Weekly Secret Weapon: Rework Your Favorite Dress

Typical girl I am, always saying that I have nothing to wear when I'm standing in front of my closet. But what I'm really great at, besides complaining about my wardrobe shortcomings, is my ability to rework a piece of clothing into a bunch of different looks. So this week, I have decided to share how to rework your favorite dress in your closet to create a new, unique look every time.

The piece I chose was my favorite little black dress. This dress is so versatile as it can be dressed down or up and mixed and matched with various accessories. My basic tip for reworking an item in your closet is layering. The unique thing about dresses is that you can layer things over them, under them, and pile on the accessories.

One of favorite things to do with a dress is to layer a tank or t-shirt over it. This gives the affect that it is a skirt or that the shirt is part of the dress. It also gives a dress a pattern that it didn't normally contain. Adding a belt in this ensemble helps, as sometimes the layering affect may add bulk in areas you don't necessarily want it. So cinch it in with a belt and play around with different tops to layer over your dresses!







You can also add a skirt or slip under your dress. This is great for a couple of reasons. It adds length so shorter dresses can be worn in a more formal setting such as work or party. Also, it helps to add a print or color in a subtle way. And, it can add a little sex appeal as lace is definitely sexy in a subtle way. You can also add a skirt over a dress to make the top part of the dress appear as a shirt. This was done in my "Layered Day" post back in June 2009.







Lastly, adding a scarf on top of a dress worn with a belt is another great way to add pattern. It can give the dress a whole new look in either a casual or dressy way.









So don't be afraid to layer on or under items to rework your favorite dress. You can come up with fun and unique combos that will really turn some heads!