Three Ways to Style a Slip Dress
I vividly recall the first slip dress I fell in love with. I was about 19 years old and found it on the sale rack at an Anthropologie. I do not know for sure if it was the lovely cinnamon color, soft fabric, or asymmetrical hem that stole my heart, but something possessed me to buy it despite the slight tightness around my hips. I was significantly smaller then than I am today, but have always had an hourglass shape. Love certainly blinded me that day in the store, but every time I tried to wear it afterwards I could not ignore the obviously bad fit for my body type. Though that slip dress perpetually found itself returned to the closet unworn, I could not bear to part with it for years. Eventually I let it go and resolved that a slip dress was just not for me.
As I noticed the slip dress making its rounds through the fashion circuit again this spring (one decade and thirty pounds later on my part), I have decided to give it another chance. The slip dress may remain unsuitable for a curvy body, but now that I have more experience dressing for my shape, I want to revisit the slip dress and see if it is a possibility. For this, I will also seek some expert guidance from local boutiques on styling. Hopefully, this time around I can learn how to rock it right!
Here is my plan of attack:
Assess slip dress sizing
Seek styling tips from experts
Take the leap
If you have an hourglass shape or are interested in learning more about styling a slip dress, I hope you will keep reading because this journey has been a long time coming.
Assess slip dress sizing
Whether it be the design or cultural impression, a slip dress seems unfriendly to bodily curves. The straight up and down cut immediately tells me I’ll be sizing up on this one. Though I normally wear a dress size large, I first opted for an XL. As difficult as it is to not care about what letters are on the tag, it really is more important to find the best fit. You will be the only one who knows what the size is (assuming you don’t write a blog about it); others will know at a glance if the fit is off.
The XL works okay, but only okay. This particular dress is supposed to hit mid-calf and on me the larger size hit almost at my ankle. The area around the midsection is unflattering, even in shape wear. Also the fall of the dress on my hips creates excess fabric on the sides. Upon reading the reviews of this dress, most people said they ended up ordering two sizes up from their normal size. Since I will most likely have to hem this dress either way, I went ahead and ordered an XXL, just to see.
XXL before alterations
The XXL fell better over my hips and midsection, but it is clearly too large in general. The look of a slip dress is supposed to be loose and straight, so I decided to try and work with the larger size. But, alterations are in order. I began by taking the seams in under the arms and down the sides, about an inch and half on both sides, tapering off near my hips. Then I hemmed 5 and a half inches off the bottom so the dress would hit mid calf. There was enough excess from that to make a sash that can be used as a belt or head band. Overall, I do not love it on me yet, but I definitely feel more comfortable about wearing this altered one.
XXL After Alterations
Seek styling tips from experts
Now that I have the dress itself adjusted as much as possible to my body type, the next strategy to try and make this work for me is to learn about styling it. I have never styled a slip dress before, so for this one I turned to a local boutique to help me out.
I reached out to a few local places (that I love to shop in) and Aprill of Daphne’s 525 immediately agreed to join me in this project. I walked into her shop on Cherry Street in Downtown Macon ready for anything. April’s store always has cute clothes for every body type and the best accessories. Daphne’s 525 was the perfect place to source three completely looks for one dress.
Look One: casual
As we spring into gorgeous weather, I wanted a look conducive for walking. Aprill began with a pair of bedazzled, white sneakers. “A slip dress can work for any context,” she said, “as long as you have the right shoes.” From there, she pulled a denim jacket with rhinestones to match the kicks. I love that the blue contrasted with the coral. The key here, is to find a jacket that cuts at or near your waist. Since a slip dress is designed to fall on the straight side, a crop jacket will help give the look a little shape and structure. The crescendo for this look was a funky pair of earrings, which I am obsessed with on any given day. I loved this ensemble! I felt fresh, confident, and ready to rock it or walk it.
Look Two: Flirty
For this styling, Aprill opted to play into the flowy vibe of the slip dress and lighten the look with pastels. The feathery, pink kimono perfectly accentuated the vertical shape while also giving the ensemble texture. A long, beaded necklace also helped the linear direction remain pronounced. Complete with a pair of nude, block heels and sweetheart purse, I was flirty and thriving! I felt ready to dine al fresca with my beaux or brunch with my gals.
Look Three: Evening
Hats and belts and heels oh my! This look did not hold back. My friend (and photographer for this session) Caitlin discovered this fun, geometrical belt and the look just flourished from there. An evening look necessarily needs heels. These black, block sandals were just the thing and inspired a black bag and hat. Once the gold statement necklace was added, the ensemble was complete. The dark and metallic combo was just the trick and had me ready for a night out.
Take the leap
A trending style is not indiscriminate. Too often (like with rompers or wide-legged pants), I feel personally victimized by just how ill-fitting they can be for a curvy gal like me. A mature style is one that chooses for body type, not trend.
But where’s the fun in that?!
Trends are fun and, often times, unavoidable. But wearing a trending style that doesn’t seem made for me comes across as either unaware (“does she know that looks bad on her?”) or courageous (“how brave of her to try that!”) Maybe I just cannot stand the fact that trending styles all seem geared towards the same body type: not mine.
So yes, I say it is a leap to wear something that was not designed with girls like me in mind. But, as I found through this exploration, it might be worth it from time to time. Looking back at these ensembles, it is clear to me that a slip dress can work for my hourglass shape. Obviously, I have to be more intentional about sizing and styling than others may have to be, but I am pleased with the outcome.
A huge thanks to Aprill at Daphne’s 525 for sharing her styling tips and accessories with me. And to Caitlin for helping me play dress up and capturing the fun. A little encouragement from those beside us can give us the confidence to rock that outfit we’ve been pondering, so thanks for being my hype women. The slip dress and I were over due for a reunion. Y’all made this (dare I say scary) journey, fun and painless!