Dress It: Black Midi
Black Midi Dress , Styled Three Ways For Cold Days
Hey N,
It’s been so so cold here, and I’m becoming very tired of wearing my same pants over and over again. Pants are great, but variation has been so needed. I have this beautiful satiny black midi dress that was one of my first ever Cape Town sustainable and local purchases. I absolutely love it, and it’s become a much-appreciated staple. Whenever I wear it I feel so beautiful and elegant. Anyways, I haven’t worn it much over the last months because of the weather, although it is one of those pieces that I love. The fact that it is a little longer helps to keep me warm (ish!) so I was adamant I’d make it work.
Sweater and Black Midi
I pulled my soft mock-neck overtop of my black midi and felt like I had a completely comfortable, but super beautiful outfit. I used a contrasting colour to give this outfit some pop, and show off the satin dress below.
Because I am a curvy pear (or A) shape, the contrasting colours at my hips emphasized my largest point and made me look even more pear-shaped. That was totally okay for me in this outfit, but if you are wanting to draw attention away from your hips, I’d suggest using a sweater that ends at your waist or has more defined shoulders. You can always use a similar colour or tone to the dress as a way to take the emphasis off the points where the two fabrics meet.
Using a lighter colour and the soft knit also pulls your eyes upward!
This version gives all the comfy feelings while still being able to rock that dress.
Long-sleeve Over Black Midi
I love the continuous colour of the black on black by using my cropped mock neck shirt and layering it over my black midi dress. Although they are the same colour, the shirt is matte and the skirt is satin so if you're standing nice and close (not COVID recommended), there is an intriguing detail. The long sleeves of the shirt gave me warmth and coverage but the skirt added that perfect edgy element.
The cropped long sleeve that I wore over the dress is quite a loose fit, and so although it hits me at my natural waist, it can create a boxy look against another black garment. By layering the black on top of the black, I created a loose look while still showing a tiny bit of my shape. I find that a mock-neck or turtleneck (or even ‘polo neck’ if you like) gives me extra length by bringing the colour up to a slim part of my body and reaaaally elongates me.
If you want to add contrast to your top half, then go with a different colour than that of your skirt - a slightly darker or lighter shade, or choose a completely different colour.
Car Jacket and Black Midi
I used the stunning car jacket I made a few months ago with the more elegant satin dress to make the outfit cozy and edgy. The colour blocking also makes a big difference because the jacket is oversized - you have a boxy shape with an extreme colour change at the legs.
Wearing an oversized outer layer gave me major edgy vibes, and in a more casual texture and style. Any boxy jacket will work for this look, but I chose this one because its wool is so much warmer than my other jackets with me in South Africa. I could have easily switched this for a big old jean jacket. The contrasting colours, again, plays a major role here. I didn't define my body shape, but instead, chose a jacket landing at a looser area of the dress.
Keep warm, wherever you are, and enjoy dressing up your LBD - longer black dress.
