Homecoming Reinvented

I’m sure a lot of us have at least one homecoming or prom dress lurking in the back of our closets, keeping the dust bunnies company and hiding from the light of day (if not a dress for a formal dance, at least some fancy article of clothing that you don’t wear often). These dresses feel hopeless, lonely, and unwanted. But this New Year’s Eve, you—yes, YOU!—can make that dress feel loved again. BUT WAIT! There’s more! Keep reading to find out how to actually accomplish this.

So besides that cheesy infomercial for underused dresses, you actually can break out an old dress and relive the glory days that are high school (just kidding, it’s nothing like High School Musical). Or if you’re still in high school, you can re-wear an old dress from the earlier years, when you weren’t yet plagued with mounds of homework and college applications, hehe.

School jokes aside, there’s nothing I hate more than letting a fancy dress rot in the back of my closet, especially one that cost a ton and holds as many memories as a homecoming dress. That’s why you can make new memories this holiday season! I am all about re-wearing items and keeping a low cost per wear for clothing, so that’s what inspired this NYE blog post.

Dresses are particularly hard to restyle because a dress already makes up a whole outfit. However, for many of us, New Year’s Eve happens in the winter, which means cold weather and the opportunity to layer. Layers are a great way to switch up the look of a dress and wear it in a new and exciting way.

Of course, a winter holiday means you also have to dress for warmth on top of dressing to impress. I suggest layering a pair of tights beneath your HOCO dress. While this look won’t work for some frocks, it can instantly make a lot of dresses winter appropriate. Lucky for me, the springy mint/pastel color of my dress quickly transformed into the perfect winter wonderland color by adding tights and darker hues. If your dress’s color isn’t as versatile, try layering with a pair of colored tights. You could even rock sparkly/patterned tights to jazz up a simple formal dress.

Hair is simple. Let me rephrase that—doing your own hair is not simple at all, but using hair as an accessory to change up your look IS easy. Just pick a different hairstyle! I wore this sparkly mint dress to both my prom last year and my homecoming this year. The first time I wore my hair in big curls with one side pulled back. The second time, I pulled curly hair into a high pony tail and added a sparkly clip. So this time, I opted for a simple low bun to keep my static-y hair out of my face, as well as a glam headband. I encourage you to try something different with your hair and maybe even accessorize it a bit!

Other ways to reinvent your dress: a unique nail polish color, interesting makeup (I initially tried some blue and green eyeshadow, but it looked a little too “Frankenstein” for me), different shoes, or a new purse.

The last step is a coat to keep you warm. I don’t know about you, but I think long sleeved dresses are really pretty…but also hard to find and super impractical for homecoming (talk about hot and sweaty on the dance floor!). But unfortunately, this means the NYE version of your dress is *pretty* cold. Can you see all my goose bumps?? Jackets are always difficult because most of us just have one or two, and more likely than not, they aren’t fashionable (hello, giant puffer coat!). I had this plaid jacket that actually went quite well with my dress, but even I was surprised I found something that looked good with the outfit. In my eyes, you have two options to combat this issue if you don’t own a stylish coat:

1. Try to keep the fashionista status by settling on a cardigan/shawl/blanket-scarf-wrapped-over-your-shoulders instead.
2. Forget the fashion and stay warm—wear that puffer coat ‘till you get inside then take it off right away! This option is definitely me. Yes, I love being stylish, but I also hate being cold.

I forgot to mention the jewelry…How pretty is this teardrop choker? It’s so unique but the perfect amount of sparkle for this outfit. I got it for Christmas.

So what do you think?? Would you try and reinvent an old formal dress for a New Year’s Eve party? Now I have to be honest with you…As mentioned in my last New Year’s Eve outfit post, I will not be attending some fancy party, which means I won’t actually wear this outfit. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t realistic fashion! I could easily wear this look to a fancy dinner, a winter formal dance (I have one coming up!), or even Christmas Eve mass, next year.

I hope you enjoyed this post, and stay tuned for a special post on Sunday!
Miles of smiles,

Grace
Plaid Jacket: Cabi, was a gift // Mint Sequin Formal Dress: JCPenney, $50 // Black Tights: DSW, $10 // Black Pleat Heels: Kelly and Katie via DSW, $40 // Purse