What an incredibly creative way to layer! I love it! SO smart --- now the dress is multi-seasonal, and how beautiful it looks with the burgundy peeking through. So rich! Love the belt and bag, as well.

Also, the coat is a spectacular statement for you. Dark florals (and teal and ombre) are such powerful signatures for your style. You are an inspiration!

Wow! You look like a painting Awesome dress layering and pattern repeating. I like to overload on stripes.

Oooh, how incredibly fabulous your dark florals are! You look like you should be in a fall fashion magazine. Stunning, absolutely stunning!

Beautiful coat and dress. You look stunning.

The dark florals are gorgeous, but I particularly love styling a shirt dress over things the way you did here. Stunning. And the lace-up boots are also fab. You truly have an amazing wardrobe!

It's a floral explosion, but it works so well!! Especially during this time when the whole world needs a smile and some inspiration. Your creativity is really out of this world.

Dark florals are fab on you! I love both the dress and the coat. Brilliant idea to layer the shirt dress.

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate all your comments. Apologies if I don’t respond to each of you individually. I do try but the time zone differences make it a challenge. Most of your responses come in while I am sleeping.

Angie, thank you for the K2K! In regard to playful: I’ve always regarded fashion as a creative outlet and I don’t take it too seriously. I take the wardrobe management side seriously. I am trying to get better at avoiding waste/mistakes/duplication to help the planet. But in terms of the look I project I’ve always enjoyed having some fun with it. I really enjoyed my dark romance project a few years back, the fashion icon challenge that we did here, my orphan black experiment before that. Yesterday I watched the movie “Double Indemnity” with my mum and I’m already thinking about how I could emulate Barbara Stanwyck’s look (which was excellent, except for the blonde wig).

Gryffin, I love “epic”! I should have titled the post “epic dark floral”.

ST and RC, due to Covid 19 restrictions we are experiencing significant delays in delivery to your area

Nikki, I think stripes are probably the most popular pattern here. Bonus: they mix really well with dark floral.

Jules: “gothical”. I’m going to pay that the ultimate compliment. I’ll use it

Jonesy, I love the landscape inspired prints too. Very Chloe! They have been hard to find in recent years but I’m feeling hopeful. Just got this editorial from a local accessories retailer, Mimco. I’m liking it!

Bijou, Kkards, Windchime, Echo, Suz: I got the idea to layer under a shirt dress from this outfit which I found a while back. It’s by Paco Rabanne. I filed it away as something I wanted to try. I think it could also work with a skirt layered underneath the dress. I’m thinking about using a couple of my dark floral pencil skirts this way underneath a plain shirt dress. I think the key is having similar or at least compatible hem lengths.

Lisa, KG, slimcat, Jenn: the coat is from YOOX. (Last time I looked there was a plain black one still available.) Brocade is hard to find. I’ve been looking so long I was thinking about having a go at making a simple brocade jacket myself. Gulp. I’m glad I found this one instead.

Joy, my mum loved the brocade coat. She is very direct about my clothing choices. She hates my Aussie hat (“looks like I found it at a tip”), anything distressed (“looks cheap”), muddy colours (“make you look awful”). She likes brights and bling. She is getting right into the lunches now and wearing her good stuff too. Yesterday she said she had already started thinking about what she will wear next week

Gorgeous dark floral bouquet! I admire your eye in finding Brooklyn items and creativity in putting together fab outfits. My breath is taken away.

What can I say? You really do look like a model in a high fashion magazine. I love it all!
I have been known to mix bright florals but not really dark ones so much, although I own some. Don’t have your creativity!

How sweet about your mum getting into the project. Starting to think about next week’s outfit now means she’ll have something to occupy her a little bit during the run-up to your next meal. Awesome!

The layered dresses look is similar to what I’m hoping to do with this bodycon sheath, if I find the right richly patterned coatigan/long cardi/shawl-collared blazer. Searching for that piece is frustrating, because its main features—blues & berries, mostly low contrast—can’t be plugged into a search engine, and the things that can be searched for—length, sleeves—are less important. I considered it for a white-out with a button-up shirt, but really think I need something at least as long as the dress. Other than a sweeping full skirt & a lab coat bought for Halloween, I don’t have anything white & long.

I love, love, love this! Super gorgeous.

Wow, these are so fabulous, I don’t know what we’re talking about! I need a dark floral trench!

Love the layering trick - mentally searching my closet for ways to copy! The coat is simply amazing on you and perfect in every way. Love the bag - suits you to a T!

Brooklyn, here’s J.Lo’s floral ensemble!

https://people.com/style/jenni.....in-venice/

Wow Nikki, thanks for that! She looks wonderful! Floral right down to her toes. Regal is right. Clearly I haven’t gone floral enough. Yet.

Fash, I think you might be able to find a long white/ivory cardigan and wear it with a belt over the dress. Would you consider a long shacket? Lots of those around.

And thanks Shevia, Rachy, Karie, Jenni and DonnaF!

It would never in a zillion years occur to me to layer two dresses -- just smashing!

This outfit is so fab I am fainting.