TBMD

I received great responses from my lace dress roundup post, so I figured why not continue? Perhaps this ways to wear series will become a semi-regular feature. Thank you Elle for letting me copy your way it five ways idea. Sometimes it's just easier to see how versatile an item can be when outfit images are placed side by side.

Today's featured item is a maxi dress worn four ways, suitable for every season in a year. That's not to say that the spring outfit can't be worn in the summer for example, or the winter outfit will work for everyone's climates. I just thought One Maxi Dress for Four Seasons sounds more interesting than 4 Ways to Wear a Maxi Dress.

Spring: After a drab winter, accessorizing with bright colors only seem appropriate. But just in case there's still a chill in the air, it's nice to have a sweater handy.

Summer: This is the time to wear maxi dresses as is, with no extra layers. I felt the dress was too plain by itself, so adding statement jewelry solved that issue.

Fall: With the weather still fluctuating as summer transitions to fall, a light cardigan is easily removable for warmer days or worn for cooler nights.

Winter: Scarves and sweaters are essential cold weather accessories. Flats might not be the most appropriate footwear, but anything closed-toe that's half-hidden under the dress should do.

My maxi dress is a couple inches too long, but I'm too cheap for a hem job that likely costs more than what I paid for the dress. So as a quick and easy DIY fix, I pull up the skirt portion, tighten the drawstring waist, then fold over excess fabric. I normally "secure" the waist (to prolong gravity from weighing down the fabric) by adding a belt or knotting the hem of a top. A third method that I've recently re-discovered is to simply tie a shirt around my waist. This brings back flashbacks of wearing fanny packs on childhood vacations but hiding them underneath a tied sweatshirt around the waist due to embarrassment. I find a tied top to be more comfortable than a belt because fabric is stretchier than leather. As a bonus, it's another way to accessorize because I have plenty of shirts to choose from.

Unfortunately the pale yellow tank in today's outfit looks washed out, with the color blending right in with the white stripes on the dress. The yellow looked more vivid in real life, but just doesn't photograph well. Yellow and navy is one of my favorite color pairings, but only when the contrast is more apparent, a la with a bolder, brighter yellow.

Until Mon. July 30th, Old Navy is having a 25% off sale on almost everything. Print out in-store coupon here (if link doesn't work, go through oldnavy.com to download) or use code ONSAVE25 for online purchases.

1) Drawstring-tube jersey maxi dress in charcoal stripe, size XS (sold here) - This maxi has been on my wishlist for a long time. Small sizes sold out quickly online and in stores, so I've been patiently waiting for returns. I lucked out and found a lone XS hanging on the rack. The material is kind of thin but comfortable. The fit is pretty decent overall, but XS P would fit me better, especially the length. I can only move up the drawstring waist so high before I start to look ridiculous. Since petite sizes are all sold out, I brought this home with me and plan on taking it to the tailors for a hem. After the promo, the maxi is $22.46 in stores and $24 online.

2) Ruffle-trim tie-belt dress in white hearts, size XS (sold here) - I was drawn to the printed hearts of this dress after missing out on J.Crew's heart throb items. Besides the print, the length is about the only thing I like about this dress. The torso is roomy, neckline a bit low, and armhole is too big. I passed. The dress is $22.46 after promo online and in stores.
I didn't see any more prints online besides the hearts, but in stores I also saw two polka dot versions, black/white and red/beige (below).

3) Whatever J.Crew releases, it's a pretty safe bet that Old Navy will soon follow, at a much more affordable price point. A perfect example is this polka dotted boat-neck sweater in sea salt, size XS (sold here), which happens to also come in a heart print much like J.Crew's Tippi in heart me. The sweater is thin and pretty much on par with Old Navy quality. The fit is pretty decent on me, but I worry it may shrink due to the material being 100% cotton. I did end up taking the sweater home with me to think about it some more. I'm not sure if $18.71 after promo is worth keeping or if I should wait for further reductions.

4) Rockstar super skinny jeans in sea salt, size 2R (sold here) revamped for 2012 in a rainbow of colors. I tried on last year's version in the same size (2R) and found the front to fit well, but the behind to be baggy. This year's version turned out to be the exact opposite, looks nice from the back but too many creases in the front. I strongly recommend trying on various pairs in the same size because I've seen Old Navy clothing to differ by a couple centimeters all around.

Both last year and this year's length is comparable, hitting just above the ankle bone on me. I felt last year's white color is more of a true white while this year's is more ashy. I passed. The jeans are $26.21 after promo online and in stores.

5) Rockstar super skinny jeans in honeycomb, size 0R (sold here) - Just for kicks, I also tried on the same pair of jeans a size down. I remember I had trouble zipping up last year's version. This year's? I got it to zip up but didn't feel and look at all comfortable. Yuck.

6) Printed cuffed shorts (3-1/2") in blue plaid, size 0 (item #: 143133) featured below left is a sale item, which I don't see any more of online. From my experience, Old Navy's shorts sizing is pretty consistent. This one fit as expected, with ~1 cm waist gap, which is fine with me. Not that I need any more gingham items, but I couldn't decide, so I did bring it home to think about further :D The shorts are $11.25 after promo.

7) Patterned chambray shorts (3 1/2") in green stripe, size 0 (sold here) featured below right is a new release. I heart stripes and the green is such a cheery color. I felt this pair fit exactly the same as the blue plaid version, with a similar waist gap. I passed on the shorts because for $17.21, they're still a bit pricey.

Along with the green, the patterned chambray shorts also comes in a pretty navy stripe version.

Happy shopping!

I've been wearing my maxi dress in warmer weather, but wanted to see if I could transition the piece into something more suitable for the cold. I stuck to a growing favorite color combination of mine, navy and red, added a chunky scarf, then... got stuck on what shoes to wear. Black flats? Flip flops? Nude flats? Flat boots? I figured most of my foot would be hidden underneath the hem, so nude flats would blend in better with surroundings. Nope, of course the way I was standing made them the most visible. I think I should've went with plain old black flats. What are your thoughts on shoe pairings with maxis?

Summer humidity is back in full swing here at the Nation's Capital. That means it's time again to start wearing easy, breezy fabrics, such as this maxi dress. I wore this dress practically every week last summer, so I've since run out of new styling ideas... but that doesn't mean I can't try out different color schemes!

Baseball caps have become a weekend staple for me this summer. It's funny because hats and I go back a ways. In high school, I wore them every day for the 3 months during tennis season (fall sport but practices started in the summer.) My mom was a stickler about sun protection because I was already the darkest in the family. So hats and sunscreen it is. After awhile, I could've sworn my hairline started receding from the lack of breathing room under hats (dramatic much? I blame teenage hormones), so for the next decade I stayed far, far away. But now? I love plopping a cap on my head, especially during dirty hair days. And surprisingly, they've been a fun accessory that doesn't detract from outfits.

Photos thanks to DH!

Today we have another maxi and scarf pairing, though in a different color combo. Have a good weekend, everyone!

I lied about this dress in my fitting room post. A few strategic pulls here and some folds there, and I'm able to secure the maxi to fall about an inch off the ground. No need to shell out money for alterations after all. Yay! That made my day.

This is the first long dress I own where I have to watch my steps. Apparently the narrower bottom doesn't accommodate my unbeknownst-to-me large strides. Now I know why I arrive at appointments early.

Have a great Thursday, everyone!

Sale alert: Today only at J.Crew, take an extra 40% off final sale items with code WEDNESDAY.

Also, at Ann Taylor: take 50% off dresses through 7/11 with code SUMMERSTYLE.

A recent, but already closet favorite:
- Balcony shirtdress - $74 in petites, $79 in regular (both after code) - see review/outfit

Maxi dresses as a recurring theme continues with yet another outfit today. Have a good Wednesday, everyone!

Unlike previous years, I've been living in skirts and dresses this summer. Pants have been mostly relegated to unseasonably cool/rainy days. It's a long time coming, but I've finally realized that jeans aren't the only casual clothing item out there. I can make dresses and skirts fit my casual lifestyle, too. Especially ones with a longer length because they're great for pulling double duty between work and home. Yes, my uh duh moment couldn't have come at a better time.

We went to a wedding over the weekend at the historic Belvedere Hotel in Baltimore. The architecture style of the venue plus the formal dress code immediately made me think romantic, tulle, embellished dresses -- like BHLDN.

I've never really had a good excuse to wear tulle... until now. I was thinking a Thread & Needle blue/gray tulle maxi skirt with a J.Crew bow top. I loved the swishy-ness of the maxi skirt, but never truly found a top I loved -- one that was dressy enough and went with the skirt. I think subconsciously I knew I would be "settling" so I never completely stopped the search.

Lo and behold, the perfect dress appeared when I was casually browsing Bloomingdale's sale section one day. There was only one problem -- because the color I wanted (navy) was on sale, size selection was limited *cue crying emoji* Reviews were mixed regarding the fit, so I kept debating whether I should give the larger sizes a try (definitely runs small through the ribs). I ended up sleeping on it. When I woke the next morning and refreshed the page, smaller sizes magically appeared -- yay for overnight re-stocks!

I loved this dress even more in person when I tried it on. The color (navy is the new black), the heavy fabric which created the beautiful voluminous high-low skirt that swished as I walked. The only negative was the strapless top -- never been a fan only because I don't have much to hold it up. In all honesty though, a non-strapless top would've made the dress look busier, and I probably would've passed. The simple strapless top balanced out the full skirt.

When I showed DH the dress, he immediately said, "You look... loud." What? But I'm not wearing a bold color! I definitely don't want to stand out and upstage the bride. So he clarified with, "You take up a lot of space." I chalked this up to another example of how guys view things differently -- all my girlfriends gave their thumbs up approval. I know I look good, so he'll just have to deal with me invading his personal space, hahaha. I recounted this story multiple times throughout the night of the wedding because I got so many compliments (pockets were a huge hit!) from other girls.

It's funny how I was so sure of the vision of my initial outfit, only to end up wearing a dress that is a complete 180 -- structured, plain, heavy fabric. I accessorized with a statement necklace to add interest up top, but chose simple nude heels to keep the attention on the full skirt.

Photos thanks to DH!

Over the summer, my striped maxi dress may have been my most worn item (ie: 1,2,3,4,5). If I had to guess, I'd say it was featured at least once a week on the blog? Though no more. Scoot over maxi dress, there's a new kid in town. Perhaps I'll compile outfits with this mustard yellow top for a future ways to wear post?

Last summer, I wore my striped maxi dress practically once a week (sorry for mentioning this for the nth time yet again.) This summer's equivalent is the tweed dress... except I'm already running out of styling bag-and-shoe pairing ideas, so the most versatile clothing piece award will safely remain with the maxi dress.

I've run out of comments for maxi dresses because I've been wearing and blogging about it practically every week! Here are two more outfits, but I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

As expected by now, a week can't go by without another maxi dress outfit ;)

Sale alert at Gap: Use code GAPSHOP for 30% off today 4/12 or 25% off tomorrow 4/13.

Two old, but much loved items from my closet are:
- Broken-in straight khakis (retail $54.95): I'm wearing size 00 - outfits: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight
- Pure longline tunic (retail $32.00): I'm wearing size XS - outfits: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight

I placed an order for a few items to try: printed crossover maxi dress in yellow print, luxlight crew cardigan in extremely green, and moss stitch striped cardigan in true indigo.

Continuing my love affair with all things romantic, I wanted to add an eyelet/voile skirt to my wardrobe. I was looking for one that hits around the knees, with a handkerchief hem, and isn't too poofy. I came across many that were on the shorter side, too poofy, and/or had an even hem.

When I saw this Old Navy eyelet tube dress, my creative side went into overdrive, imagining all the potential it held. The strapless top worked in my favor because I figured I could tuck it down and inward. Converting the dress into a skirt meant the bottom portion of the bust area would sit at my waist, therefore giving me the longer length I desired. The skirt works for the time being, but I'm considering slimming the sides and/or shortening the length just a tad. For today's look, I balanced out the longer skirt with a cropped top and jacket.

Every time the weather warms, I realize how complacent I've been throughout the colder days because I can randomly choose a public spot for photos and there would hardly be anyone milling about. I usually have to ease my way back into thick-skinned mode come spring, but this time around I dove in head first. Well, I had a little push. I figured I only had a few days' window before the rain washed all the pretty flowers away, so there I was, taking photos with my tripod next to an intersection with fairly heavy traffic. Well worth the few minutes of awkwardness, I'd say.

Have a good weekend, everyone!