OK, admittedly, this is not a great achievement….. putting a cardigan on a black dress.
Nevertheless I like it and it gives me an opportunity to wear this cardigan for which I had little use so far.
On the other hand, this outfit is 100% classic. So really, it needs something to give it a twist. Any ideas?
It is so nice to be able to use you all as stylists. For free. (“For free” is something we Dutch are known to love. LOL)
The variations are simple: buttoned up, buttons open at the top and bottom or cardigan completely open.
My preference is open, which is a bit of a surprise to me. The fact that you interrupt the horizontal lines by opening the cardigan would have stopped me from doing so. In theory. In practise I think it makes me less straight which is good to me as I don’t want to look like a long stick.
Have you got a preference? And do you have a tip to make it less classic?
(With the exception of Josep-Maria, who likes classic. LOL)
Looking forward to your advice for making it less classic.
Greetje
Nothing wrong with classic, Greetje. I always love that style. Especially in the office I like wearing a cardigan with a black dress to make it less formal.What about a big statement necklace in pink if you want to give it a bit of a twist?I am thinking of something like:http://bit.ly/YZlqdForhttp://bit.ly/13OUox9AnnetteLady of Style
Oh Annette… what a wonderful necklaces… especially the first one. So lovely, but I always want to try these things first. If you order them from abroad, it costs quite a bit of money to have them shipped (and even more if you have to send them back if they are not right). I will try my own necklaces first and pretend it is shocking pink. See what it looks like. But oh, that first one with the olive pearl drops… mouth watering.
It’s a really pretty outfit on you! To make it more trendy you could wear the sweater with a black & white stripe skirt or better yet, skinny jeans!
On skinnies? Not with my hips and bum dear. Oh no. But the cardigan with the black and white striped skirt is an idea I had not thought of. Thanks, I will try that.
I am a huge cardigan girl. I love buying it in every color & pattern imaginable….& that one you’re wearing is something I would grab from your closet! :-)Rebeccawww.redtagchiclosangeles.com
Just reach out your hand…
great classic look, all you are missing are pearlsbrett
That would make it even more classic. I would rather make it more modern.
It’s a sweater that you can dress up or down. I like it paired with a classic LBD as you did here. But I can see this being really cute with a summery white eyelet dress or even an unexpected cobalt blue underneath. This will work nicely with jeans and a cute top (since I love pattern mixing – I would go with polka dots or even a black & white striped top).I love the idea of asking for free style advice. I have a dress that I need a lot of help – I think I will wear it and ask for some help. Great idea!Alicewww.happinessatmidlife.com
Well Alice, you know you can upload the picture to the Forum of 40plusstyle. Lots of women (and Sylvia) there who like to give some help. I am going to try the black and white striped top as I have a few of those.
With the vest open, adding a neon pink necklace a la your yellow one would make it more contemporary.
Please be on the look-out for this kind of pink necklace (SMILE).
Greetje – I want to second Annette’s idea because I think the solution is once again about accessories. The dress is lovely as is the sweater; now you should bring it into the 21st century with a great bold necklace or scarf. I would do the necklace in black myself – such as http://needsupply.com/womens/new-items/rios-necklace.html?affiliate_id=20648&click_id={clickid}&utm_source=pepperjamYou could in a simple outfit like this combine two necklaces. Please see our post on layering more than one necklace at a time. I also love the pics of you out and about with Sylvia.
I was answering your comment Jeanne when I read your last sentence and thought: “What????” Went to 40plusstyle.com immediately and there was me in an article. So funny.Thanks for the compliments and the link to the lovely necklace. I will go necklace hunting (again).
The touch of pink cardigan gives it a more casual look. Such a lovely ensemble.XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
As said by so many people, with a good LBD you can do anything, wear it anytime.
I love cardigans I wear them almost every day to work because my job is usually very cool. I wear mine completely open but on you I like the one with the top 3 bottoms open.Have a great week,
Thanks Ofelia. I never wear cardigans, they are on my NO GO list. But this fitted one I like.
I like all three looks. The first is the most traditional, the second is a bit more youthful (I think the way the sweater is open at the top and bottom defines your waist), and the fully opened cardigan makes you look long and lean – in a totally good way. The pink is flattering to you. The only way to give this a “twist” is with a colorful shoe and/or bag. Orange and pink together are big this Spring but yellow or a bright green might work too. I am happy with the classic look of this though. I would be content to wear it as is. :)Suzanne
Hahaha! In that case you might even wear it as a hat-)
Now you are going overboard. LOL
You gave me too many options. If you had said it definitely needed an orange bag, I would be on my way to buy one. But as you well know, I have a yellow one. Green too, but not bright. I have a lunchbox which is bright green. Might use that as clutch. As long as I pull a face as if it is a trend, I can get away with it, can’t I?
well, the cardigan is nice but I wouldn’t wear it with black. Perhaps with creamy colours would be better
Indeed. I like it.
Why not Dan? It has a black stripe in it.
I know what you mean Dan. English is not my native language either. And although I can express myself pretty well, it is not the same as my native tongue. And I agree that black is a very severe colour. It is also totally the wrong colour for me, but I cannot resist it. Like a moth is drawn to a flame.
… I find that black sometimes makes an outfit too severe ( even if your dress is very beautiful ). ( sorry for my poor English that don’t allow me to express myself as I would )
Greetje, sometimes classic is beautiful and you, my friend, just stated it here with this ensemble. I actually love the first photo the best, simple and classic, it is just stunning. If you really want to add a twist to it, I will let you borrow my bow belt (lol) which would be really fun to wear over the cardigan (buttoned up). I do like all three combinations as they are all lovely on you. With the cardigan left opened, I would add a strand of pearls (maybe 3 in different lengths). With the second combo I would have a fun floral neck scarf, but you know me, I’m all about mixing patterns. Good to see you!
Greetje, I hadn’t seen Sylvia’s post before my first comment, but WOW you looked amazing in those photo’s. What a fun day you must have had, you looked so happy. Great buy with those gloves, the little polka dots (buttons) are fabulous. And, I love your purple velvet blazer.
And you are very good at mixing patterns Trina, so I welcome your suggestions. Thanks.
I am happy. Sylvia is great in taking photos. As with everything she does, she really gets into the stuff and finds things out. No half work here. Therefore she has become really good at photography as well. And nice photos make or break an outfit. I have shown this purple jacket on my blog as well, but the jacket always turned out blue. Today my niece, who is a photographer, gave me some lessons again. Slowly learning….
You laugh at me? 🙂 LOL. You’re right. That elegant with your LBD! I love this jacket, the outfit that set the dress is very nice and balanced. It really is a classic look, but fun. I really like the cardigan open so you can see the full dress. In the second picture I laugh at you. 😉 🙂
Love you dearly Josep-Maria. Would not dream of laughing at your expense. LOL
thanks Greetje, 🙂
It’s a really pretty outfit on you! To make it more trendy you could wear the sweater with a black & white stripe skirt or better yet, skinny jeans!
On skinnies? Not with my hips and bum dear. Oh no. But the cardigan with the black and white striped skirt is an idea I had not thought of. Thanks, I will try that.
I am a huge cardigan girl. I love buying it in every color & pattern imaginable….& that one you’re wearing is something I would grab from your closet! 🙂
Rebecca
http://www.redtagchiclosangeles.com
Just reach out your hand…
great classic look, all you are missing are pearls
brett
That would make it even more classic. I would rather make it more modern.
The touch of pink cardigan gives it a more casual look. Such a lovely ensemble.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
As said by so many people, with a good LBD you can do anything, wear it anytime.
I think this is a classic look and a bit different from your usual style, but I like it.
The skirt is a good elegent length and I love the black band on the cardigan with the black skirt.
Yes, I am a woman with many faces… LOL
I think this is a classic look and a bit different from your usual style, but I like it.
The skirt is a good elegent length and I love the black band on the cardigan with the black skirt.
Yes, I am a woman with many faces… LOL
With the vest open, adding a neon pink necklace a la your yellow one would make it more contemporary.
Please be on the look-out for this kind of pink necklace (SMILE).
It’s a sweater that you can dress up or down. I like it paired with a classic LBD as you did here. But I can see this being really cute with a summery white eyelet dress or even an unexpected cobalt blue underneath. This will work nicely with jeans and a cute top (since I love pattern mixing – I would go with polka dots or even a black & white striped top).
I love the idea of asking for free style advice. I have a dress that I need a lot of help – I think I will wear it and ask for some help. Great idea!
Alice
http://www.happinessatmidlife.com
Well Alice, you know you can upload the picture to the Forum of 40plusstyle. Lots of women (and Sylvia) there who like to give some help. I am going to try the black and white striped top as I have a few of those.
I love cardigans; I wear them almost every day to work because my job is usually very cool.
I wear mine completely open but on you I like the one with the top 3 bottoms open.
Have a great week,
Thanks Ofelia. I never wear cardigans, they are on my NO GO list. But this fitted one I like.
Greetje – I want to second Annette’s idea because I think the solution is once again about accessories. The dress is lovely as is the sweater; now you should bring it into the 21st century with a great bold necklace or scarf. I would do the necklace in black myself – such as http://needsupply.com/womens/new-items/rios-necklace.html?affiliate_id=20648&click_id={clickid}&utm_source=pepperjam
You could in a simple outfit like this combine two necklaces. Please see our post on layering more than one necklace at a time. I also love the pics of you out and about with Sylvia.
I was answering your comment Jeanne when I read your last sentence and thought: “What????” Went to 40plusstyle.com immediately and there was me in an article. So funny.
Thanks for the compliments and the link to the lovely necklace. I will go necklace hunting (again).
Greetje, sometimes classic is beautiful and you, my friend, just stated it here with this ensemble. I actually love the first photo the best, simple and classic, it is just stunning. If you really want to add a twist to it, I will let you borrow my bow belt (lol) which would be really fun to wear over the cardigan (buttoned up). I do like all three combinations as they are all lovely on you. With the cardigan left opened, I would add a strand of pearls (maybe 3 in different lengths). With the second combo I would have a fun floral neck scarf, but you know me, I’m all about mixing patterns. Good to see you!
And you are very good at mixing patterns Trina, so I welcome your suggestions. Thanks.
Greetje, I hadn’t seen Sylvia’s post before my first comment, but WOW you looked amazing in those photo’s. What a fun day you must have had, you looked so happy. Great buy with those gloves, the little polka dots (buttons) are fabulous. And, I love your purple velvet blazer.
I am happy. Sylvia is great in taking photos. As with everything she does, she really gets into the stuff and finds things out. No half work here. Therefore she has become really good at photography as well. And nice photos make or break an outfit. I have shown this purple jacket on my blog as well, but the jacket always turned out blue. Today my niece, who is a photographer, gave me some lessons again. Slowly learning….
Nothing wrong with classic, Greetje. I always love that style. Especially in the office I like wearing a cardigan with a black dress to make it less formal.
What about a big statement necklace in pink if you want to give it a bit of a twist?
I am thinking of something like:
http://bit.ly/YZlqdF
or
http://bit.ly/13OUox9
Annette
Lady of Style
Oh Annette… what a wonderful necklaces… especially the first one. So lovely, but I always want to try these things first. If you order them from abroad, it costs quite a bit of money to have them shipped (and even more if you have to send them back if they are not right). I will try my own necklaces first and pretend it is shocking pink. See what it looks like. But oh, that first one with the olive pearl drops… mouth watering.
I don’t think it needs a lot. You can’t change it being classic. The cardigan is present enough. I would wear it open, and wear a small pink belt[the same colour as the cardigan]. This to break the long black line of the dress.
Oh dear, I have a yellow one. Will that do? My pink ones are wider and meant for the hip.
You laugh at me? 🙂 LOL. You’re right. That elegant with your LBD! I love this jacket, the outfit that set the dress is very nice and balanced. It really is a classic look, but fun. I really like the cardigan open so you can see the full dress. In the second picture I laugh at you. 😉 🙂
Love you dearly Josep-Maria. Would not dream of laughing at your expense. LOL
thanks Greetje, 🙂
I like all three looks. The first is the most traditional, the second is a bit more youthful (I think the way the sweater is open at the top and bottom defines your waist), and the fully opened cardigan makes you look long and lean – in a totally good way. The pink is flattering to you. The only way to give this a “twist” is with a colorful shoe and/or bag. Orange and pink together are big this Spring but yellow or a bright green might work too. I am happy with the classic look of this though. I would be content to wear it as is. 🙂
Suzanne
You gave me too many options. If you had said it definitely needed an orange bag, I would be on my way to buy one. But as you well know, I have a yellow one. Green too, but not bright. I have a lunchbox which is bright green. Might use that as clutch. As long as I pull a face as if it is a trend, I can get away with it, can’t I?
Hahaha! In that case you might even wear it as a hat;-)
Now you are going overboard. LOL
well, the cardigan is nice but I wouldn’t wear it with black. Perhaps with creamy colours would be better
Why not Dan? It has a black stripe in it.
Indeed. I like it.
… I find that black sometimes makes an outfit too severe ( even if your dress is very beautiful ).
( sorry for my poor English that don’t allow me to express myself as I would )
I know what you mean Dan. English is not my native language either. And although I can express myself pretty well, it is not the same as my native tongue. And I agree that black is a very severe colour. It is also totally the wrong colour for me, but I cannot resist it. Like a moth is drawn to a flame.
I don’t think it needs a lot. You can’t change it being classic. The cardigan is present enough. I would wear it open, and wear a small pink belt[the same colour as the cardigan]. This to break the long black line of the dress.
Oh dear, I have a yellow one. Will that do? My pink ones are wider and meant for the hip.