How to wear a slip dress over 50 in many ways

How to Wear a Slip Dress Over 50: Creative & Realistic Ideas

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I love getting creative with the idea of how to wear a slip dress over 50. The thing is that many of us from the older generation, look at a dress like this and can’t get it out of our heads that these are what we used to wear hidden UNDER other dresses.
Yet, evolving is just as important to our style choices as to our learning and thinking. So hopefully, this will give you some inspiration.

Quote of the day: “A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.” Mahatma Gandhi

When I saw this quote it was a great reminder that we shouldn’t automatically rule out clothing because of how we remember something. When you wear modern styles, you feel more modern.

This slip dress is from Banana Republic Factory and is still available, and on sale, as well as made in other colors. One of the reasons I wanted to try it is because it came in petite (and in tall for those of you who are tall).
The other reason I could see myself wearing it more is because of the cowl neck making it more modest.

While I’ve seen other women sharing the idea of how to wear a slip dress over 50, I wanted to share a couple of creative and non-traditional ways to style this dress.

Insider tip: These ideas can work with any dress in your closet. Go play with your clothes and see what combinations you will find.

I’ve written multiple articles about how a dress can be more versatile than you think.

What is a slip dress?

Orange slip dress for older women
Dress: Banana Republic Factory ~~ Shoes: Walking Cradles “Samantha

When we talk about slip dresses, the material is the biggest factor. They are going to be a silky material that reminds us of the slips we used to wear with dresses.

While most slip dresses have spaghetti straps, you’ll be happy to see that a couple of those in the widget have straps that will hide your bra.
For me, since I’ve discovered both the best strapless bra and breast tape, I am not limited by that detail.

ASOS has a wide variety of slip dresses in all sizes. Don’t be put off that their models are all young. The dress doesn’t care what age you are. I’ve ordered many things from ASOS before and they have a nice return policy.

I’ve showcased at the bottom of my article a couple more dresses that aren’t necessarily slip dresses but are similar and would work with all of these ideas.

There are a couple of advantages of thinking about how to wear a slip dress for women over 50
1-It’s very modern
2-Multiple ways to layer both over and under it
3-They are the opposite of frumpy.

Insider tip: Don’t be put off by a style that you see worn on younger girls. There’s no reason older women can’t wear this dress and look great.

I also want to point out that I saw Elisa wearing this same dress on Instagram, so we collaborated with a fun post about it. She is also older like me yet a different size.

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Layering a Jacket

Jacket layer as how to wear a slip dress over 50
Dress: Banana Republic Factory~~Jacket: Ann Taylor-thrifted~~ Shoes: Mark & Spenser

Let’s start with the most obvious way how to style a slip dress over 50. Adding a jacket gives you coverage for your arms and warmth if it’s cold.

But there are a ton more clothing items that would give you this same look
1-Cardigan
2-Blazer
3-Button-down shirt left open

Before I was blogging, this is the only option I considered when thinking about layering with a dress. Yet as you will see below, there are endless options and thus your closet will seem so much bigger.

Summer to Winter Options of Layering a Top Over the Dress

This is the next easy way how to wear a slip dress over 50. Instead of only wearing a topper that is open, you can layer any top or sweater over it to make the dress look like a skirt.

For a spring look, I layered a thin asymmetrical hem top over the slip dress.

The sweater and boots outfit is one that I wore out for Valentine’s Day because it was chilly.

Insider tip: You may notice that I tucked the sweater up in the front to help with better proportions. I did this by wearing my Beltess belt and pushing the front hem under it.

Layer a Top Under a Slip Dress

Half tee worn under a slip dress
Dress: Banana Republic Factory ~~ Top: Halftee -use code Jtouch20 ~~ Shoes: Tyler-from Goodwill

I know that our usual idea of layering on the top half is to add a jacket or cardigan over a dress, but don’t forget the mantra about layering both over AND under. It’s just as easy to put a top, turtleneck, or sweater under the slip dress too.

For this example, I wore a Halftee so I wasn’t adding bulk to my midsection.

Insider Discount: Halftees come in multiple arm and neck choices and they all end right below your bra line so you don’t have more material around your midsection. Use code Jtouch20 for a discount.

How to Wear a Slip Dress over 50-Add a Skirt

Styling a sheer skirt over a slip dress
Dress: Banana Republic Factory ~~Skirt: Mom made it~~ Shoes: Walking Cradles “Porsha”

I realize that when most of us wear a dress, we never think about layering the bottom half. Yet, time and time again, I will use this option to create a totally different look.
I usually layer a longer, wider skirt over my dress to make the dress look like a top.

Related post: Debunking the myths about layering a skirt over a dress

For this example, I chose a sheer skirt that my mother made for me years ago. You still see the dress under it, but it adds so much glam to the look (and a bit more modesty covering the slit up the side).
You’ve seen this skirt as part of a birthday celebration look with a silver skirt under it.

How to wear a slip dress over 50 with another skirt under it
Dress: Banana Republic Factory~~Skirt: Banana Republic Factory~~Belt: given to me by a friend~~Shoes: so old it’s worn off

And then there is no reason not to layer another skirt under the slip dress.

Insider tip: I did try wearing a tulle skirt under this slip dress, but I didn’t love how the silky material of the dress showed all of the bumps of the tulle. But that doesn’t mean the tulle skirt wouldn’t work under a thicker dress. Make sure to play with lots of options before you give up.

For this look, I layered a slip skirt under my slip dress. This filled in the slit from the dress to make it more modest and also created more length.

Wear 2 Dresses Together

There are so many ways you could layer this slip dress with another dress.

1-Layer the slip dress under another dress and have it show both at the top and bottom
2-You can layer it under another dress and only have the top OR the bottom be visible
3-Think about layering another thin dress under the slip dress (both ways of #1 or #2 with what shows)

I opted for #1 with my look. I layered another spaghetti strap dress over this slip dress that is shorter so you can see both the different straps on top and the orange slip dress at the bottom. The cowl neck of the slip dress filled in the neckline of the print dress perfectly, and it look almost like they were made to go together.

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How to wear a slip dress over 50

Photo credit: Rob Filogomo

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