Double Duty

So - spoiler alert - this is not a purple skirt - it's a purple dress!

I know, it's not exactly groundbreaking to wear a top or sweater over a dress to make it have double duty as a skirt - but I'll be honest - most of my dresses just never work out when I try it. I don't know if it's because I'm busty, or because I just don't have the right pieces to make that look work - but this is the first time I've truly managed to make a dress look like a skirt, rather than like a dress that I happen to be wearing a top over.

So - here's why I think this one works (and my other ones don't): The dress is fairly form fitting - it doesn't have a lot of bulk and hides well underneath the sweater. The sweater/cardigan is a bit thicker than some of my other cardis and helps to hide the extra layer of fabric beneath. Also- the buttons are pretty blingy - which draws attention to them rather than the line of the short sleeve of the dress beneath the cardigan.

My other dresses are either too thick, or have ruffles, puffy sleeves, etc on top and my other cardigans or blouses aren't thick enough to hide the fact that there's a dress beneath. My best advice is if you want a dress to act as a skirt, trial and error is your friend.

I was inspired by the fact that Ricki's is showcasing a bright kelly green pencil skirt in their spring line (and I really really want it - but it's not in my budget) so I was trying to find a solid bright coloured skirt in my own wardrobe.

I wanted to make sure I had a solid neutral over the dress because while I personally love all colours together, I know that some people have a hard time seeing red and purple side by side (hello purple hat ladies!) and not thinking I'm a crazy person. But a touch of purple in this adventurine necklace (made by me) brings the whole thing together.

I originally had this on with boots but ended up not liking how it looked. The pumps are a much better, more leg elongating look.

Dress - Walmart
Cardigan - Marshall's
Necklace - Handmade by Me
Pumps - Walmart

Link ups

A Labour of Life // Curly Crafty Mom // Happiness at Mid Life // Living in Color Style // The Mix // Fashion Should be Fun // Forage Fashion // Lizzie in Lace // Style Elixir