SIMPLE BLACK SLIP DRESS TWO WAYS

Hello dear friends,

I have an interesting confession to make.  Throughout my life I have owned quite a few LBDs and LBD (long) and all of them were either intricately constructed or made out of either fine expensive fabric or had some kind of decorative embellishment but never just a simple cotton black dress.

Well, that was about to change when my husband and I stepped inside Natalie Alamein boutique store in Bondi Beach.  Although this shop has been opened for a while and I happen to pass its windows at least three times a week on my regular runs, I have never been inside it.  Somehow, I always perceived that her clothes are meant for a younger crowd.

At a glance, my first impression of the clothes was confirmed: lots of short skirts and crop tops and body hugging dresses and the only thing I liked were the fabrics and the patterns.  Then I spotted a "Sale" rack and decided to take a closer look.

 

To my surprise, the selection was more to my taste and I chose two linen skirts, a wide sleeve blouse and a black slip-on dress and took them into a dressing room.  To my surprise, all items were reasonably priced, fitted well and I ended up buying all of what I had originally selected.

As the days grew warmer the dress became one of my most popular go-to outfits.  It was just a matter of slipping it over my head, slip on a pair of Havaianas (hugely popular footwear in Australia and worn all year around and not just to the beach) and set off to do my errands.

"WHO WOULD'VE THOUGHT THAT A SIMPLE BLACK DRESS
 COULD BE SO VERSATILE"

After wearing it for a couple of weeks, I decided to try and extend its functionality from just being plain casual outfit into something more elegant and stylish.  I often talk about the importance of accessories and their power to make or break an outfit.

SIMPLE BLACK SLIP DRESS TWO WAYS

The opportunity presented itself when I was getting ready for a lunch date. First I ditched the thongs and put on a pair of chunky sandals.  Then I added a long silver chain around my neck, clasped a silver cuff around my wrist and grabbed a leather day bag.  The transformation was complete.

Then one day we were going out to dinner and I was going through my wardrobe trying to decide what to wear when I spotted a silver sequined sparkly top I hadn't worn for a while.  As I was dressed in the black dress, I just slipped the top over it and checked in the mirror.  I liked the result, so it was just a matter of choosing the right accessories that would help me to transform a day dress into evening outfit. 

Who would've thought that a simple black dress could be so versatile?  Just imagine that it is a blank canvas and your jewellery, shoes, handbags and other accessories are the tubes of paint of different colours.  And all you need to do is to let your imagination run wild and let it create as many paintings (in our case outfits) as possible. 

I am wearing dress from Natalie Alamein, sandals from Gorman, court shoes and old handbag are from Louis Vuitton, cuff - Georg Jensen. 

Have a great weekend

Anna
xoxo

HOW I STYLED A PAISLEY SHIFT DRESS FROM DAY TO NIGHT

Hi everyone,

Reading the blogs of my fellow bloggers, I have noticed how many of them posted photographs wearing paisley or floral prints outfits.  I also like prints but I seem to gravitate towards more strong geometrical prints in bolder contrasting colours rather than soft feminine paisley and floral patterns. Not being exactly sure if paisley pattern could be considered as floral, I decided to Google it.  Turned out that "Paisley or Paisley pattern is a term in English for a design using the buta or boteh, a droplet-shaped vegetable motif of Persian (i.e. Iranian) origin".  So my guess is, they are not the same.

Anyway, back to the story.  Somehow the images of all those lovely outfits that I saw might have seeped into my subconsciousness because the next think I know, I am the owner of the paisley print shift dress myself and I am loving it.

And what not to love about it:  it’s comfortable, easy to wear, simple to style, extremely versatile and is great for almost all body shapes?  As for the print, it has a lot of different colours in it which means that I can wear almost any colour accessories I could possibly think of which is great because I like accessories.

The adaptability of my new dress came very handy the other day when one day I had to move between two totally different social activities within a very short time-frame and had no time at all to come home to change.  The first one was work related and the second was a small cocktail party that we were throwing for a dear friend of ours who just published her first book.  So, what did I do? I put on my new shift dress and a pair of flats to be comfortable while running day-time errands.  I also took a rather biggish size hand bag to accommodate the things I would need during the day:  laptop, paint swatches, interior styling magazines, etc.  Knowing that I would not be able to stop anywhere for a change of clothes, all I did was pack an evening bag with a pair of smart looking high heeled shoes and gave them to my husband so he could give them to me when we met later.

It is my strong belief that a pair of shoes can make or break any outfit: a pair of gorgeous shoes could elevate a simple looking dress from casual to looking special and in reverse, no matter how expensive a dress that you wear looks, a bad looking shoe will completely ruin it.  For me an evening shoe should have a heel, the higher – the better.  It visually elongates your leg, it makes you look taller and gives you more confidence. 

I also extent this belief to the hand bags.  These two accessories play a vital role when you putting together your outfit and that’s why those were the items that I needed to turn my daytime outfit into an evening outing.

When the time came to attend an evening gathering, I just got into my husband’s car, kicked off my flats and transferred whatever I needed from the day bag into my evening one.   A fresh paint of lipstick and voila, ten minutes later I stepped out of the car looking all poised, dressed up and ready for party. 

It is my strong belief that a pair of shoes can make or break any outfit: a pair of gorgeous shoes could elevate a simple looking dress from casual to looking special and in reverse, no matter how expensive a dress that you wear looks, a bad looking shoe will completely ruin it.  For me an evening shoe should have a heel, the higher – the better.  It visually elongates your leg, it makes you look taller and gives you more confidence.

This belief also covers the hand bags.  These two accessories play a vital role when you putting together your outfit and that’s why those were the items that I knew would help me to turn my daytime outfit into an evening one.

I am wearing:  Dress - Kachel, daytime shoes - Salvatore Ferragamo, hand bag - Mulberry, watch - Horse, evening shoes - Bally, hand bag - Bulgari.

Linking up with Not Dressed as Lamb, Style Nudge, Sydney Fashion Hunter, Living on Cloud Nine, Straight Style Blog, Fashion Should be Fun

WHAT I WORE - A PRINTED SHEATH DRESS BY MARY KANTRANTZOU

The first time I set my eyes on MarY Katrantzou dresses, I was lost for words and that does not happen very often, let me tell you.  But this time I was absolutely mesmerised by the richness of the prints, by the juxtaposition of colours and textures, by the level of creativity and imagination.  Her collection of dresses was the most exciting among anything else hanging on the racks around me.

Sadly, I found that some of them were a tad too elaborate for my taste and even though they were absolutely beautiful, I knew that I could hardly wear them.  So I settled for a less grand but still totally adorable and hugely adaptable day dress. 

Since the digital print is the focal point of any of MarY Katrantzou creations, this symbol-laden "Julie" cotton printed sheath dress is no different - a simple non-dominant cut that allows the print to make an effortless statement.

Because my dress has such a strong pattern, it is very important to choose the right fashion accessories to create a look that is put-together without being visually overwhelming.  With that in mind, I chose a simple set of sterling silver earrings and a matching ring.

The same consideration should be given to the shoes and the handbag.  If in doubt, my suggestion is go for a nude or neutral colour shoes. 

If you are not sure what shoes to wear with the printed dress, use the colours in the print of your dress as a guide.  If you, like me, have a taste for strong bold colour combinations, choose the shoes in a complimentary colour to the dominant colour of your dress.  (Complimentary colours are any two colours which are directly opposite each other on the colour wheel.  They provide high contrast and reinforce each other brightness). 

Hence, my choice fell on a pair of playful low heel bright red shoes (green and red are complimentary colours) by Chloe, a matching purse and a smear of bright red lipstick to complete the look.

Linking with Fashion Should be Fun