MEGAN AUMAN

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one dress challenge, day 5: grey wrap dress and flannel button down shirt

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one dress thirty ways style challenge: grey wrap dress, black and white flannel plaid shirt, and chunky gemstone statement necklace

Of all the looks I’ve styled so far, I can’t say this one is my favorite. While it does make for some interesting detail around my face, neckline, and sleeves, I don’t think it does enough to break up the grey mass of the dress. (Even with the addition of the black belt to break it up.)

But I decided to post it anyway, because I think this is an important part of the creative process. When you do this kind of challenge, not everything is going to be a slam dunk. What’s more important is that you’re trying lots of different ideas.

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one dress challenge, day 4: grey wrap dress and black shawl

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one dress, thirty ways style challenge: cozy winter style with a grey wrap dress, black shawl, and chunky gemstone necklace

The theme of today’s outfit is basically, wow, it’s cold outside!! So instead of going for something badass, I’m embracing my inner hygge (that’s the Danish word for cozyness, in case you’ve been living under a rock) with fleece lined leggings and an oversized shawl.

And while it would be easy to assume that a shapeless shawl wouldn’t add much to a kind of meh dress, the addition of the dark, contrasting color, vertical lines of the opening, and the variety of shape actually do add some much needed visual interest to this dress.

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one dress challenge, day 3: grey wrap dress and pleated metallic skirt

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one dress thirty ways style inspiration: grey wrap dress as duster cardigan over metallic pleated skirt and velvet cami

One of the keys to making this creative challenge work is to embrace the idea that there doesn’t have to be a single “right” way to wrap this dress. In this look, I’m using it more as a duster, and that opens up a whole world of possible outfit ideas!

Plus, wearing it in this way lets me take some of my fancy holiday party clothes, like this pleated metallic skirt and velvet cami (that I didn’t get to wear that much), and extend their life into January. (A month where suddenly the velvets and metallics of holiday party clothes seem a little over the top.)

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one dress challenge, day 2: wrap dress and striped midi skirt

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one dress, thirty ways style challenge: grey wrap dress with striped midi skirt and chunky gemstone necklace

What’s better than wearing a dress with pockets? Wearing a skirt over it that also has pockets!! (Especially on a day as cold as this, where the mantra is definitely the more layers the better.) I love a good high waisted midi skirt, and the fact that this one has an elastic waistband makes it easy to toss on over this dress.

This outfit is also a perfect example of how little details can make a big difference. When I shot the full length version of this look, I had the wrap dress belt tucked under the skirt, with just the bow hanging out. But as I was shooting the details, I realized it looked so much better with the belt OVER the waistband of the skirt. It just makes the whole look more finished and cohesive!

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one dress challenge, day 1: wrap dress and military jacket

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one dress, thirty ways style inspiration: grey wrap dress, military jacket, and chunky gemstone statement necklace

I know the idea of simply throwing a jacket over a dress isn’t the most groundbreaking styling trick, but often simple things can make a big difference when it comes to style. Adding a jacket is a great way to add some vertical lines to an outfit, breaking up a wide expanse of a single colored dress. Plus, this military jacket is my go-to piece for when I want to give an outfit more badass attitude, and it was actually tossing this on that made me realize I could make this wrap dress work for me.

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the challenge: one dress, thirty days, thirty ways

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style challenge inspiration: one wrap dress, thirty ways

Last week, I purchased a grey sweatshirt wrap dress online on a whim. I don’t normally wear wrap dresses, because despite every piece of advice you’ve ever read about them being universally flattering, they generally don’t look good on me, thanks to my broad shoulders and wide-set boobs.

(To be clear, when I talk about having broad shoulders and wide boobs, I’m not making a judgement about my body, just stating facts. Plus, I actually like how my broad shoulders make me feel strong and I love how my smallish, wide-set boobs give me ample chest real estate to rock a statement necklace. It’s just that wrap dresses, in general, accentuate those two traits on me in a way that is awkward rather than awesome.)

Still, I really wanted to like this dress. It’s cozy and warm and crazy comfortable and it has pockets! Pretty much everything you dream about in a dress. (Especially in the winter.)

But on its own, it pretty much confirmed my suspicions about the way I look in wrap dresses. It’s just kind of a grey mass that doesn’t do great things for my shape.

new year style challenge: wear one dress thirty different ways over the next thirty days

But I’m not one to give up so easily. (Especially on a dress this cozy.) While the dress on its own isn’t the best for me, I think this is a problem that can be solved by styling. (Rather than the alternative, which is simply to return the dress.)

So I’m giving myself a challenge. Over the next thirty days, I’m going to come up with thirty different ways to style this dress. My goal is to come up with ways to wear this dress that take it from kind of blah to totally badass and fun.

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