The idea to style a tan dress came about when Tresi was putting together outfits for our shoes post. And she talked about “my boring tan dress and I used the shoes each time to set the vibe.”
It became another challenge for her. While the shoes do change the vibe of the tan dress, I wanted to break it down into 5 groupings from which we could all get inspiration.
Quote of the day: “People are always looking for the single magic bullet that will completely change everything. There is no single magic bullet. Progress is about bridging the gap between what we observe and what we can imagine–one careful step at a time.” Temple Grandin
The reason Tresi was so excited about this is that she thought it might be a great idea for how to get out of the ‘I have nothing to wear’ rut.
And she’s right.
Neutral, versatile, and seasonless, a tan dress is basically a blank canvas waiting for you to add your personal style. And the best part?
You don’t need to shop for something new because you can reinvent the same dress multiple times just by playing with layers, accessories, and shoes.
There are some lessons that Tresi learned, which are shared below all of the photos.
Why?
Because playing with our clothes AND THEN analyzing the results is the way to evolve your style and start thinking differently about your clothes.
Even if you thought that a tan dress was boring at first (like me), this works marvelously for any item in your closet.
It’s all about how 2 totally different women can take a concept and make it work from their closet.
1. Belts and Boots
We started with a simpler option of wearing the dress, with a belt and booties.
- Tresi’s take: She added a thin metallic belt with cognac lace-up booties. I love how she added a colorful necklace to take away from the look of being too matchy-matchy.
- My spin: My belt is 2 men’s ties sewn together to create an obi belt. I added a brooch in the middle of the belt and then wore snakeskin booties and an asymmetrical necklace.
Insider tip: If you ever feel like your neutral dress looks a little blah, use your accessories and footwear to bring life to the outfit.
2. Jacket and Belt
The next photo Tresi included was her jacket and bow belt. Since I had a similar belt, I decided to recreate her look but differently.
- Tresi’s look: Tresi’s jacket is a longer blazer, and she matched it to her combat boots. Notice the cool effect of the leggings under the dress. Her necklace is black, which also makes the red belt a fabulous statement.
- My look: Instead of a blazer, I opted for a cropped sepia jacket. This color blends with the dress, so my belt and boots are the focus.
Insider tip: It’s important to have different jacket lengths in your closet. Remember when I played around with the same dress and different lengths of jackets? There is no right or wrong, but it’s good to have options.
3. The Open Jacket Effect
Next, we styled the tan dress with jackets worn open without a belt. These jackets have vertical front panels.
- Tresi: She layered her denim open, yet you can see there is shaping on the jacket, which adds interest. A necklace adds to the vertical element and matches her ankle boots.
- Me: I wore the same type of jacket, in that the front panels are straight. But I cuffed the sleeves and even tried to tie up the dress on the side. I don’t consider this a successful origami project, but you never know until you try.
Insider tip: Jackets do NOT have to be buttoned or closed to be considered wearable. If you have one that is a tad small, wear it open instead, or close it with a skinny scarf like I did in this video.
4. Another Silhouette
Not all jackets are created equal. So we pulled out completely different silhouettes to see how much they could transform our tan dress outfits.
- Tresi’s choice: She grabbed a jacket with a relaxed cut. The panels drape to the outside of her hips and create a focus near her face. She opted for leopard booties and a similar color necklace.
- My pick: I wore this cheetah shrug, which is really longer until I wrapped and tucked it. For my footwear, I grabbed a colorful pair of Cariuma sneakers.
Insider tip: Much of our clothing can be transformed in some way. Just because it was shown originally one way doesn’t mean you can’t fold it, tuck it, or change it somehow. That’s the foundation for my motto to be the boss of your clothes.
5. Layering Under the Dress
Finally, we decided to push the boundaries and layer pieces under the bottom half of our tan dresses. This is one of those tricks that can extend your wardrobe and make your dresses wearable in new ways.
- Tresi: She layered her tan dress over jeans. This is such a practical way to keep wearing dresses into colder months. BUT NOTE: She folded the dress up to resemble a tunic. This is what Tresi said: “I originally thought I’d just wear the dress belted over my jeans, but it wasn’t a proper ‘ look ‘ just a random collection of clothes, so I put on an elastic beltaway belt, then pulled the dress up and let it drop over; it took a couple of goes to get the balance right, each time the hemline was higher!”
And then she wore a navy jacket, a burgundy scarf, and burgundy boots with it. - Me: I decided to slip a tulle skirt (from Just Be Youtiful) underneath my dress. In order to showcase the tulle even more, I created a small knot on one side of my waist and even tied a small skinny scarf around it. This cropped vest was made by my mom, and I’ve shown it years ago with a polka dot top under it back in 2015.
Insider tip: 2 words when it comes to layering: OVER and UNDER. Always think about both ways when you play in your closet.
Lessons Learned
After putting these looks together, Tresi shared this with me:
“What I’ve learned:
That the main item of clothing doesn’t need to do the heavy lifting in an outfit.
That having a completely blank canvas can be fun.
That even quite small details can make a big impact.
That my outfits look way better on me with a jacket or duster, and I feel more confident too.
That even if you can’t wear heels, there’s still a world of happy shoes out there!”
My tan dress is from Valerie’s Avenue. While she doesn’t have the same one available, she does have a similar long sleeve one. And Jodie15 gives you a discount.
Final Thoughts on Tan Dress Outfits
What I loved most about this challenge was how shopping your own closet can turn up loads of surprises if you’re willing to experiment.
That’s the magic of a tan dress: it bends to your personal style.
With this idea, I would say you don’t need something new. Instead, I encourage you to grab your most neutral dress and challenge yourself to restyle it in many different ways.
You won’t know unless you try it.
Plus, you’ll quickly realize that your closet holds way more possibilities than you thought.
Insider tip: Sure, you can just pull out options and hang them next to each other, but it’s a much better challenge to fully style the outfit on your body. Then don’t forget to take a selfie to get a different perspective. PLUS, if you love the look, you can save the photo for future reference.
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My Goal
Thank you for visiting my space on the internet. I like to showcase how it’s never too late to look great for women of any age, size, or working with any kind of budget.
I feel I’m here to help move beyond the fashion rules of yesterday and evolve. Style and clothes are made to give you joy. Not cause us stress because we are worried about what others think.
Welcome to Jodie’s Touch of Style. I’m here to prove that it’s never too late to look great. Clothing and style are meant to showcase your inner personality. So let’s have fun and try new things.
It’s not just about me on this blog, but I also love including others. We get to showcase not only different decades of life but also different body shapes and unique personal styles.
