The Art of Layering a Summer Dress: Ivana's Guide For Easy Summer Layering (Part 1)

So, you've always wanted to layer in the summer. Boy, you've come to the right place! Let's start this ride with a fairy-tale. My favourite  fashion kind of fairy-tale. A girl meets a dress.

ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A PERFECT SUMMER DRESS

Once there was a perfect yellow dress. It was made of cotton and felt very comfortable to wear. Ivana fell in love in that dress and wore it all the time. It looked perfect worn on its own. It was simply the perfect summer dress. Yellow is the colour of summer, isn't it? Soon, however, Ivana decided that she wants to spice things up a bit and find other ways to wear that yellow dress. She wanted to layer it. How does one layer a yellow summer dress? Why, there are a number of options!

Layering in summer,  can be a bit more tricky but it is by no means impossible. When weather is hot and sunny, we feel the impulse to simplify things. Nothing wrong with that. Layering is something we connect with the warmer months but should we? Yes, layering is a perfect way to keep warm but that doesn't mean there aren't ways we can't layer our outfits. You know some people live in warm climates. Should it mean they should give up layering. By no means no! Layering is fun. Layering can even help to protect us from the sun. Think of desert people and their multiple layers. I don't know have you heard but there is even such a thing as clothes that are made to protect us from the sun. I suspect that sun protective clothes will become a thing in future. Until then, sun protection creams combined with clothes can be the perfect solution. Prompted by my love for this lovely yellow dress, I gave this matter some though.  

HOW TO LAYER A SUMMER DRESS

Once you've thought about it, you'll realize there is a number of options. I'll write down some of them for you. You can layer your summer dress by:

- wearing a vest with it,

- wearing a blouse, a t-shirt or a shirt over it,

-wearing a cropped top over it,

- wearing a body chain over it,

- wearing a scarf around your waist,

- wearing a scarf as a poncho,

-wearing a regular poncho, 

- wearing a skirt over it,

- wear it with jeans or jeggings,

- wear it with leggings,

- wear it with shorts,

- wearing a crochet or sheer jacket over it.

But why limit ourselves to words when we have pictures? Put your clothes where your mount is Ivana!  Here is how I put these words and action into action. Some of these outfits are a few years old, some are new, but all of them are all about layering a summer dress. 

1. LAYERING A SUMMER DRESS GUIDE: WEAR A SKIRT OVER IT

Wear a skirt over it! That sounds terribly simple but you know what? It works like a charm. All you need to make sure that you match the lenghts....or if you want to get a really creative- don't. Here, however, I matched the lenghts by wearing a mini dress (you can see what it looks like here) over a vintage midi dress. I love this polka dot pencil dress. Wearing it under a dress gives me an opportunity to match what I love the most: dresses and skirts. Another skirt that I often pair with dresses is one vintage grey midi skirt.

Bellow is an example of a dress worn both on its own and with a mini over it. So, you see, you can wear all kind of skirts over dresses. Mini, midi or maxi, all kind of skirts can be worn over dresses. It's one of the easier way to layer dresses in summer. It also saves on the packaging space.

2.  LAYERING A SUMMER DRESS GUIDE: TIE A SCARF AS A BELT

Wearing a scarf as a  belt or a sarong around our summer dress is such a great way to make it look more fresh. I often wear scarves with dresses. Another way to layer a dress with a scarf is to wear the scarf around our shoulder and then secure it around our waist with a belt of something of the sort. This way of wearing the scarf is known as ' belt the scarf' look, but you can always play it up a little. In addition, you can also wear an oversized scarf and tie to create a maxi skirt look. The possibilities are almost endless.

3. LAYERING A SUMMER DRESS GUIDE: WEAR IT WITH A VEST

Long or short, vest is the perfect layering tool. It is a great option because it's so easy, you just throw it on and that's it. If you want to do it in a casual way, pair your dress with a denim vest. If you want to be more fashion forward, opt for a crochet vest. Vests with interesting details, for example floral print, are also a good choice. I do enjoy wearing vests with dresses. It's a great way to jazz up an outfit. Some vests also come with pockets, which makes them quite practical. 

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4. LAYERING A SUMMER DRESS GUIDE: WEAR A T-SHIRT OVER IT

Another simple way to layer a summer dress is by wearing a t-shirt over it. If you are going for a nineties look, you can also try wearing a t-shirt under the dress. When wearing a t-shirt over the dress, remember that you have two option. You can tie a know to create a cropped look or you can wear it as you normally would.

5. LAYERING A SUMMER DRESS GUIDE: BELT IT!

Does wearing a belt count as layering? If the belt is large enough, surely it counts as layering? Maybe it is debatable, but I would say it does. Anyhow, belts come in many shapes and forms. Big statement belt feel like more than an accessory. To me they feel like layering. In addition, if you are brave, you can try  body chains which are if you think about it a type of mix between a necklace and a belt. Speaking of accessories, you can always layer accessories. Layer your necklaces to create a layered look. If you are fashion forward enough, you can even try layering belts.








5. LAYERING A SUMMER DRESS GUIDE: WEAR A SHIRT OR A BLOUSE OVER IT

Wearing a shirt over a summer dress is a no brainer. Usually when I wear a shirt over I dress, I tend to -crop it. The best way to show off as much of the dress as possible is to tie a knot on the shirt. That way you get a cropped look. Simple and easy, a shirt over a dress is a easy styling formula that will allow you get the most out of your summer dresses. If you end up getting bored of your summer dresses, remember these tricks. You'd be surprised how fresh a dress can feel if you wear a shirt over it. By adding different colours and textures, you can completely transform the dress. Layering is popular for a reason. It is a great fashion tool. Don't give up on it just because it is hot. Have fun with your summer dresses!






TO BE CONTINUED.....

As I was preparing this post, I realized that one post can't possibly be enough to cover this fascinating subject so I decided to divide it in more parts. I'm not sure when the second part will be ready, but if you want, you can help me out by answering these questions:

Do you layer your summer dresses?
If you do, how do you go about it?
Do you have any layering style advice?
How would you layer a summer dress?
What is the best way to layer a summer dress?


Thank you for reading and have a lovely day!

  

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