One Dress, Three Ways
It's officially dress season!
I've had a lot of fun sharing my dress finds this year, the majority are saved to my Dress '22 highlight on IG, and throughout my blog, like on this post, my Amazon Storefront list and don't miss my guide on shopping wedding and other special occasion dresses this season.
When purchasing all things, I think it's helpful to visualize and think through all the different ways to wear it. I was particularly inspired by this puff-sleeve smocked mini dress in dandelion swirl dress, sized XXS-3X with petite and tall length options (I’m wearing XL, regular) so, I wanted to share a few different ways to wear it. Feel free to apply these ideas to any mini dress you own, I also have a few more ones to shop at the bottom of this post.
make it a
casual daytime look
For a day of running errands or sightseeing, pair your dress with white sneakers and a tote bag. I kept the jewelry pretty simple with these under $15 hoops and a headband! Here's a similar headband for less that I own and LOVE. More headbands and how to store them on this post!
now let’s get
dressed up
If you've got plans to go to an event, date night or feel like jazzing up the look, you can add a fun braided heeled sandal, a pop of color earring and a dressier purse. I also added bright lipstick (shade Seal The Deal) to make the look feel more special!
bonus idea!
add a layer
I had every intention of just showing two looks, but then I got chilly while we were photographing and thought this would be SO cute with a denim jacket (wearing XL) - don't you think? In case you missed my recent review on denim jackets for all sizes and price points, check out this post!
but what about
Undergarments?
It can depend on the dress and your bust size when it comes to bras. I typically wear this bra or this bra with most of the smocked dresses I own, especially the Hill House Ellie Nap dress (I wear large). However, for more smoothing back options, I love this bra, this bra, and this bra.
You have to be careful, though, because sometimes square necklines can be trickier. You have two options here. You can wear a strapless bra, this is my favorite strapless for fuller figures, and this one is fantastic for smaller busts. I have more on my strapless bra guide.
You can also wear a bra with wider-set straps. This one and this one tend to work for me. Some wide/square neck dresses have a button/clasp inside the dress strap to keep the bra aligned. If you don’t, you could always use double-sided fashion tape for extra security to keep the straps in place.
When I need maximum support,
I look to the OnCore collection (use CARALYN10 on Spanx) for more special occasions. My go-to everyday short is the Thinstincts 2.0, and I wear it as underwear (no undies needed underneath, but you can undoubtedly wear them if you prefer). I haven’t tried these, but I’ve heard fantastic things about them if you’re looking for something non-constricting without any shaping to wear to prevent thigh chafing.
May I also suggest Megababe’s Thigh Rescue (anti-chafe balm) when you don’t want to wear shorts. It works wonders and has SAVED my thighs. I shared more underwear favorites and ways to refresh your underwear here!
I have more of your most frequently asked undergarment questions answered here!
SHOP a few more
similar dresses
I hope this post was helpful! I'd love to hear which way you prefer and any other ideas to style your mini dresses. Let me know if you'd like to see more posts like this, and feel free to leave any questions below. Thanks for reading! xx CMK