Style Diary: 1 dress, 3ways

Today I wore a Calvin Klein cowl neck sheath dress with patterned tights, an Express chain necklace, Ann Taylor leather jacket, Aldo booties and Fendi tote with my cloister hat.   The whole outfit costed around $250 without the tote.   Where I work, you couldn’t even find a dress for that low of a price.   Here are the pics.

I got tons of compliments on my tights today but I can bet I got some strange looks too.

I’m a secret fan of Express.  They have edgy and trendy accessories for cheap.   Here, I’m wearing a Chanel knock-off style with a blinged out camelia and leather chain accessories.  I just wish Express had a frequent customer card.  It would have come in handy when I was buying hundreds and hundreds of shirts for my the booth models I used to hire.

This dress is the dress I wore on my first day at work but with a softer, more romantic look.

And lastly, here it is with a black H&M cardigan, black chanel purse, flower pin, and ankle strap heels.

Speaking of heels, that’s my shoe closet pictured there.  It got a pink makeover when I moved.  I couldn’t decide on the wall of curtains (which hid my makeshift closet) so I started out with pink (shown here) but have since opted for the white/black striped tweed curtain shown in my first picture.  Yes even my shoe closet got a makeover…

This last look is much more conservative and could be a safe, appropriate choice for various work environments.

The other way I’ve worn this dress in the past four months is with a short-sleeved, chocolate brown cardigan, belted with the metallic belt that the dress came with (shown above), brown croc boots, and my silver Prada lady purse.   Sorry I must’ve gotten lazy and not captured it on film ‘cuz a photo was nowhere to be found.

This Calvin Klein is such a basic go-to dress which is why I wear it once a month (more than I can say about  most of my dresses).  Sometimes the most basic dress is the most versatile.  I hope I showed you that one basic dress can have lots of styling potential.

So there you go, 1 dress worn 4 ways, pictured 3 ways in very different styles.  Which outfit was your favorite?

If you haven’t already, don’t forget to enter my vintage dress giveaway!

Style Diary: What to Wear To Work

quote from my mom:  “So it sounds like you work in fashion place like “Prada Devil.”  Yes, mom my place is uber-fashionable and the pressure to look good is as intense as it is in that movie, Devil Wears Prada (hint hint, you got the movie title wrong).   To read more about my latest dress to impress pressure click here.

Because of this pressure, I’ve been in the process of a major fashion edit.  I’m ruthlessly snatching clothes off hangers, leaving only what I love behind.  And I’m putting new pressure on myself to upgrade my wardrobe.  Out go the cute, cheap finds that could in anyway be identified as such in hopes of clearing the way for more grown-up upscale pieces.

In the meantime, I’m happy to style my mix ‘n match wardrobe of designer brands, vintage finds and secret deals.  Below is my latest roundup of work clothes.  (I’m an event planning marketer for a major retailer)  What’s your favorite?

I love mixing opposites.  Here I’m mixing frilly feminine (the tulle lined butter yellow Forever 21 dress) with a tougher quilted leather jacket with chain detail (Forever 21 Balmain knockoff) with studded heels from BCBG and a Chanel chain purse.

Speaking of opposites, after having such a full skirt, I longed for a slimmer silhouette the next day.  Here I am wearing a satin skirt, Forever 21 leopard bow tank and H&M cardigan.  Shoes and accessories are designer (Christian Louboutin and Chanel).  If I’m wearing my secret steals i.e. no-name brands, then I make sure to balance them off with some designer duds.

I love when menswear gets a feminine twist.  In the above photo, I’m wearing a menswear inspired suit by BCBG, a satin lace cami from Nicole Miller (gift), lucite and silver necklace, Chanel purse, and satin heels from Ann Taylor Loft.   Devil Wears Prada, here I come!

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