Denim Daze 2.0 - Pencil Skirt - Dressy

Tuesday you saw this dark wash, thrifted, pencil skirt styled with a pair of sneakers and a graphic tee. Today I want to show you how to style this same skirt for a look that would be night time and party ready. When you want to take a casual piece and make it more dressy, you need to think about the piece you are going to pair it with and the accessories. Bling and heels are always a quick way to bring a casual piece up a notch.

For this skirt, I decided to add an asymmetrical hem, tunic for a new and more upscale look. My daughter was getting rid of this Fred David tunic and I really liked the color of the print. The tunic is more free flowing and I’ve worn it with skinny jeans, boots and a turtle neck sweater underneath for a colorful cold weather look. You can see that look on my Instagram account here. This time I wanted to have a more feminine, body con look, so I chose to wear a wide black belt.

The high-low hem line allows the skirt to still be seen, so you could do this with any other skirt or even a dress for a different look.

Black seemed to be the right choice for accessories, but you could have also chosen shades of the pinky purple in the top, white, gray or even navy to tie everything together with the skirt.

This cute little necklace I found on a clearance rack some where. It has two layers and each of the little dangles holds a sparkly stone.

I chose my sparkly black clutch, as well. Sparkly, to me, always says dressed up, rather than dressed down. Don’t get me wrong, I have tee shirts with bling, but even those make me feel more dressed up, as opposed to a graphic tee like in Tuesday’s outfit.

I haven’t had many opportunities to wear these cute shoes. They are Aerosoles brand and so comfy. The heel, for me is just the right height, and I like the band across the top. They are easy to get on and stay put.

Here is a look at the outfit from the side.

Do you own a denim skirt? Is it a pencil skirt, a-line, pillar or tiered? There are lots of options for denim skirts these days, especially if you go to thrift stores. They are not tied into the trends or seasons, so there are more options available. If you don’t own a denim skirt, you could do this same thing with any pencil skirt you own. Dress it down with a tee and sneakers or dress it up like I have done here with a flowy top and heels.

I’ve included a few shopping links for fun clothing pieces and accessories. I hope you enjoyed this post and that it inspired you to see what you have in your closet that you could play around with to make great outfits.

These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Have a great weekend.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. Make up Rachel Christensen.

Outfit Inspiration - LuLaRoe

Last August I was introduced to LuLaRoe by a friend of my daughters, who was a styling consultant with the retailer at the time. I purchased a few other pieces from her since then, and while she has moved on from the business to finish her nursing degree, I think the idea of a small business selling modest clothing for women and girls is a great idea. You can see my original post here, as well as this other post on a different piece, here. 

One of the other pieces I purchased was a dress. I was a bit hesitant to try the Julia dress (each style has its own name), because it has a more fitted silhouette. However, I'm trying to get outside my box (see my Thursday Outside the Box column) and be open to other styles and pieces that I haven't tried before. 

This lovely number has a blue colored background with aqua and white diamond shapes as well as white dots in the foreground. At first I wasn't sure how to style this, but once I pulled it on and felt how comfortable it was, I knew I wanted to evoke a casual, date night look. 

The LuLaRoe website describes the Julia in this way:

“The Julia dress is a form fitting, knee- length, knit dress with mid-length sleeves and a high neckline. Its simple silhouette makes the Julia dress a great canvas for layering and accessorizing. This dress is a staple for every season’s wardrobe. It is feminine, flattering, and you may not ever want to take it off.”

I think this perfectly defines this dress. I love the longer sleeves and it is so comfortable, I almost feel guilty wearing it, but not that guilty! Ha, ha.

I am wearing an extra large, because I prefer to not have a body con fit. You can see from the two photos below, the material, which is a mid-weight knit skims my hips, but clings in the right places. 

I went for my cropped slightly distressed denim jacket to wear as a topper. I think the jacket adds an extra dimension of interest and texture to the look and makes the outfit seem slightly edgier. 

Once again I reached for my textured blue clutch, which I felt paired well with the blue in the dress and the denim jacket. 

For jewelry I added a light yellow pendant necklace and a darker yellow bangle. 

While I could have went for a wedge sandal or a heel, I decided to keep the look casual with my blue SO flats. 

i was pleased with how this outfit turned out and I am excited to try a few other combinations with this dress. I think a chambray shirt tied at the front would look cute too or a cropped sweater or tee. I think there are many possibilities. 

Do you like this look? What do you think of this dress? Do you like to wear more form fitting dresses or do you like silhouettes that are more swingy and flowing? I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

I hope you all have a great weekend! 

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. Make up Rachel Christensen.

Thursday linking up with Nicole of High Latitude Style. Friday linking up with Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge, Jo-Lynne of Jo-Lynne Shane, and Jennie of A Pocketful of Polka Dots.