than a sweater.

Hrm. I would hate to have to return either dress. I guess I will continue to experiment... do you have any other suggestions for the arms, Angie?

cciele

Yeah, I agree with Angie; I wouldn't wear a cardigan over the sheaths (you look fab in them, BTW!). I wonder how a boyfriend blazer, maybe one of the tux styles, would work? You'd need to play with the proportions a bit, I think, but it might look cool with the sleeves rolled up and with boots.

I hear you on toning down the edge.

Kristen, have you tried my suggestions yet? You *might* be warm enough, especially with the heat on. If that is not the case you’re after one of two top option layers, both of which should be WOVEN:

o Croppedjacket (needs to be very short)
o Long indoor jacket, virtually the same length as the dresses

I think Cathy’s suggestion of a boyfriend blazer is interesting and worth a try. It might take away the flattering lines of the dresses though. You have homework to do!

Thank you so much! I thought the boyfriend blazer sounded like a possibility, and I love your suggestions too. I need more jackets anyway and I would like to experiment with different lengths. I am already sold on the long bf sweater look! Thanks again, now I will start doing some serious shopping.

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