An Emphatically Structured Dress

 
I generally dress in solid colors, but I like details in my clothes.

 
 
 
This Moschino Cheap and Chic dress has a number of great details – beautiful seaming, an inverted pleat in the shoulder straps, and oversized grommets on the self-belt.
Dress with sandals

 
 
The fabric is cotton cady — a heavy cotton with a light sheen to it – which gives the dress structure. In a lighter-weight cotton, this would just be a sundress, but the heavier and stiffer hand makes it suitable for a business casual workday.
close up
Come closer and see the details

My shoes . . . they may be a little too bare for business casual, but the dress code in my office is not very stringently enforced. I’ve worn this dress with these dressy suede sandals and with black ballet flats. To make sure that the dress doesn’t seem too bare, I bring a little jacket to have on hand for meetings.

with jacket and closed toe shoes
Rendered totally suitable for work with closed-toed shoes
 
 
 
 
Here, I’ve paired the dress with a jacket (from a different label) that is short enough to show the belt of the dress.

I like this dress so much that I bought it in a second color – a lovely mocha brown. Am I brilliant, or greedy? I guess those aren’t mutually exclusive qualities . . .

Dress: Moschino Cheap and Chic; Jacket: I’m Isola Marras; Sandals: JCrew; Flats: French Sole New York; Bracelet: John Hardy; Watch: Michele
Photos: Lauren Ackil

9 thoughts on “An Emphatically Structured Dress”

  1. What a great dress that is. As well as the details you mentioned, I love the seaming that creates a shape over the bust too. Also what’s good is that those straps look bra friendly, which in my book is a bonus. Nice jacket choice too.

    Reply
    • Hi Diane — You are right about the seaming through the bust — it’s almost as well constructed as a good bra. What I like best about the cut of this dress is that the bodice is fitted, but the skirt is a very full a-line. I can’t bear to have clothes tight around my hips and thighs.

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    • Too right, Jodie — brown is a neutral, but less formal than black. I think I will wear it with leopard flats . . .

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  2. Diane above mentioned bra friendly straps and that is a make or break deal for me. The dress
    Can again use the same little jacket you used for the red dress. The colors in the jacket were red, beige and black. Perfect again use of the most perfect of jackets. Kate

    Reply
    • Kate — I am embarrassed to say that I had not thought of pairing the floral jacket with this dress! Thank you for the excellent suggestion and for being such a regular reader.

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  3. Love your attention to detail & structure. I’ve noticed that you’ve linked a few times to things on Yoox. I find it a bit overwhelming to browse there & even harder to distinguish these types of interesting, but subtle, details. Would love a post on how you shop intelligently online.

    Reply
    • Hi AK — I promised a post about YOOX (a hagiographic one) several weeks ago, so I need to finish writing it! You may also want to check out a post from a couple of months ago — Where Do You Get Your Clothes, which addresses Internet shopping generally. YOOX requires special discussion, however, because it is a place to find tremendous bargains but is so vast as to be overwhelming. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!

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  4. Ha, that is funny, I am quite the opposite! — I like lots of pattern (and enjoy pushing the envelope on pattern mixing), but very simple, unadorned clothes. I can certainly appreciate that dress on you, though, and you might be rubbing off on me a little bit…I find myself pondering the potential fun and usefulness of a dress with an “interesting” or dramatic cut. Or a swing cardigan. Hmm…

    (And I super-love those J. Crew sandals!)

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