High Low Shirt dress

This is the dress I bought myself with the money my son gifted me.  They're such generous souls (don't tell him that I actually put the money into his bank account though).

Before I could wear it though, I had to have my Mom mend it and sew new seams as the cat (not this big boy, but our mischievous little Marshy) had attacked it and ripped it - thankfully the rip was right next to the seam so it was easy to fix.

Couldn't resist showing off my big boy (btw he's not the one who attacked my dress - we have three cats and it was the youngest of the bunch)

 I'm finding that a lot of the dresses at present are cut with very short bodices - most of them are fitting right under the girls.  I do prefer it when a dress fits in the waist, but am just not finding them to be so.  Its a little uncomfortable, but I'm surviving. I'm guessing I'll just get used to how they feel when someone will change the patterns ... dang Murphy ... lol.

Details:

Dress : Mr. Price

Shoes : Fashion Express

Necklace : Made by my daughter

Bracelet - A gift from my daughter

Although this dress came with a belt, I don't quite like the colour, so when getting dressed I went through a bunch of belts trying to find one that went well with the dress and shoes ... none of them looked right and then I spotted this potential 'belt' which is in fact a necklace.  I've worn necklaces as belts before and providing the item of clothing does not need to be held up by the belt, they're often an interesting alternative.  Have you ever worn a necklace as belt?

The material is lovely and prefect for our hot summers here in Africa - its a really easy comfy wearable cotton blend.

When looking at my photos - I must say, girls like Lyddie just amaze me with their self portraits - I just don't seem to have the knack for it, no matter how well I prepare ... lol. 

Well gals .. that's all from me for today.  Hope you had a wonderful happy day.



One shirt dress three ways : Statement necklace and snakeskin shoes

        Casual shopper                                            Night out                                               Mom Photographer on the run                                    

 Casual Shopper or Lunch with the girls

THE DEETS :
Dress : Fashion Express (they also have a gorgeous green at a mere R160.00)
Belt : Fashion World
Sandals : Unknown
Bag : CCI
Necklace : Truworths

With this styling, you could also go for a little kitten heel pump or strappy sandals with a wedge to give it a little lift.  I'm not wild about wearing completely flat shoes and I'm not fond of how my legs look when I have an ankle strap on my shoes. But this outfit I could really see myself wearing out for lunch with friends or shopping.

Dinner/Date night or spunky office gal

 THE DEETS :

Dress : Fashion Express
Belt : Edgars
Shoes : Woolworths
Necklace :
Bracelets : Contempo
Handbag : Woolworths

This outfit made me feel rather fierce!

If wearing this to dinner, it would definitely need to be a little more upmarket than say McDonalds or even Ocean Basket.  I'm saddened by the reality that people just don't bother about going the extra mile when going out, or even when going to work, very often.  You could even swap out the bag for a smaller evening bag/clutch which would really take it over the edge for evening wear.

I'd wear this to the office but keep an eye on the length and not lean back too far and would then swap out the belt for a thinner patent leather one and maybe just a simple string of pearls to bring it down a notch, but if you're a confident lady, you'd easily carry this look off.

Note to self - a fitted belt hikes this up quite a bit - bear that in mind ;-)

 Mom/Photographer on the move

 

THE DEETS :
Dress : Fashion Express
Shoes : Truworths
Belt : Truworths
Handbag : Woolworths
Necklace : Made by my daughter Taryn in 2006

Off to get printing done and need to be able to carry an A4 plastic envelope and this bag totally fits the fill.  I've even considered having it lined/reinforced to be able to use it as a camera bag.  I bought it in the mens' department at the Woolworths Sale possibly last year.  I often scout around  the mens' department for satchel/messenger type bags as they tend to be roomier when made for men - which I just can't understand ... lol.

This look would be great for doing photographs in as the leggings keep you decent and able to move about quickly and bend and even lie on the ground if needed without worrying that you're showing off some private parts.

If you have young'uns, this would be a snap for getting out to the park or the garden and getting down 'n dirty with 'em.

So folks, this is my first how to style and would love your feedback.

Have a stylish day friends.