Preppy Perfection: The Layered Dress Look

Happy Hump Day! I hope you’ve been having a great week so far. Mine has been pretty hectic—full of tests and assignments. BUT I wore this super cute outfit yesterday and got tons of compliments! Today I wanted to share how you can achieve a similar look of layering a collared shirt under a dress.

1. The first thing you need to achieve this look is a collared button down blouse. There’s a catch though—the shirt has to be pretty thin. The only way to make this outfit work is with a flimsy, thin-material blouse because with just a normal, stiff collared top, it will end up being too much under a dress. The thickness of the fabric would add visual weight to your frame and it wouldn’t fit well beneath your dress. I got this fun patterned blouse from JCPenney, and its lightweight material worked perfectly for this look.
2. Next you want to pick a dress. The dress should be the exact opposite of the shirt—you want the material to be heavier and thicker. This way, the shirt can be hidden beneath the dress. If you wear a really thin dress made from a delicate material, then you’ll easily be able to see the wrinkles and bunching of the shirt. While your dress does not have to be an A-line shape like mine, that style does work well as it is super flattering. If you’re worried the layers on the top of your frame are adding extra width, an A-line dress can counteract that.
3. Now comes the time to actually do the layering! The thing about trying to achieve this look is you have to be open to the idea that it might not work. If you’re interested in recreating this outfit in your own closet, I would recommend trying it on during the weekend instead of rushing in a weekday morning. Or, if you do wait until the morning of, have a back-up outfit plan. I was not sure if this look would work at all, but it actually turned out pretty cute. You just have to be willing to experiment!

Also, here’s a little tip: if the necklines of your dress and your blouse look weird together, see if adding a statement necklace helps. I thought the scoop of my dress was too low compared to my collared shirt, so I added the sparkly necklace to fill that space.

What did you think of today’s post? Would you ever wear this outfit, or is it too preppy? I was nervous to try this look out because it’s a bit out of my comfort zone, but I’m so glad I did. Anyways, have a great rest of your day!

Miles of smiles,

Grace

Teal Collared Blouse: JCPenney, $7 // Pinstripe A-Line Dress: Elle via Kohl’s, $40 // Blue Point Flats: Circus by Sam Edelman via DSW, $5 with major discounts // Sparkly Belt