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Oliveo full leather skirt, Victoria Victoria Beckham dress

Many people believe that separates lead to more outfit options than dresses. After reading this post you can maximize your wardrobe options with your separates as well as your dresses. 

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Contents
  1. Look at Your Dress Not Only As a Dress
  2. Dress as Shirt
  3. Dress As Skirt
  4. Look at Your Clothes beyond Their Obvious Purpose

Look at Your Dress Not Only As a Dress

Dresses can be very boring when one wears them always the same way. Thus, when I buy a dress I always imagine it as a dress, skirt and shirt. In this game, of course, living in Alaska is a great help. When adding a cardigan, sweater, vest or skirt one adds some extra insulation. That extra layer comes in handy when it is cold outside. That means you can get some extra mileage out of by also wearing your summer dress in spring and fall with some layers added. Furthermore, it looks like you have tons of clothing and/or an infinity closet.

Dress as Shirt

Garments with sleek skirts are great candidates to serve as shirts under a wide skirt. Also try a knit dress under a skirt or a sheath. More on how to wear knit dresses in different ways in the guide at the link.

style book author in leather skirt over dress
Victoria Victoria Beckham dress worn as blouse under a full Oliveo leather skirt with pumps and structured bag (all own)

 

Wear your dress as a shirt with a skirt. Maximize your outfits. Click To Tweet

Alaskan fashion blogger wearing a dress over a skirt onshore

over 50 years old style blogger in floral dress over skirt on shore leave

midlife blogger in dress over skirt on boat mooring
Shein dress, Gucci belt, Michael Kors plateau sandals, Longchamp cuire pliage, Hermes collier de chien bangle, Ray Ban purple mirrored sunglasses, and Aris Allen dance skirt

 

 

Dress As Skirt

Fit-and-flare dresses are perfect candidates to be worn as a skirt with a sweater or cardigan as a top. A perfect separates apprearance.

stylist maximizing the wardrobe by wearing a dress as skirt, cardigan as top

fashion blogger a cardigan worn as top
eShakti abstract floral print dress under Sofie cardigan worn as top to get more outfits, Hermes collier de chien bangle,  Jaeger tote, Ray Ban sunglasses, ethnic belt, Nicole fall sandals (all own) and wooden watch c/o Jord

 

Stylist tip: Add a belt over the sweater/top to enhance the seaparate appearance. Or pin the sweater so it looks like a half-tuck.

 

fashion blogger mixing leopard and floral prints over 40
GNW leopard print cardigan worn as top over eShakti floral print dress with H-belt, Michael Kors plateau sandals, Jaeger tote (all own) and wooden sports watch c/o Jord

 

style over 50 woman in summer dress with cardigan wedges and sunglasses

fashion over 50 summer look with white frame sunglasses
Printed eShakti summer dress with L.K. Bennett patent leather wedges, Hermes collier de chien bangle, Chanel bag, and sunglasses c/o ShopGlasses.com

 

You have seen this dress before several times this summer, for instance, styled as a floral summer robe with a black cardigan and another time I wore this floral dress with a leopard print cardigan as top. It actually was one of my favorites because of the bold colors on the nude print. In case you missed the looks, see the posts at the links.

midlife woman in fall outfit with summer dress

fashion book author in fall outfit in front of the Fairbanks railway station

mature influencer in layered fall outfit

stylist over 50 in dress as skirt

#fashionover50 mature woman in fall outfit at the railway station
Outfit details: eShakti summer dress styled for fall with Jeanne Pierre sweater, Lookbook Store leather motorcycle jacket, Steve Madden fall sandals, Jaeger tote (all own), and necklace c/o Almo Jewellery

 

Wear a dress as skirt to get another outfit from your closet. Click To Tweet

Look at Your Clothes beyond Their Obvious Purpose

I like to look at any item in my closet beyond its original purpose to get new additional outfits. In this OOTD, I wear my floral summer dress as a skirt as days now already feel like fall here in Interior Alaska. Below I added a couple of other outfits with this dress to demonstrate the possibilities. But that’s not all. There are many other garments that you can wear differently. See this comprehensive guide how to get more wear out of your wardrobe.

Wear your cardigans also as tops to get more wear out of your wardrobe. #Styletip Click To Tweet

 

Do you wear a dress also as a skirt? Which of the above outfits is your favorite?

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Photos: G. Kramm

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