So, finally, I have time and something like an attention span, and I felt like seeing what I could do with this new-to-me Pact dress, which I wore to Mass this morning.
As I believe I said earlier, I really like this dress, which I bought on Poshmark for something like $20. I adore the color and the heavy organic-cotton fabric. For all its drawbacks –- chiefly that it doesn't wick moisture, but absorbs it, so when it gets wet it stays wet –- cotton is still a comfortable fabric to wear year-round in my part of the world. It's breathable and soft. If it's not as warm and insulating as wool, ninety percent of the time in North Carolina, it's warm enough. And the cut of this dress is comfortable, flattering, and versatile. I anticipate reaching for it a lot, even when I'm not trying to wear purple for a liturgical season.
Not that it doesn't have its drawbacks. Chief among those drawbacks is the cut of the armholes:
I thought my Camellia's armholes were a little generously cut, but these are approaching ridiculous. If I had paid $80, or whatever the original price was, I would be disappointed. I am willing to bet that that's why there are multiples of this same dress on Poshmark (at least there were a month ago, when I bought this dress). People got their dress, tried it on, thought hmmm –– and maybe they'd bought their dress on clearance and it was a no-return deal, or else they just let it sit too long, thinking maaaaaaybe they'd wear it. Anyway, I can see why this particular model is up for resale a lot.
But having paid $20-ish, I'm prepared to say that this design flaw is no big deal. For one thing, I generally wear bralettes, not regular bras, which have the appearance and coverage of a camisole underneath. I could opt to wear a t-shirt under, with the dress as a jumper, especially since I have a number of tees that I've cropped to make my own cheap "half-tees." In the cold weather, anyway, I'll be wearing a layer over the dress all the time, as I did this morning. So –– given what I paid for this dress, I can cope with the armhole business all right.
It's not cold today. In fact, it's been unseasonably warm lately, though I think temperatures are about to drop again. In the meantime, though, I'm not bundling up much. When I came home from Mass I traded my extremely warm boots for barefoot sandals –– these sandals aren't actually that bare, so that I don't feel like I'm trying for July in Christmas instead of vice versa (I mean, yes, it's Advent, of course, but anyway).
Changing out of my long cardigan, I threw on a sweatshirt hoodie, a gift from my mother some years ago, which I wear a lot as an in-the-house layer, but I like the colors together.
This made me want to experiment with color combinations specifically –– not whole outfits so much as just other colors with the grape color of this dress.
Another warmer/transitional-weather combo might be this thrifted band-collar denim shirt, which I don't wear much as a blouse, but love as a third layer over things:
The fit is fairly slim, and it hits in a good place so as to look less boxy than other top-layer shirts I have.
I decided to put the boots back on at this point, to give more of an idea of winter outfits specifically, since I do have some months of mostly-colder weather to get through, wearing this dress. Officially it's a summer dress, I guess, but it has a lot of potential for even very cold weather, with a coat over the top, and possibly something thermal under: bamboo slip, merino tights, etc.
So here's the dress as a winter dress, combined first with various blues. I've been admiring Juanita's color combinations involving her beautiful plum-heather Camellia challenge dress, and my favorites, consistently, involve that dress color and blue. I have not really thought that much about blues and purples together, but it's a combination I've come to love.
Trying it first with this very old light-blue bolo-length cardigan. The cardigan is some weird sheeny knit, not really that warm but dressier than the average cardigan. I always feel that it dresses up anything I'm wearing it with. I like the dusty blue with the grape here.
I love this thrifted duck-egg-blue cotton Loft cardigan, though the shape can be a little boxy. I often like it better tied at the waist than left loose. Again, I think the colors are delicious together –– this is almost as much a sigh of relief to me as dusty blue with sage green.
A sampler of pullovers:
This sweater is wool, and it's warm. I'm not sure I love it with the dress, more because of the shape than because of the colors, but if I needed to wear purple and be really warm, this is certainly an option.
I like the dress with this slouchy blue thrifted cotton Liz Clairborne pullover. The whole outfit is soft and comfortable, and again, I like the blue with the purple.
Finally, this longline lightweight blue marl cardigan:
This cardigan is really more a transitional piece than a winter one, but we do have these warm days. Meanwhile, I like the combination of colors here.
Here's a quick experiment with brown, which I like:
This turns everything pretty earthy and feels more autumnal than wintry to me. I've always loved the design of this thrifted Talbots cardigan, which I think is a cotton-ramie blend, and it's heavy enough to provide a good bit of warmth.
And then, of course, there are grays. I wore my duster-length grayish cardigan this morning, but tried a few more just for fun:
This thrifted Athleta drape cardigan really never feels wrong. I love everything about it. Here I love the flow it adds to the very basic shape of the dress.
Really, ditto this completely different cardigan, the little beaded number that goes with so many things. Like the sheeny blue cardigan, this one dresses up anything I wear it with without my even having to try.
Finally, green, which is purple's natural complement:
This has a more everyday feel, but I like it.
I also tried a few blazers, all thrifted, with this dress, to see how the structure of a jacket changes the whole mood. First, my least-structured soft gray cardigan-blazer:
And this short, very tailored moss-green corduroy:
I love the way this blazer adds instant shape to an outfit. It's very fitted in its design, and I kind of thought at first that I wasn't going to like it, because I have always tended toward more relaxed forms. But when I need to look sharp, this blazer really does it.
Finally I tried shades of purple, for a tonal look:
I figured that this would either really work or really not work. On balance, I think it really works. I love the long line of the still-tailored jacket, which feels very flattering. And the colors are just different enough to harmonize rather than clash –- it feels like a chord, not a discord.
After this I got tired of trying on clothes. But of course I could vary things up a lot more: shoes or Doc Martens with tights, for example, in navy, green, or gray. Various scarves. Layers under as well as over. Depending on the weather and what I'm doing, this dress offers a nice canvas for endless variations.
I will say, the nice thing about tall boots is that they save you having to think about tights and what color those are. As much as I like tights, especially now that I've got some good ones, I still find boots so easy in the winter, especially if I'm going out. You can just feel polished and finished in a hurry.
Going to finish my coffee here, then maybe take the dog for a spin. She was so helpful with all this closet-shopping!
And stay tuned, because when the year swings round again, I'd love to do a summer closet-shopping excursion with the same dress.