Unlike staples such as a tailored black blazer or classic trench coat, the party dress is an investment that gets far less wardrobe mileage solely due to its seasonality. The holidays have come and gone and our sparkly, glitzy frocks now hang in the rear of our closets lonely and desolate—until now. We set out to reimagine our approach to styling the party dress (aka more on the streets, less in the clubs) and conjured up five easy, enticing combinations we think you’ll be excited about. Scroll down to shop your way to a repurposed party dress.
- Rethink Your Layers
Often the simple addition of a t-shirt or fitted jumper layered underneath an ornate dress can tame the look enough to be worn during daylight. The trick is to keep the accessories artful and veer away from anything overly dressy
2. Dress That Dress Down
If you’re working with a bold hemline or color combination (or in this case, both!) we suggest teaming it with a moto jacket and your favorite trainers as these can help boost that street style-inspired flair.
3. Play With Color
Take your styling skills to the next level and experiment with a monochrome look. Grab your most colorful party dress and pair it with separates in a similar hue. Neutral accessories to finish.
4. Just Add Denim
Denim: the great neutralizer in just about any outfit scenario is (of course) included on our list. Whether you’ve got a velvet slip on the hanger or a feather-embellished sheath dress, toss a knit on top and layer a simple jean jacket over the two for a Jenna Lyons-inspired aesthetic.
5. Balance Feminine With Masculine
As head-turning as you may have felt in your metallic mini, you’ll feel twice as cool wearing it with polished, slightly masculine pieces like a double-breasted blazer and relaxed slacks (yes, we’re encouraging the dress-over-pants trend).