Do you have an old dress in your closet that needs a little love? You know the one…you picked it up one summer because it was PERFECT but somehow, it got pushed to the back of your closet. Something about it just wasn’t right, but that something alluded you and it still does.

I have a dress like that! I ordered it from Linenfox about a year ago, on June 5 to be exact. Ok, so this dress isn’t horrrribly old.  But the point is, I was over it. And if I’m being completely honest, I don’t think I was ever really into it. Not that I think that was the dress’ fault…it’s lovely. But there was just something about it that stopped me from reaching for it.

I am a big proponent of wearing the clothing in our closets repeatedly and not having things hanging out that never get worn. It’s the most sustainable thing that we can do in terms of our clothing. So this dress just sitting there bothered me. Sure I wore it a few times last year because I had decided to keep it (this doesn’t happen often, but sometimes, the whole process of returning something, especially oversees, seems was more stressful than just keeping the item and wearing it). And then it went into hibernation for the winter, but the part that’s been bothering me the most is that I didn’t even consider it when I started my capsule last month.

But, for the month of May, I have been participating in a 30×30 challenge on Instagram. Similar to the 10×10 challenges that I have done in the past, but instead I select 30 items to wear for 30 days. I decided to keep most of the items from my previous capsule, but I did add in a few different items from my closet and a few items that I have thrifted this month. I also decided to add in this dress that I was struggling with, which I’ll get to in a minute. Aside from clothing, I included 3 pairs of shoes to really challenge myself.

So, back to the dress. While I was pulling items for the 30×30, I found myself again stressing out about the fact that this dress was just hanging there and I had no desire to add it. But then I got thinking about why I didn’t feel like I wanted to wear it. I think that the silhouette (looser, with no definition without a belt) + the belt that came with it (same color and material as the dress) was just boring for me. So I decided to have a little try on party! I figured that if I could just restyle a dress into new outfit combinations, that maybe, just maybe, I could learn to relove it again! I pulled it off the hanger and had a good look at it. Then I looked for a few different accessories to see if I could spruce it up a bit.

This is what I came up with.

The Dress

Like I said before, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this dress in it’s original form. The color is a beautiful light blue and the material is a mid- weight linen that is not see through at all. the belt is definitely a nice touch and it gives the dress a nice silhouette.

But it’s just a little bit boring, don’t you think? It could definitely use a little sprucing up.

Let’s see what we can do…

Restyle a Dress // Look 1. Add a contrasting belt and boots.

I have always loved the look of brown and blue together. There’s something about the contrasting coolness of the blue and the warmth of the brown that makes for a really cool combo…at least, that’s what I tell myself ;).

To liven the dress up a bit, I grabbed this belt that I’ve had for years. I believe I bought it at American Eagle back in my old fast fashion days. I chose this one because it’s really floppy (please excuse how technical I am haha) and I can loop the end to give it an even more casual vibe. I added these thrifted boots because (1) they are a great compliment to the belt; (2) it’s unseasonably cold this spring; and (3) I’m kinda in love with them.

Restyle a Dress // Look 2. Add a robe (or long cardigan).

I didn’t reinvent the wheel here…I simply added a linen robe :). Keeping the color palette going strong by adding some caramel. I like this robe as a light layer over the dress and I think it adds a lot of drama. This is probably how I will wear this dress for the most part! And I like how the robe is light and breezy which means I should be able to wear it into the summer, but I may switch the boots out for some tan sandals.

Restyle a Dress // Look 3. Try a sweater.

I feel like this last look is perhaps the most unexpected. I think that we are all used to throwing a cardigan on over a dress but a sweater is a little more challenging. With a cardigan, the sweater can lay open. Or it can be buttoned all the way up. Or partially buttoned up. It’s this versatility, not to mention the buttons, that make it the obvious choice. But I love how this sweater makes the dress resemble a skirt and how it gives off that casual cool vibe (again!).

The sweater that I have chosen to go over the dress has a looser knit and made from cotton, which makes it a good choice for this time of year. Won’t you give it a try?

Now you may be thinking that it’s not the easiest to style a bulky sweater like this. But, don’t you worry because I have you covered below…

Bonus – Sweater Styling Tip

So, the sweater that I’ve chosen is pretty bulky, even though it has a looser knit. Left out over the belt, the silhouette feels sloppy and not interesting. AT. ALL. To combat this, I have a little styling trick that I use (I also use this on thinner shirts that I find too long to nicely tuck into the front of pants).

Step 1: feel for the top of the belt (or the waistband of pants).

Step 2: about 2-3″ below the top of the belt, fold the bottom of the sweater so that it lays flat against the inside.

Step 3: tuck the “new” bottom of the sweater into the belt (or waistband).

Step 4: enjoy your casually cool look without the bulk!

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And there you have it! 3 new ways to restyle a dress thats been neglected so that it feels fresh again.

Also, check out this post and this post for other restyling options!

What look was your favorite? Would you use any of these tips to relove an old dress? Do you have any other tips to add?

Until next time,

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