Monday, June 27, 2016

How To Wear A Sleeveless Dress As A Vest

I picked up this cute lightweight flannel sleeveless dress on clearance at Forever 21 for less than $5.00.  It came with a skinny brown belt and is meant to be worn as a dress.  However, it is just too short for my comfort zone to wear as a dress, so I've been wearing it as a vest.  I wore it twice since I purchased it:  once in winter as an extra layer and again when I was in Florida this past February.  So yes, if you notice I look different in these photos, it's because they are old.  I'm a few pounds heavier and my hair is longer.  I saved a lot of my February Florida fashion photos to share on my blog during the summer months because I felt no one was interested in looking at summer fashion during the winter months.  Little did I know though that my appearance would drastically change so much in four months.


Many native Floridians dress for winter even if the temperatures are mild.  It cracked me up seeing people wearing tall boots and thick sweaters in seventy degree weather.  We bring out the flip flops and cut offs when the temps hit the sixties in Wisconsin!  Well I left cold and snow to experience warmer weather in February, so I wasn't about to bring my winter clothes with me!  I chose to dress for summer temperatures, but I felt this lightweight flannel dress would be a great pattern and color for the tropical winter season.


All the pictures were taken at the Orlando Botanical Gardens.  What a beautiful place!


I love the rich, bright color of this dress.  It is so soft too!  I did try wearing it as a dress with red knit work out shorts underneath to see if I would be more comfortable, but it seemed to cling to the shorts and add extra bulk, so that still was a 'no'.


When I wore the dress in winter, I wore it with dark skinny jeans.  I never took a picture because we had company over that day and well....I was busy.  I don't make appointments to take pictures of outfits like a lot of fashion bloggers do.  I just go about my life, and try to get someone, usually my hubby, to take a few snapshots of what I'm wearing while were out and about.  My blog is mostly about my life, not just clothes, so when I do a fashion post, there is usually a story behind it too!


Underneath my vest/dress I wore cut off denim shorts (I did my cut off's the old fashioned way...they were jeans that wore out in the knees, so I cut them off and made shorts out of them!), a camisole from Express (old), and brown leather sandals (old).


I really liked how I had a winter look yet I was appropriately dressed for summer weather.


 I always love to add some femininity to my outfit when I'm wearing something more masculine like flannel, so I added this multi-strand pearl necklace.



The only other jewelry I wore was a silver bracelet and my usual rings.  I carried a white cross body bag because I was traveling.


I don't know why designers are always making dresses so short these days.  Most women only seem comfortable with a mid-thigh or slightly above the knee length dress.  I read on a lot of blogs about women complaining about the short length of dresses these days and how difficult it is to find one that's a descent length.  But I have found a lot of short dresses can still be worn with a little creativity.  I love wearing short dresses over capris or leggings, and I've noticed a lot of women wearing them as long tunics over jeans too!  And shirt dresses especially, like the one I have on, are perfect for wearing as long vests.


Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!


9 comments:

  1. That's exactly how I would have styled it Amy. What a bargain find x
    www.vanityandmestyle.com

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  2. This looks so cute, I am always looking for ways to style mine and didn't even think of this!!

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

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  3. Perfectly styled for summer weather ....in winter! It would also be cute as a dress over capri length navy leggings. :)

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  4. I love this dress styled as a vest! I have a similar one, but it is ankle length. I can never button these types of dresses over my boobs, so I have to wear them open anyway, so I usually style them as a vest (or jacket). I think it is a super cool look. I think a lot of retailers who target teens and young twenty-somethings are the ones who are making dresses too short. Or if you are shopping in the juniors' section. They do have super cute things in juniors so I am not deterred from shopping those clothes...I just need to be a little more creative in how I style the pieces. Although, I have yet to figure why teens and twenty somethings are okay with their dresses flashing their privates!

    Remember my Edge of the Week link up goes live at 5:00 p.m. EST every Thursday. Please do stop by and link up!

    Shelbee
    www.shelbeeontheedge.com

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  5. Oh you lucky lady! Vegas is one of my favorite places! My hubs and I used to go every year before we had kids. We've been 8 times and I'm missing it so!

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  6. Thanks for linking up to Top of the World Style. This look is pretty cute. Perfect for the 4th

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  7. That dress is such a great find! I love it styled as a vest! This is such a cute, relaxed look! Enjoy your 4th!

    Jill
    Doused In Pink

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  8. Amy that looks really nice on you. My daughter has one of these sleeveless dresses but it is way to short to wear alone, this is a great alternative.

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