From Vacation to Vocation

Drafts: 

 
Composition:
antiqued gold finish earrings (Charlotte Russe)
purple cotton jersey dress (Victoria's Secret online)
white button down (Express via sister's closet)
brown stretch belt (Kohl's)
brown wedge sandals (Old Navy)

Usage:
I mentioned earlier that I was having a lot of trouble finding affordable, easy summer dresses, so naturally I found this one after I had given up searching.  I really like the fit of this dress, and it will be perfect for my upcoming beach vacation, my attendance at a summer ATP tennis tournament, and countless outdoor social gatherings.  The cut of the dress is definitely not work appropriate, though, so I wanted to try to re-style it in order to get some use out of it during my work week.

A while back, I put together this look which featured a belt to disguise the line between my button-down and one of my favorite skirts.  I thought I'd try to recreate that look with this dress since its skirt is an office appropriate length.  I found this short-sleeve button down in my sister's closet, so I wore that over the dress, folded up the bottom of the top, and positioned it under the belt.  This belt is about 2" wide, and all but the buckle is stretch material, so it did a nice job of flattening out the fold and disguising it.  I thought I might end up adjusting this all day long, but I was surprised at how well the belt held everything in place.

When I wear this again, I think I'll wear the belt about one inch lower so it's not right under my bust, but I liked the overall look here.  I'm always excited to find new ways to maximize the usefulness of an article of apparel! 

Prompts:

• Do you tend to keep your work wear and your casual attire separate, or do you try to find ways to mix and match them?
• Do you have any other tricks for making a more casual item of apparel more appropriate for the classroom or office?  (Feel free to share links!)