WEEKEND WEAR : That Little Red Dress

I’ve had this red dress for several years now and I’ve only worn it a handful of times. Yet, somehow, I could never bring myself to toss it to the goodwill pile. Then one day a girlfriend of mine saw me wearing it and said, “Tara. You need to wear red more often!!!” (thank you, Lily). Talk about a confidence booster!

And because I have yet to own a little black dress, here’s my little red dress – to be both dressed up for that hot date or dressed down for everyday errands. I mean, why not? I love red lipstick and red nails, why wouldn’t I love a red dress?! There’s nothing fancy (…cue that acoustic goodness…) about it. Except maybe the frill. It’s jersey knit and oh so comfortable. I think sometimes we just need to look at our closets with fresh perspective, coupled with that boost of confidence, and rediscover just how versatile our wardrobes actually are.

(Photos by Sarah, edited by me)

Ever since my Weekend Wear Travel Edition in KC, I’ve been a huge fan of adding a skirt over a dress for my “mix it up” look!

Last summer, my friend Sarah and I had the great idea of making our own circle skirts. Pinterest for the win! So we stopped by a tiny, local quilting store – the sweet ladies stayed open longer for us to have time to look around – and both of us left with two yards of discounted fabric for our new project. And no, it wasn’t the simple, two hour skirt we thought it would be (mainly because we were carried away with talking and being distracted by new peppy tunes). Eight hours later and resewing my ONE pocket in FOUR times, I had a new skirt (complete with a tulle under-layer) in my wardrobe! But it was so worth it…

A few thoughts: With a basic dress like this, you can add literally any skirt you have! For example, a black skirt would make it more classy, a tulle skirt would give that southern elegance vibe, and a jean (above the knee) skirt would make it super casual.

For this dress, I let the ruffle stand out and paired unassuming jewelry and smaller belts with it to compliment, not compete. Also, pay attention to the waist line. You might not have noticed, but this dress has an empire waist – I needed to pair an A-line/flared skirt with it to compensate for it being pulled up and belted higher than the natural waistline.

|| Little Red Dress: My mom ordered it for herself, but when it didn’t fit proportionally, she gave it to me! Skirt: Made it from a Pinterest pattern. Sandals: Walmart, clearanced (crazy, right?!). Belt: Came with another dress, clearanced. Jewelry & rings: Gifted and borrowed from my mom. Photography: Sarah Kane. ||

Show me your little red (pink, purple, black, whatever) dress! Post a picture of it and tag me here or via my Insta @PattengalePhoto! I might just feature it!

Always,

–Tara M.