Styling help, please! - YouLookFab Forum

Hi everyone -

I just ordered this dress after seeing and falling in love with it in InStyle magazine. I plan on wearing to work, but as it is sleeveless I will need to wear a jacket or cardigan with it (darn a/c!). I'm thinking a short or cropped length due to the full skirt but am unsure on a color. I dress colorfully most of the time and rarely wear black or all neutrals. I've read things about black only looking good with other neutrals, black sucking the life out of most colors, black paired with brights being dated (too 80's), etc. Should I just get my color fix from shoes and jewelry? I have a few black blazers/jackets, but I get paranoid if my blacks don't match exactly. Am I over thinking this? Does the fact that there is white with the black make a difference in the above statements (if they are even true)? Thanks!

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13 years ago

Dana

(website)

Veteran

Hi Neighbor,

You can absolutely wear color with black. They're showing a ton of cobalt with black and fuchsia with black.There's a lot of inspiration from the '80's right now, but black and colors is pretty classic. (Check out Ann Taylor.)

You're definitely right about the length. You'll need a short jacket. A cardigan would be cute, too. If you're not crazy about the brights, a burnt orange cardigan would be cute. I can't tell if there is a belt on the dress of if it's color blocked, but a belt on the outside of the cardigan could be cute.

Is it possible to layer under, as well? Maybe a colored long sleeved knit or button down? Or even a turtleneck once the snow starts to fly?

ElleH

I'm assuming brights are OK in your workplace as you said you wear them often. Depending on how conservative the dress code is I love brights & black jackets with this dress. If I wore a black jacket I would wear a bright bag or shoes. Somehow I think bright handbag is more acceptable at work than red shoes if it is a little conservative there, but then you don't always carry the bag. Given the white or cream on the dress though you could wear a black jacket & no color at all if you prefer.

I would be more worried about blacks matching if you were trying to create a suit or if one mismatched because it was horribly faded & the other wasn't. I know what you are saying & sometimes a black looks almost green & another more bluish or something & I have been anal about this in the past but Angie mixes white & cream so I think maybe we do overthink it.

Yes to short or cropped length.

Carole

Beautiful dress and I can totally see a cropped cardigan or jacket with it, fuchsia or blue would look great but probably many more colors as well.

milehighstyle (Linda)

Thanks, everyone - I'll go with color, then. It's much more "me" that way. I have cropped hot pink and colbalt cardigans. I'll try them on with it when it comes in the mail. No problem with brights in my workplace, including shoes. My shoes are quite the conversation starters in my office (in a good way).

Mo, I did think about maybe a long sleeve shirt or thin sweater underneath - I'll try that too, though I don't wear turtlenecks (they make me crazy uncomfortable). But I'm thinking that some bright sleeves under this may be a cool look. Maybe even a collared blouse...oh boy I'm excited now.

rachylou

Color is just the ticket IMO. I'd love to see how layering underneath works out....

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