I enjoyed participating in both challenges this week, though certainly struggled with winter dresses. Thanks to Natalie, Sona, and Shannon for organizing! Here are all my outfits for the week, and the background I posted with each. Please feel free to skip right down to the photos :)
#1 - Scarf Challenge. I have been off my non-silk scarves this season for some reason, even for outerwear, so I wanted to come up with something that used one of my more wintery scarves specifically for indoor wear. This is one of my favorite scarves, cashmere with a b&w houndstooth plaid print; it is simply looped around my neck twice, with the ends sort of tucked into the jacket collar to keep it all in place. It was surprisingly warm today so I could skip an outerwear coat and just button up my denim jacket (which I rarely do). Though work has been cold today, so the denim and scarf have both stayed on all day. I am really happy with how it turned out, and will definitely sport this again with a lighter weight scarf and top in the spring.
#2 - Dress Challenge. I do not have any non-sweater winter dresses, really, so I struggled mightily to come up with even three outfits for this challenge >< Then I remembered that my sheath is fully lined which makes it actually work quite well in fall/winter as long as there are other layers involved. It has not yet been worn this season, so thanks for the nudge. This challenge did make me realize that I don't like to layer things _under_ my sheath, but toppers are a-ok; it is also a bit of a challenge for me to rocknroll this dress up for casual wear so it feels like me! Today I added lots of leather, which did the trick although I don't usually wear so much brown :)
#3 - Dress Challenge. This sleeveless dress was one of my favorite purchases last summer, made of thick jersey and lightly lined in the torso. Initially I wanted to layer a sweater over the top, but wasn't pleased with how any of them looked (too heavy, too long, weird neckline, etc.). I wanted to keep the fabrications similar in weight, so I thought I'd give this rather-stiff blouse a try over the top. The proportions are kind of odd but I feel like it works? I do quite like the little triangle of stripes from the split hemline. Black suede tall boots (and black ribbed sweater tights) to keep the look grounded as wintery, and a pop of neon because I didn't like how the neckline looked on its own :) I'm not sure I would wear this dress again in the winter, but I'm happy to realize that it could easily be brought out in early spring with some clever layering.
#4 - Dress Challenge. I recently bought this fun sleeveless dress for spring/summer; the top is jersey with a drapey neckline, and the bottom is a silver-washed pseudo-suede (not sure what to call it!!). It's a dropped waist on me, but I quite like it (and surprisingly so does hubby). Today I layered it over a lightweight tee with ruched sleeves, but am not super thrilled with the results; the jersey-on-jersey is preventing the top half of the dress from draping properly, so it bunches up. It's not quite as noticeable in person, when I am moving, but it was a nightmare to photograph! Oh well, lesson learned. Paired with gray sweater tights and black mid-calf boots to complete the monochrome look, and my usual winter cranberry lip color stands out much more than it usually does with this dark outfit :)
Some thoughts that resulted from these challenges:
- I am definitely not feeling my non-silk scarves this season, and probably into spring as well. Must keep this in mind while shopping so I don't buy scarves that I won't be wearing!
- I definitely prefer dresses to skirts, yet have easily twice as many skirts as dresses (AND I'm really on Team Pants/Shorts anyway). Something else to keep in mind as I get ready for spring shopping.
- That said, I need a winter dress that isn't a sweater dress! I have a few sweater dresses, but that kind of felt like cheating for this challenge ONLY because I already wear them plenty ;) Since I do enjoy wearing them especially as a silhouette alternative, a sleeved heavyweight woven dress is absolutely on my list for next fall/winter.
- While I don't like to layer under my sheath for wintery looks, I don't mind the look with bare legs. Not sure why that is. But I do plan to try some of my silky tops underneath my sheath once it warms up.
- I much prefer my winter dresses shorter (above the knee) and summer dresses longer (on or below the knee).
Comments, critiques, thoughts and questions welcome!
