I've been in the middle of a closet purge because OMGTOOMUCHSTUFF. This means I'm evaluating things more carefully before giving them valuable closet space. Last fall, I bought the most perfect essential black dress from Karen Kane and I have continuously reached for it on a near-weekly basis. Lately, it's the first thing I pull from my clean laundry pile. It's the first thing I just threw in my suitcase for later this week. It's the perfect trifecta:
- Super comfortable – feels like the comfiest tee ever
- Can easily be dressed up or down
- Transitions multiple seasons
I was perusing Nordstrom (as I do way too often) and I noticed the dress is now available in NAVY! I immediately ordered it (and another black one because that would be tragic if I ripped or lost the one I have) and wanted to share some ideas on how to wear it. I've worn it no fewer than 4 times on this blog, so voila:
- Dress layered with a wool coat, tights, and black pumps – more photos and outfit details
- Same dress with the same tights and black pumps, but with a more casual faux fur vest on top – more photos and outfit details
- Dress with added metallic belt and a shirtdress worn open over top – more photos and outfit details
- Worn as a shirt – topped it with a skater skirt – more photos and outfit details
There are also plenty of times that I wear it without an additional layer. I can add a funky necklace and some Keds or Chucks and run out for coffee. For boot season coming up, I can see it with colorful tights and some knee high boots. Or tights and booties with a cable knit cardigan.
I am a big fan of Karen Kane items in general because like their fit and fabrics. They're also one of the few brands that has both misses AND plus sizes. I get a lot of Karen Kane items from my Gwynnie Bee subscription, but this dress is a must-own. So far, I've only seen the navy version at Nordstrom. The black version is available at several shops, linked below. At the time of this post, the black dress is on sale at Zappos. I snatched that one up and then bought the navy one from Nordstrom. You may notice the reviews of the dress on Zappos aren't the best, and I will say that the fabric might feel a little clingy or thin at first. It's an a-line shape where I normally wear fit and flares, so there isn't as much volume on the bottom and that's what took some adjustment on my mindset as to how it looked. The a-line is so much more versatile than the fit and flare! Sometimes I'll throw a very light shaper underneath for some tummy smoothing (not minimizing) but I also wear this with zero hesitation without any foundation garments (especially right now because it's HOT AF OUTSIDE.)
Have any questions about the dress or styling? Hit me up in the comments or on Facebook and I'll get back to you.
Edit: 8/10/16 – Now a 5th way to wear it – right over here!!!
Shop the dress:
Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post, but it does contain affiliate links. This means that if you purchase something from my links I will earn a small commission from your sale. You pay the same price no matter how you choose to purchase it!
