Over at Individual Chic, Icy shows how to wear a dress over pants with style. (It’s easy to get it wrong and wind up looking messy.)
Her two rules:
- Match the colors.
- Keep the dress above the knee.
Additional artistic principles to keep in mind, if you are going to try this:
- Stay within one of the six silhouettes.
- Make sure the fabrics weights work together.
- Go monochromatic, or break up the look using the 60/40 rule.
Why I will probably never try it:
- It’s complicated. I’m not.
- My rise is long and my thighs are short. Because of that I just don’t like or have short dresses.
Nevertheless, I know people like this look; so I wanted you to see Icy’s post. (Just for fun, here’s what I said about it last spring. I still like aprons!)
What about you? Are you wearing dresses for shirts?
That was very interesting, thanks! I only liked the first picture she showed.
But I was surprised that I liked it because I had always thought the look worked better with pants from slinky to narrow. I guess it depends on the body type.
In her case she looks, in the pictures, to be having weight/bone structure distributed more broadly than narrowly – side-to-side vs. back-to-front. I think this is why the wider legged pants work.
I love the dress over pants or tunic over pants look, though I am also long in the rise and short enough in the thigh and shorter even than that in the calf. I don’t wear it simply because I never have ended up with the right pants at the same time I had the right dress.
What caught my eye about the post (my favorite picture was the last one) was that she resembles in figure a RLF of mine who also does the dress over wide-legged pants thing. Perhaps it’s the squarish broad shoulders that makes the look work for both of them.
I also have always assumed a narrow pant.
It’s a look I am unlikely to try. I think it is much more difficult for shorter gals.
But I do wear one particular wrap dress with leggings, so perhaps that is close — even still it is important that the dress hit at just the right length and to follow the monochromatic rule to work on me.
The other look that is similar is the tunic length over pants. Again, something I wear best if the top hits right at the hip bones.
I think I am far more likely to try a dress with leggings, probably because of the fabric weights. Somehow most dresses just seem too drapy to work with alot of pants.
I think what’s so dicey is that it’s so easy to get the pregnant look or the wandering soul from the haight ashbury who only lacks an Indian headband.
When I think about the wide legged pants with it I picture an outfit many had where the matching tunic top was long with set-in or kimono sleeves and there was a bit of shirring gathered around a front center slit yoke and pleats spreading out from beneath that. I had one. 🙂 Never again.
I’ve tried it, but never got out of my bedroom, before I took it off. On me, they bulk me up for some reason. I think because I’m short, and it’s a lot of fabric for one area. (That probably doesn’t even make sense). I like to look as lean and sleek as possible, and that kind of just adds weight and makes me look shorter and fatter than I actually am. What I do hope to try this summer though, is a short skirt and leggings. It seems do-able, but that is even a step out of my comfort zone. She did wear it well though.
I’m not crazy about the dress-over-pants things, but she pulled it off nicely.
I have always loved the dress/tunic over pants look. I think it is super flattering and fun looking! I love the look of aprons over pants too. I have been doing that for about 10 years now! There are so many cute aprons out there, and since I am not much of a cook, this is the perfect way to wear them!!
elleabelle ~ you are quite the style innovator! I have never seen anyone in the apron over pants look. Even though I bought my Romantic/Innovative daughter the coolest apron ever, and she likes it, she still doesn’t wear it over pants.
i love dresses over pants, especially shirt dresses with belted waists. however, i’m nursing right now, and can’t button any of my cute shirt dresses.
I’ve always liked the dress over pants look–I can get so much wear out of my dresses in the winter months that way. I like wearing a zip-up hoodie or shrunken blazer on top of all that. Needless to say, it’s not a look for people who don’t like layering.
One thing I’ve tried is the miniskirt over pants look in conjunction with a longer top (past the hips) to create the illusion that the miniskirt is really the hem of a very long top. It’s a way for me to get more mileage out of a interestingly tiered miniskirt that I don’t wear much. For this to work, the skirt can’t be poofy.
You are so clever, SRR! That skirt layering idea is quite intriguing!
It is so beautiful today, it makes me want to paint my toenails and wear a pretty skirt. 🙂
Thanks for noticing my post Rebecca!