The Perfect Winter Dress

Last month I was invited to a wedding last minute (perks of being the photographer's wife), and realized all my fun dresses were far more summer appropriate. I pulled a look together with a knit little black dress and some statement jewelry, but have since been daydreaming about owning a perfect go-to winter cocktail dress. Around the same time, I stumbled my way into Barney's (dream on, right?) when I had some time to kill before meeting with friends, and came across this perfect number by Rag & Bone.

I love the black and white combo, the flattering vertical color block pattern and the fun gold piping. All that in the ultra flattering shift shape? Can I please own you NOW?!. The $450 price tag, is well, shall we say unrealitsic, but I'm determined to own something similar in my price range. I took to the usual sources, and here is what I came up with.

This first row is actually a bit liberal in its interpretation: a similar shape in the center, but different colors, longer silhouettes, and other tweaks make this row more of a nod to the original dress.

1/2/3

One of the things I love the most about the Rag & Bone dress is the flattering vertically oriented pattern, so these dresses below struck me for the same reason. Some include the mirrored print look that has been cropping up in the last year, but I think the overall shape and layout is a nice nod to the original. And I love the shoulder detail on the far right dress. 

1/2/3

For this last set, I went as close to the original as I could. The gold buttons on the far left dress remind me of the piping on the original, and I love the curvier shape of the middle dress! I thought the beige was a nice twist in the third one. 

1/2/3

What do you think? Close enough? What's your ideal winter dressy dress? 

By the way Rag & Bone, you could make this easier on all of us and just send me the original? OK thanks. 

Guest Posting: Party Looks

Here's a snippet from a guest post I did last week for Kimberlee over at I Have A Degree In This

...Summer equals cute dress season in my mind. Boston's weather really limits me to jeans, boots, sweaters, and scarves for most of the year, so I take every chance I get during these warm months to sport a short, swingy, patterned, or just plain fun dress.

Because it's been so hot and humid lately, I like to make a statement with the dress as much as I possibly can, and leave the accessorizing and layering to a minimum. This dress is one of my favorite examples. The bright color and detailed neckline don't need much accessorizing at all. I actually wore this to the office one day, but I've also taken it for a spin for social events like a friend's bridal shower two summers ago (yes, this baby is old).

I rounded up some of my favorite types of simple-but-statement-making dresses, mostly drawn from my favorite cheap chic stores (Forever21, Asos, and Dorothy Perkins, which I have yet to buy from but absolutely love to browse).

Clockwise from the top left: One/ Two/ Three/ Four/ Five/ Six

Why six dresses you ask? Well because birthdays should be-week long affairs, and I'm leaving the seventh day up to you to figure out.  (Plus six looked best laid out like this :).) As you can see, I love the shift dress shape! It's simple and sexy and can handle a bold color, pattern, texture, or embellishment. Dresses 2 and 3 have really fabulous low backs and cutouts—a detail that's too risky for the office, but perfect for a celebratory look. I'm also big fan of swingy skirts and fun stripes. I actually have Dress #6 in my closet and am planning on taking it for a birthday spin. I wasn't too sure about the high-low shape that's been big this season, but the stripes come in my favorite colors and the rest of the dress is so cute and classic, I couldn't resist.  

Finish these off with some bright studs or chandeliers (BaubleBar is my favorite source for those), classic espadrilles or peep toe heels, and fun nails (I've been rotating Essie's Turquoise & Caicos, Tart Deco, and Lilacism all summer long).