Two ways - YouLookFab Forum

You know how magazines always have those features that try to show an outfit that can be transformed from day to evening? Replace your sensible pumps with strappy metallics and grab a cute clutch! Don't forget to wear a brighter lipstick and put up your hair!

Today I tried something along those lines with a basic knit dress - first look is with the new jacket I bought towards the end of July (featured in that pattern mixing post of mine) and haven't gotten to wear yet because of the weather, wedge sandals and a work tote.

In the second version the jacket goes, add a necklace and switch to gladiators and a wristlet for running errands. In real life I wore the flat shoes all day and only wore the jacket in the a/c but I think it translated pretty well. What do you think?

(All feedback including constructive criticism begrudgingly entertained...just kidding!)

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11 years ago

Traci

Veteran

I really like the ease of the second look.

(website)

To be honest I never quite got the 'accessories change the look' thing. Unless we are going from sneakers to stilettos, or a cardigan and pearls to a moto jacket and studded choker, you know? I like it, but as a casual observer, don't see a marked difference from one to the other. This may have a lot to do my my more recent thinking on seeing the basic outfits or silhouettes and not the nuances so much. Did you feel very different in one version vs the other?

Nicole D

I like that dress - claret red looks good on you! I would have swapped the shoes and worn the wedges in the evening, the higher heel looks a bit dressier to me. That;s a fun experiment and I think it worked!

missvee

I think both looks are great. You could go dressier still for a third look with strappy metallic sandals and some more sparkly jewelry. I love clothes like this - they really earn their keep in your closet.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

Quick clarification: I wasn't going for a day to evening look myself, more of a 'smart casual work' and 'Friday casual errands' continuum. Sorry, my original post was unclear.

Mo, I kind of agree with you. In person the knit of the dress is casual enough that I'm not sure I'd wear this to some offices at all, with or without the jacket.

Anonymous

I love that dress! I want one just like it,and I think you did an excellent job of changing the look. Well done.

Echo

I was a little confused at first because the shoes in #1 read as dressier to me than in #2, and then I read that the second version was intended for running errands. And while I agree with Mo that there isn't a huge change here, I still think it is fun to play with different ways to wear a piece, and I really like the change in #2. And the outfits would seem more different if they weren't right next to each other, which is why a day to night outfit change like that works. Most of the people who saw you in one place won't see you in the other.

Alana in Canada

Interesting experiment. I think I am with Mo--they don't feel that different to me as looks go. They are what I think of as two separate ways to wear a red dress, though, like in a wardrobe capsule way, not a different venue way--if that makes any sense.

I love the way the shoes echo the lines of the jacket in #1. And that really is a gorgeous colour on you.

I am wondering--and this could totally be the camera angle--but is that purse the right size for you? It looks a little big.

I'm always a bit mystified by those articles, because aren't shoes generally more expensive than clothes anyway?! That might be because I shop secondhand for clothes though and have fussy feet requiring quality shoes: my thrift store charges $6 for a dress, while my shoes average around $150 a pair. So I have a lot more clothing options than shoe ones. Plus what Mo said re: just how much accessories can change things. I do think toppers make the biggest difference.

Anyway, I really like the dress on you & both of the ways that you've styled it here. The second version definitely looks more laid back, while the first has some extra polish, so I think you pulled off your experiment very successfully.

That red dress looks lovely on you!

I like the blazer, but I'm not sure its proportions are right for the dress. I think Angie says that dresses usually look better without toppers.

I like the second look. I prefer dressy casual myself, so this look is right up my alley! I like how the necklace adds a V that accentuates the bust, but the length does not detract from the torso lengthening that the long column of color of the dress provides. (That's a lesson that I've recently learned.)

The sandals look current and comfy. The dark black seems edgy with your coloring. I wonder how similar sandals that bookend your hair would look?

I also like the bit of pattern from the wristlet. This would be a cute fall outfit for me in my hot climate.

There, how did I do with my criticism?

Thanks, everyone, for your feedback and suggestions. Alana, the tote is definitely one of my bigger ones - big enough for a laptop and files. I definitely wouldn't carry it for a regular day if I weren't hauling paperwork around. E, I think the day to night articles I've seen are not about saving money, they're about making it so you don't have to carry a whole other outfit with you if you're going out to a nice dinner after work, or some sort of situation like that. Or how to remix items that are already in your wardrobe in a new or different way, which is really what is going on.

kellygirl

Those articles always make me wonder. I never seem to have the right pieces or the right basic. Yours works great though. Dressed up and dressed down. I would probably leave the necklace off in the casual errand running outfit to make it look more intentionally casual. I will have to try this one of these days! You look terrific! Fun exercise.

bj1111

I like the dress best without the topper. You can see the dress shape and drape.

A shorter jacket could also work...something ending at the waist?

Tanya

I like the dress on you, the color is very flattering. I really like the second outfit, it has this effortless cool vibe. I would also go for a shorter jacket in #1 if you need a topper.

Angie

Fashion Stylist

Another vote for #2. A lot more current. Dresses often look best sans the topper, to my eye. You look fabulous, Laura. I really like your hair long too.

It's interesting to me that so many of you like the dress more by itself, even suggesting no necklace. As a larger person, I've always tried to have some sort of vertical element to the middle of my outfits - a v neckline, a center front seam, a button placket, or failing any of those, a longer necklace or a scarf. And this dress has absolutely no detail to it, just a boat neck and cap sleeves, which in my mind draws the eye side to side and not up and down. I almost always wear it with a necklace or a scarf or some sort of topper; alone it doesn't feel that flattering at all.

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