Art of the Dress

Art of the Dress :: Challenge #2 :: The Trench

When all else fails, put on a trench. Truly. It's the one item in my wardrobe that I go to again and again ... especially if I'm in a hurry and I know I don't look my best, I grab my trench and everything becomes OK. The trench slims us down, and piques curiosity about what might be underneath. This black trench is one I've had forever and I love pairing it with boots.

Here's another favorite trench of mine ... one that I can wear in warmer weather, with its 3/4-length sleeves and cute front ruffles. Pumps or strappy sandles are what I pair it with.

Here's a different kind of babydoll trench. I like to pair it with ruffly socks and oxfords with a chunky heel.

So now it's your turn. Show us how you wear your trench coat by creating a post on your blog and then linking here by leaving a comment. Deadline: June 1, 2011. For those of you who love to alter clothing, would love to see how you alter your trench. Happy Art of the Dress. :)

Art of the Dress :: Challenge #1 :: The Apron

I love wearing aprons. And usually, the aprons I wear are not in the kitchen. Like this one that was made for me by Becky Shander. 
It's an apron made of a piece of cashmere panel serged at the bottom and then accentuated with cream lace at top. I love wearing it over this striped dress because the apron takes the edge off of the strips so that my entire outfit isn't just screaming stripes. (Aprons are great for toning down stipes, colors, and other loud motifs.)

The striped socks work because the apron is there, right? If the apron weren't on, the striped socks and striped dress would just be too stripey. The cardigan I'm wearing is from Breathing Beside Us. I love tying cardigans at the empire waist line.

So now it's your turn. Show us how you wear your apron by creating a post on your blog and then linking it here by leaving a comment. Deadline: March 1, 2011. After March 1st, onto the next challnge we will go. Happy Art of the Dress. ;)