Two Ways: Maritime Striped Dress

Feb 16, 2012

 

Dress: J.Crew Maritime Dress ($88)

From the Left, Bag: Tory Burch Envelope Clutch ($325) Leggings: Spanx Leggings ($62) Scarf: Lovequotes Tassel Scarf ($92) Boots: Paige Tall Riding Boot ($348)

From the Right, Necklace: Neon Bead Necklace ($50) Bag: France Leather Tote ($198) Shirt: Chambray Shirt ($27) Sandal: See by Chloe Palma Sandal ($315)

For Winter. If I had a uniform for casual winter days, this would be it.  I like the simplicity of a dress and leggings with boots, but I also like that it’s a bit more dressed up than jeans.

Here, I added a scarf for warmth but also to break up the pattern a bit.  You could add a belt–I’d recommend cognac, not black–or achieve the same effect with a few layered, long necklaces.  This just helps elongate the body and resist some of the compression that horizontal stripes can cause.

I added this lovely chain strap Tory Burch clutch for color.  You could also wear a crossbody satchel or messenger bag. 

This is the ideal plane outfit because it’s comfy and warm and you look dressed up enough that getting bumped up to business or first class shouldn’t be a problem.  Then again, I’m always amazed what frequent travelers will wear when sitting in first class. The state of America’s travel wardrobe is truly atrocious.

For hair, I’d choose something relazed, either a bouncy ponytail or a natural wave worn down.  For the makeup, also choose something more natural.  This is a casual outfit so you don’t want to be too made up.

For Spring.  I took a page from Bee’s playbook (Altlantic-Pacific) and paired the dress with chambray.  She wore it with a knee-length dress which looked lovely, but I think I’d prefer a simple shirt. 

To jazz it up a bit, I added a relaxed flat sandal, a beaded necklace and a metallic bag.  In real life, I would probably wear more than one necklace, but you get the idea.

If I decided to skip the necklace and opt for a belt, I would choose something a bit rugged and worn in a complimentary shade of warm brown.  I’d also pop the collar.  Quelle horreur. 

I’d also roll the sleeve so that the chambray showed on the outside.  I wouldn’t do a bracelet, but you certainly could.  I prefer to keep my accessories to one part of the body, so I wouldn’t mix necklaces with bracelets.  But that’s just a personal preference.

For the hair, I’d do a wavy, twisted updo.  Probably a low bun or a Gibson roll.  For the makeup, I would do a punchy pink cheek and berry-tinted lips.  I’d also pour on the mascara.  When you wear your hair up, I feel like the eyes become twice as important.

Three Ways

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  1. PS says:

    The link to the chambray shirt takes us to the (lovely) bag instead. Oops! Love BOTH these outfits, and the blog!

  2. LS says:

    Hey Belle, do you have any suggestions for a less expensive orange bag? I've been searching for almost a year now, but I haven't found anything affordable that doesn't look cheap.

  3. Lindsey says:

    LS: ASOS used to have an envelope clutch in orange for $35 that looked really similar. That particular color seems to be sold out, but they have a few other orange ones on their site. Also, not quite as inexpensive, but the Clare Vivier bags are beautiful and around $140.

  4. S says:

    Love the winter option!

    As a side note: Upgrades to business and first class have absolutely nothing to do with how well you're dressed. They are based on your frequent flier status with the airline, the fare bucket your ticket was purchased in, and time of purchase. No one gets upgraded just because they look nice, and those that say they were have no idea how airline upgrade systems work. There are also no “two class upgrades”. If you book economy, you'll get bumped to biz class on a 3 cabin aircraft, or first on a 2 cabin aircraft. If you book biz class, obviously the only place to go is first. As a “Premier Executive” on United (I fly at least 50,000 miles per year) trust me, I know what I'm talking about. I'm not saying don't dress nicely when you travel, just don't expect it to get you an upgrade.

  5. CM says:

    I don't think Belle meant you could get booked on looks alone, but at least if you're dressed well it couldn't hurt your chances. Plus you'll look nice while you're there!

  6. renee says:

    S, I've been bumped up two classes before, and on United no less!! Maybe i'm special 🙂 But I highly doubt that as I know others who have been as well. Also, I didn't get the impression that the post meant being dressed up enough would CAUSE you to get bumped — only that, if you were dressed correctly, you would be prepared and not look out of place should you get the opportunity. On another note, I'm jealous you get to rack up so many miles traveling!

  7. Sharyn says:

    I think I'd like the dress more without the zipper down the side. Otherwise I'm a fan. Those Paige Tall Riding boots are on my wish list already!

  8. Belle says:

    S: I've been bumped plenty of times even before I was a member of the FF program. Sometimes, esp if it's not a full flight, they'll upgrade you if you ask, they take you more seriously if you're not wearing sweat pants and Uggs.

  9. LS says:

    Thanks, Belle and Lindsey! The Steve Madden bag is cute, but HUGE. Way too big for a petite person. ASOS does have a number of orange bags, but they all look a little cheap. You get what you pay for I guess. My search continues…

  10. S says:

    renee: Again, if you got upgraded from economy to first, it was on a 2-class aircraft. Meaning, there were only economy and first class on the aircraft. The vast majority of domestic flights are operated using 2-class aircraft.

    Belle: “Operational Upgrades” are given when the flight is overbooked, not when it's empty.

    Sorry to beat a dead horse, but the airline industry and its operation are near and dear to my heart, and it bugs me when myths are perpetuated! Of course there are always rare exceptions to these rules and agents who just don't care to follow them (yes, the airlines do have policies regarding upgrades) 🙂

    If any of you are interested, this is a good read on operational upgrades written by a gate agent: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/united-mileage-plus-pre-merger/606224-operational-upgrades-gate-agents-perspective.html

    And now back to our regularly scheduled programming!

  11. renee says:

    Hi S! It wasn't a domestic flight and it wasn't a 2-class flight! I certainly appreciate your knowledge regarding flying and I was not telling you that you were categorically wrong; I was only stating that my personal experiences have been different. While I am no Premier Flyer, I have flown quite a bit and definitely know when I was upgraded/bumped two classes. Thanks again!

  12. C. says:

    Love these outfits, Belle! I actually bought the maritime dress when it first came out, in the Sail Blue color. Do you think that such a bright strip can be winterized? I can't really think of any ways to make it work, which is sad because i love the dress and would love to wear it now instead of waiting until april!

  13. Belle, I love love love these two outfits. I think this is a perfect set for traveling from a colder weather place to a warmer vacation destination and I will probably be doing this exactly on Sunday when we fly out! Thanks for the inspiration!

  14. GoGoGo says:

    This may be a funny question for you guys: what's the best way to wash an item with bright colored stripes? All my nice striped things get a little ratty looking because the white parts fade. (I usually throw them in with the colors so the stripes don't contaminate my light stuff.)

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