Practical Fashion Epiphany #1: Button Down Dresses

Happy FRIDAY woot woot! I can’t believe it’s 2019 already. My ten year-old self is super disappointed that I haven’t grown up yet, haha – I don’t know what I imagined 2019 to be like, but I was pretty sure I’d look, dress, act, and have all the same gear as Marty McFly by this point. I do wear a lot of Calvin Klein underpants, so I guess I’m halfway there.

In any case, the past few posts have been LONG, so this one is going to be a bit of a palate cleanser. Today we’re talking PRACTICAL FASHION, both from a budget standpoint and general wardrobe know-how standpoint.

I had an epiphany in Brazil (ok, “epiphany” is a bit dramatic, but hang in there) about how to make your wardrobe more versatile. Clothes are expensive – and I get it, you’re paying for art (that you fart in, can I get an amen? Mom, I know you taught me better than that but I couldn’t resist).

But if there’s any way to make your wearable art go more miles, create more looks, and for each piece of clothing to live it’s best life, I’ll take it.

Ready?

Practical Fashion Epiphany #1:

Get your fine self a button-down dress – a maxi if you want glam
The dress should have sleeves of some kind, or at least very thick straps
Wear it: As a dress, duh. You’ll look great.
Wear it again: As a duster/long cardigan/kimono, unbuttoned over something you love. You’ll look hot and smart.
Repeat as necessary. Now you’re a genius. If it’s cold where you are, style with boots and a long wool coat and you’ve got yourself an unexpected, laidback outfit. Yoo hoo!

I’ve marked this as Practical Fashion Epiphany #1, which is a very optimistic title since I’m leaving the door open for more epiphanies. We’ll see how this thing plays out.

I used to be pre-med, but since the accident my standards for genius have … changed. A button down dress is now G E N I U S, haha! I’ll take what I can get.

In any case, want some real-life examples?

I bought this dress for our Brazil trip (highlights here), and wore it around town with Rodrigo for the day:

When I came out in this dress, my sister-in-law and Rodrigo looked at me with wide eyes. He thought it was the most horrifying thing I’ve worn in recent history because it’s something his grandma would have worn. She thought it was AWESOME because it’s something her grandma would have worn.

I thought it was awesome because it’s something my grandma would have worn.

Goes to show that sometimes the reason you like something is the very same reason someone else dislikes it (hem hem, current political situation in the US).

In any case, I rewore this dress in Pirenópolis as a duster and I loved every damn breezy moment of it. I had some groovy footage of me twirling, but as you may have seen on my IGTV video, someone lost those clips.

It was perfect for strolling, holding hands, and even gave Rodrigo a reason to complain since he stepped on my hem a good number of times. God I love how grouchy he can be.