Personal Challenge: Lighten Up! (A potential wedding guest outfit)

In my recent thread about planning outfits for weddings that are lined up this summer, some of you suggested this emerald green and black marbelized Michael Kors dress with a drapey neck & ruched elbow-length sleeves as a good choice to include in the mix. My main hesitation is that the dress can sometimes feel pretty dark or heavy due to the prevalence of black, and I sometimes struggle with making it look and feel seasonally appropriate. (Although, come to think of it, my forum debut of the dress involved pairing the dress with my yellow Fidji slingbacks.)

Anyway, I decided to take my uncertainty as a challenge to try to make this dress feel lighter and more summer-like. I wore it today with a black ribbon worn as a belt (it's edged with white stitching), my aqua pumps, and cobalt handbag. I tried pairing a necklace with the dress but today it felt too fussy. (I have to wear an ID badge on a lanyard all day at work and sometimes necklace + lanyard + belt is just too much.) This ribbon, despite being black, actually brightened the outfit more than my metallic (pewter) belt due to the prevalence of white at the edges, and the black/white scheme seemed to blend more cohesively with the dress. My wide brown belt seemed too jarring (and casual) when I tried it on.

What do you think - did I meet the challenge? Or can you propose any ideas to go a bit further in lightening the vibe of the outfit if I wear this dress to a wedding?

Looking at these pictures, I am so VERY glad that I have a haircut scheduled tomorrow evening. I look as shaggy as my sheepdog! No offense, Shadow.

(Doggie tutu picture courtesy of my sister, who some of you met at the December YLF gathering.)

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14 years ago

sarah

Veteran

OK, Kari, I think your problem here is that you have way too many fabulous dress options to choose from! Anyway, you look great in this - I think you achieved sufficient lightness. You can't go wrong, honestly.

velvetychocolate

I adore this dress on you - I like it so much that I bought the same dress myself! I like how you've lightened it up, and I agree with sarah - this is such a nice dress on you that you couldn't possibly go wrong.

Love the doggie tutu outfit too

Meanwhile, how does this dress look with yellow? I know it looks great with the yellow-ish Fidji's, but am wondering about the yellow KS bag.

Kari

Thank you both for your feedback (and thanks for the compliment!)

I think I need to post a picture of the dress with the yellow KS bag. I can't nail down precisely why, but somehow the mustard handbag seems to be too bright/too much of a contrast to work with the dress whereas the shoes work out okay. Perhaps it's because I use the yellow shoes as kind of a "nude", the same way that I would use a nude pump, even though I don't actually have pale yellow legs? I don't know, need to think about it a little more!

Suz

(website)

OMG, your dog's expression is HILARIOUS!!!

The dress looks lovely on you, Kari, and I do like it with these accessories. The ribbon adds a lovely touch, making it seem a bit more feminine or girlish which we do associate with "fresh."

You have a very good point Kari - it might well be that the yellow bag could be a little too bright/much or what have you.

I do love the dress with the blue bag, and you're right - it's a much softer (but lightened up) effect. Perhaps throwing in a bright yellow bag might be just a bit much in terms of contrast with the black/green.

Meanwhile, I can see how the yellow shoes function more as a nude shoe, because they are a fairly pale/soft colour, in comparison with the yellow bag.

Having said all that - I know what you mean about the colours in this dress - as lightweight and comfortable as this dress is, I tend to think of it as more a fall/winter item than a spring/summer item (only because of the colours). Given the light-weight fabric, and how comfortable this dress is - it sure would be nice to turn it into a year-round dress somehow, wouldn't it? I think you're onto something- lightening it up a bit for spring/summer.

You look fab in this dress and I hope you can make it work for one of the weddings you're attending in the near future.

Sara L.

The dress looks great on you! It doesn't look too dark to me with the blue shoes and bag.

Suz, you mean the "I'm utterly humiliated, are we done yet?" expression? Hehehe.

Velvetychocolate, as a fellow owner of this dress I think you have really hit the nail on the head here. I love the dress, but I feel like it's not quite a year round item due to the coloring and pattern even though the fabric is perfect for our cool Springs and mild Summers in Seattle. Thank you for prompting further thought on this issue! If you can think of any other ideas, definitely give me a shout.

christieanne

Remind us again of the time of day of the wedding? If it's a late afternoon/evening wedding then I think it is colorful enough even for summer. If it is a noon/afternoon wedding then maybe go with a lighter, more summer colored option?

I think you could summer it up a bit with a necklace (pearls?). Do you use clutches at all? A light or bright clutch would be perfect.

Christieanne, both of the other weddings are in the late afternoon/evening (3:30 to 4 PM is when they will begin.)

I don't even know why pearls didn't occur to me! Perhaps my double choker-length white pearls? Thank you for the idea!
Unfortunately, I am not a clutch gal at all - I've tried it, but the lack of a handle drives me batty.

Anonymous

From the photos, it looks lightened up and ready for a spring/summer wedding. It looks like mission accomplished. Love the photo of Shadow...that expression is priceless.

Joy, her face truly says it all, doesn't it?

Despite being a black-eyed dog with a dark face, she has some of the most expressive eyes ever, and it's fun to get the rare picture where you can see that - even if it comes at the cost of a humiliating costume! She's always such a good sport...

Angie

Fashion Stylist

Hello gorgeous, Shadow!! You look KILLER in the tutu. So very flattering and romantic.

Kari! Love the outfit.

fashionista

If you think the dress still looks dark, could you try some light colored belt like your bag or shoes. Just a thought maybe. Otherwise the outfit looks ok to my eyes with bright accessories.
Cute dog.

Sadly I think (at 13 1/2) Shadow is a touch too old to begin a career as a professional ballerina.

I really don't have lighter colored belts, and this is making me think I should add that to my list!

Aida

You know I'm all for lightening up in spring/summer Personally, if I were lightening this dress for myself I would pair with a whole mess of white/cream: jewelry, watch, shoes, purse, belt. Emerald, black, and white are stunning together!

EDIT: In fact I couldn't get this idea out of my head and wore this color combo today! Thanks for the great inspiration Kari

Nadya

I second the idea to try pearls - if you don't have your lanyard on it hopefully won't feel like too much. Another thought is silver: I just found a silver belt in the back of my closet and am finding it goes nicely with some dresses for summer.

Howsomeever, I really like now you've styled it here, and if the festivities will be going on into the evening, I don't think it's too dark: you'll probably be wearing more color than most!

Aida, I missed your wearing of this color combo! Have you posted it on YLF yet? Off to go take a look! I'm quite flattered.

Nadya, sometimes I forget that silver can brighten an outfit more than smoky pewter. Good point! I have silver jewelry that could work, and definitely have plenty of pearl necklaces.

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