As I have told you before, Daniela (blog The Pretty Cute) nudged me to wear more dresses. Which is a good thing. Otherwise I would have continued buying skinnies and never have thought of buying a dress. One Saturday while shopping with my friends/colleagues Sabine and Anke (see our previous Shopping Saturday), we stumbled upon this Diane von Fürstenberg wrap dress. I was actually trying on another one (see below) but the lady in the shop thought a dress with a collar would suit me better. And she was right. Also, friends and staff preferred the vivid blue of this dress over the red and purple of the other one (on me). Who was I to argue? (Mind you, if they would sell the dress below with a collar, I would snatch that one too. I still like it.)
This is the dress I was actually going for.
While visiting my family for my sister-in-law’s birthday, I asked my nephew’s wife very kindly to take pictures. Natalie is a professional photographer and such an opportunity is too good to pass up. She kindly agreed and into the garden we went.
First with my coat on and all the items I had thought of to create a look with more than 3 colours. See the result below:
This was a particular quest for me as I found out I didn not have a single outfit with more than 3 colours. Why the quest? Because Catherine of Not dressed as Lamb had started a little cruisade against rules for women over 30 (!!!). And one of the rules was never to wear more than 3 colours at the same time. It pxssed me off that I followed that rule. Not consciously, but still.
Below: my yellow coat (seen before here) got a lot of compliments and “I want that coat”. Not bad for a thrift shop purchase.
First of all Christa (sister of my sister-in-law) tried it on. She fitted it and it suited her.
Below: then one of my nieces (Eva) tried it on. Isn’t she gorgeous?
But I hung on to it and defended the coat with my life.
Below: another shot of the dress. I have put a little A-line shaped skirt underneath it to make the dress look better on me. Otherwise it just hangs flat down showing no waist and no hips. As if I am a stick with lumps on top. The underskirt is a little trick which helps enormously. And… it prevents showing too much leg when you sit down. At my age you have to be modest with the amount of flesh you flash.
Below: and one with the red bag. Matchy matchy I know. And I don’t care. I wear what I like.
I am very pleased with this dress. Just not sure whether the round toed shoes are still current. Should I buy red pointy ones? Or is that nonsense?
Greetje
I love all the colors in this look.
The shoes are great and don’t think too fast that something is ‘out’. Wear what you like;-). That also goes for the term ‘match-matchy’. Don’t be too scared for that.
I am not scared about being matchy matchy. I quite like that and…. I wear what I like !!
Really cool color mix Greetje. And that dress is a killer. Dont you just love them? xo Sabina | Oceanblue Style
I do love these dresses indeed. I think I might be tempted to buy another one.
I don’t feel obligated.. i just feel like I missed out..I enjoy your blog silly!
Have a great week ahead!
xx, Elle
http://mydailycostume.com
I am a terrible, no good, rotten blogging friend for getting to this post so late! sorry 🙁
I do love this dress on you, the print and the colors are fabulous. Dresses are so easy to wear with just one item to toss on. I love that this one has a collar.
Yes, to the red shoes and bag!
Gorgeous with the yellow coat and red scarf! Those colors pop and make me smile/
You took some good advice and made a fabulous ensemble !
xx, Elle
http://mydailycostume.com
You don’t have to apologize for being late my dear. I so understand. You are a busy woman and I don’t want you to feel obliged to read and comment. It is OK to just glance over them at times haha. But I am glad you like the dress.
Lets start with the hair! I love your bob and of course I like those sassy bangs. Now with your outfit, I’m glad you decided to wear as many colors you pleased, because life is too short for following non-sense rules. I really appreciate the way your outfit look with the yellow coat. It’s a bold, happy, stylish and sophisticated look. Your friends also look terrific.
Greetje, thanks so much for stopping by my blog, I enjoyed your comment and hopefully you found some of my looks inspiring.
xo
Carelia.
What fun that you stopped by my blog too Carelia. Much appreciated. I love your style and thought you were much younger (I looked at your “about me”, so now I know LOL). You can afford to spend quite a lot I think, but that doesn’t matter. Money doesn’t buy you style. Style is what you have and you obviously have plenty of that. I so enjoy your outfits. They are very joyful, beautiful and compliment you.
I have come to appreciate dresses more in the last decade or so, and believe there is a perfect dress for every shape out there. The yellow and red are great with the print of that dress. I try to create “fake hips” too as I don’t have any natural curve there. I usually do it by adding crinolines under full skirts.
Interesting to see the shade of golden yellow looks as good on redheads as it does blondes – I think it is a colour that would be flattering to every hair colour. Definitely a coat to hang on to!
I bought the coat when I was a brunette (see my old posts in 2012 and 2013). When I turned blond (so you won’t see the grey outgrow that much), I was very scared yellow wouldn’t suit me anymore. I have to admit the colour was better being a brunette but most of the times I can still pull it off. Don’t know whether that is true but I think so. And indeed golden yellow is the best colour.
Loved the look that your yellow coat and blue dress gave off … it has a certain je ne sais quoi to it!
Oh I love having je ne sais quoi. Thanks. That doesn’t happen too often.
Breaking rules; you do it brilliantly, as always. Love each piece (I’d be stupid not to… excellent all on their own) but together you rock them so easily and effortlessly. Lovely lesson in color and absolutely the most desireable kind of visibility!
Breaking my own rule and skipping over a bunch of other attention deserving-VisMonday attendees to stop by and drool over your outfit. Yummm. Also to thank you for your empthy and encouragement. I’m getting over my bloggy angst with your help, darling Greetje.
Feeling the old time pinch immediately … no time on the weekend and on Wednesday, so I have to change some things up for comment time.
Pony still here.
Cooler weather, and I needed that!
Hope to get back to your previous posts in the coming weeks … always a treat to stop by!
Lovely to have you back. Don’t try and read all my posts, that just takes up too much of your time. If you want to do it the quick way, go to the top navigation and click on Outfit Gallery. Part 3 will give you a quick overview. No funny stories just the outfit of that week.
Pony still there hah? Another mouth to feed Mother Theresa.
Doesn’t matter if it’s matchy matchy – besides the coat in it’s glorious colour breaks it up. And wow, it looks amazing on all of you! Love how they all tried it on. It’s abit like Melanie’s travelling yellow skirt going around the bloggers. And who cares about pointy or non pointy or round or up or down. Pah to that. I stick two fingers up to trends and go for what’s stylish and comfortable. The colours and the print of the dress look fabulous on you.
Thanks for the two fingers haha. I will walk my own path. They are very comfortable so round it will stay. And thanks for the compliments. I am very pleased with this dress myself.
All those colours mixed together are very nice! Who cares if just three are allowed by very old rules of elegance!! The coat is lovable and fits perfectly to the three of you, is is wonderful on your new dress, so … keep on defending it!! 🙂
Wrap dress are feminine and I like them. Yours is very beautiful! Well done, dear!!
True, three colours as a rule is ridiculous. Which is why I wanted an outfit with more colours. This is my first one haha. It turned out I only had outfits with 3 colours. I was following rules which I didn’t want to follow. Glad you told me to embrace dresses again.
Wow Greetje! It’s as though Diane designed with exactly you in mind! The wrap dress suits you beautifully!
So lovely to meet some of your family! I hope the birthday party was enjoyed by all. There was cake, yes?
Yes Sue there was cake. This was a Dutch birthday party…. which always means cake. And I had none. I am on a strict diet to lose 4 kilos. Not much but it takes me forever.
I wasn’t sure if birthday cake was a North American thing only. Cake at birthdays is good!!! Best of luck losing that 4 kilos. The less to lose, the harder it seems.
How clever to put the a-line skirt on to add shape. The iconic wrap dress is lovely on you. I attended an exhibit in Hollywood on the history of the wrap dress and it was a visual masterpiece. Very well done. All three ladies are beautiful and make the coat look even prettier. I’m glad you listened to Dan…you have to show those legs!
I know. I am enjoying these dresses again. This weekend I had a wedding and needed a smart dress.. No problem anymore. With all these new dresses in my closet I could wait until I was sure about the temperature and weather that day and choose the right one. Luxury.
Skirts is another thing. I find it so difficult to style skirts. It is really a hell of a job for me. I will have to ask for help. Pencil skirts I can do. Anything else and I am lost.
You told me that you bought this dress. And it is a very nice one indeed. Autumn has arrived so time to wear your coats, and you have a lovely collection of coats. Yes it is nice to see you in a dress for a change, but I think you should dress up when you go to a special event. I count 5 colors , the dress has white and black in it as well lol.
I love to dress up even when there is not a special event.
Yes but for me going to the supermarket is already a special event. That’s why.
Ha Greetje,
Wat een leuke blog heb jij. Ik heb me meteen ingeschreven. Zoals beloofd stuur ik jou een berichtje, want… ik heb een hartstikke leuke webshop met pre-loved and brand new fashion. De merken op de webshop komen uit de PC Hooftstraat en de prijzen uit de Kalverstraat, haha. Kortom, leuk als je een keer een kijkje komt nemen. Ik ben natuurlijk razend benieuwd hoe een mode goeroe als jij mijn site beoordeeld.
Liefs en graag tot shops!
Abeltje
Webshop: Abeltje.org
Thanks Abel, but you will have to comment in English in future. Otherwise my other readers won’t understand a word. Sure enough I will come and look at your store. Try and stop me.
You have inspired me! Love your red shoes with that pretty blue dress.
Oh MC Carmen, I have so neglected your blog, I am sorry. Too much hard work at the office. I love it that I have inspired you. Usually it is the other way around.
A stick with knobs on top? Please!!! I do not want you define in this way, is not it. Your figure is really nice. But let the dress. You already know, I love the dress has a pattern and a design that fall in love me. The blue color and the floral print is wonderful. I love that you combine it with red, very Tommy. With the yellow coat that I like, the look is very modern and attractive. Something does not quite understand, you put a petticoat under the skirt to give volume? The fabric of the dress does not have enough flight and volume? Well, either way, it looks wonderful on you, my favorite stick.
You understood it well. It is not so much a petticoat, more like a skirt of structured material. An A-line skirt. Otherwise the soft material of the dress just hangs down because I have no hips to form the material.
As for stick with lumps on top haha.. you have to laugh at yourself sometimes.
You already know that I love this dress on you and how clever to add some fullness to the skirt so give it more shape!
Alice
http://www.happinessatmidlife.com
Great things are born from necessity LOL.
Love the dress…love the coat..love the pop of red…this is one of my favorite outfits of yours! You look great in this dress!
Yes Dan was right, I should wear dresses more often. I myself was pleasantly surprised by the effect of this dress too.
Well done! Smart choice, listening to the sales associate, I prefer the collar as well and those colors. But you, my cute friend, chose just the right shoes to make this dress pop like no other. I would never have thought to pair it with red, but it works so beautifully. In fact it worked magic on every level. And, I like the matchy, matchy of the purse and shoes. Also a nice touch with your addition of the yellow coat and adding still another bright color, you go girl! I have a dress with just the same color combination and I always through on either a pair of navy or black shoes, I’m now going to go search by stash for some red and copy you (is that ok?).
Copying is very OK. That’s why we bloggers are here for. To inspire. I have to admit, the red shoes weren’t my idea. The sales lady gave me fitting pumps from the shop to see how the dress would look with high heels. And they were pointy patent red Prada’s. I knew instantly that red shoes would make the outfit better. The Prada’s were half a size too big on me. Otherwise I could have bought them. Rats.
Red, yellow, blue and black and white too. WONDERFUL.
Loved seeing the yellow coat on everyone. So funny!
I can’t wear wrap dresses any more (no bosom to hold the wrap in place), but I did in the 70s.The flashing-when-sitting was always a problem, which you have solved brilliantly.
Not flashing when you sit down is indeed an extra benefit of “solving” the hip “problem”.
Gorgeous wrap dress – i love that style so much. And thanks for sharing with Visible monday, xox.
Not yet, I have to wait until you are live haha.
I’ve been tempted by these Diane von Fürstenberg wrap dresses more than once. I think it looks marvellous on you!
I like the shoes too. I think all toes (pointy and round) are in fashion. Seems like you can do anything nowadays.
Hey! What is with the thrifted coat? I never knew you even shopped in thrift stores! I love it!
Most women want to get rid of their massive hips, and here you are creating some. Everyone wants what they don’t have.
I also layered a slip and cami under my wrap dresses in case they should open up. Inadvertently flashing people while on the subway is overrated. Unless they are Michael Fassbender from Shame, in which case…ummmm…nevermind…that is between Michael and me. ; )
bisous
Suzanne
Intriguing… Michael and you LOL. I never tried wrap dresses because ai thought they wouldn’t suit my figure. And here I am. I would love to wear it with a deep plunge too, but showing wrinkles isn’t that sexy.
The coat.. ha, yes I do sometimes go to second hand shops. Not often as they are not as good over here as in the USA or Canada. This one had just been brought in. I was attracted by the colour, zoomed in and said “that’s mine”. € 50.
Absolutely stunning with the combination of colors!! The red shoes look fabulous…of course you could buy new ones, but not because of the rounded toe…they really look wonderful! What a marvelous idea to wear a skirt under the dress for shaping…my mom’s only done it due to shortness of the dress. I still stand by my opinion that you’re brilliant…another great tip just thrown in the mix!! jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Hahaha, I feel very flattered. Again, born out of necessity. The skirt is made of a sort of linen but isn’t creasing and it is lined. Because it is structured it stands out a little. Which is exactly what I needed. It was a cheap one from H&M.
You do look wonderful in dresses and the layering is perfection, dear Greetje.
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Thank you Sacramento. To think I had abandoned dresses for a while. What a shame eh?
It’s a beautiful dress, and perfect for work and play. As for shoes… Who cares about trends, if the shoe fits… And if you like the shoes and you can walk in them, then wear them.
The shoes are a perfect fit and I can walk in them with no problems.
I love your trick of adding the under-skirt for keeping the shape. This outfit is definitely one of my favourites on you – I love all the colour. I always picture you with colour so I was surprised to find out that you seldom wear three at a time. The matchy matchy is working so well. If you want to be on trend, you might want to paste some fringe on your shoes. Of course, just kidding. Don’t touch a thing!
I’m glad you defended your coat. Hahaha! Of course, who wouldn’t want such a treasure?
It looks like you had a fun day with family, especially one that includes a professional photographer! The like the photo of the three beauties. Everyone is dressed so well.
I seldom wear MORE than three colours at a time. But I often or nearly always wear three. It surprised me as well that I didn’t do more colours. And I wasn’t pleased.
That’s so pretty! And the red accents of the heels and bag are perfect. You have a lovely shape for dresses. I agree you should wear them more often.
Thanks for the compliment Ally. You never commented on my post about your red sweater. That puzzled me.