This dress has been in heavy rotation since I bought it years ago. (You can see it layered over a mint blouse here, under a blazer here, and styled simply waaaaaay back in the day here.) Last weekend, when I found myself turning to it once again, I wanted to do something new to mix it up a little, so I decided to layer my Carrie Bradshaw skirt underneath.
I love what a petticoat can do to an outfit in terms of adding texture and volume. And you don't have to own an official "petticoat" to get the look; you can just use a voluminous skirt or any skirt that has a built in petticoat. Simply layer the skirt under your top layer and voila!
Of course traditional petticoats are great too, and you can usually find them on eBay, in costume shops, and at flea markets. As a kid, I had a bright-orange flea-market petticoat that was my favorite piece in my dress-up chest. I wore it doubled over and safety-pinned at age six, and was still wearing it at age ten when it actually came closer to fitting me.
Petticoats are also a great solution for skirts that are a touch too short for the occasion. Let a bit of petticoat sticking out add an inch or two to the perceived hem-length of your dress and you are good to go.
With a petticoat, a pink rosebud print, and maiden braids, this outfit is pretty girly. I added my Jeffrey Campbell ankle boots to rough up the look just a touch (and because I cannot stop wearing them).
Black and pink rosebud-print open-back dress - Urban Outfitters
Pink tutu skirt - Target
Everly openwork ankle boots - Jeffrey Campbell
Green leather belt - Anthropologie
Metallic rose pouch clutch - Marc by Marc Jacobs for Target
Gold arrow necklace - Etsy
I've been looking for the perfect petticoat and actually settled on wearing a dress that already had one (like you mentioned) -- still obsessed with those boots.
ReplyDeletexx Abby | a geek tragedy