It Couldn’t Be Easier
Look familiar? I’ve worn (and shown!) this dress exactly 3,289 times (Give or take. Let’s just say it has long surpassed the 30th wearing!). It’s the infamous “invisible” black swing dress from asos. They almost always have some variation of it – right now they have a long-sleeved turtleneck version here.
The point is, I have worn it A Lot. If you’ve been following me for awhile you’ve seen it here, where I wore it to work everyday for a week to see if anyone noticed or cared (they didn’t); here, where I showed how to take a summer dress and wear it all year-round; here and I’m sure in many “what I wore this week” posts. I bought it in 2015 so it’s 3+ years old. I’ve worn it under cardigans, kimonos, vests, a denim jacket, an unbuttoned chambray blouse, and this day under a Tencel utility jacket. Suffice it to say I’ve gotten my money’s worth!
On this day we were headed into Brooklyn for the day, looking for a thing I’d seen on Instagram, a cute little Mondrian-style greenhouse. I knew the approximate location, but reckoned there’d probably be a lot of walking to find it exactly. I wanted to do a photo shoot (cuz Brooklyn) and started to “dress up,” but then said nope, that’s not what I would really wear when traipsing around who knows where, on a cool and sprinkly day.
So, on went the easy black dress, a light hooded jacket and Keds sneakers with Vionic arch support inserts, and off we went! I know this outfit is not exactly the stuff of great fashion blogs, but it’s real. And it couldn’t be easier.
Speaking of “the stuff of fashion blogs,” it’s so fun going into Brooklyn or Queens or the city because you actually see girls dressing the way you see in blogs. As opposed to (yawn) Long Island where they look like the product of a giant conglomerate of shopping malls, churning out the same stores, the same clothes, creating the same looks. I know, I know, look who’s talking, Miss Worn the Same Black Dress Times 27,000 times. But it’s a nice change of scenery.
Here is the story of the little colored glass house. And now it has ended up in this nice little community garden…but it seems they’re not sure if it will stay there.
Do you have one item that you’ve worn again and again and again with many different items to change the look?
What I Wore:
- Black asos swing dress. Comparable here and here in plus size and here and here in straight size.
- Green Target Tencel utility jacket. Comparable here and here in plus size and here and here in straight size.
- White canvas Keds Champions sneakers
- Vionic arch insert
Thanks, Linda, for the pictures!
I’m linking up with:
- Emma from Style Splash at her Sunday Reflections link-up
- Nancy from Nancy’s Fashion Style at her Fancy Friday link-up
This post contains affiliate links, which means that I may receive a small commission if you click on them and/or buy something as a result of clicking that link.
Coffeeeandcream
Love it! I’m still new to blogging, would love if you wanted to check out my site! x
Iris
Bettye, you look great no matter what you wear – and that dress is such a classic. I love something that goes with everything. Love the plexiglass house, especially at night with the lights. You do have interesting places to visit. I suspect we all do in one way or the other – it’s just getting out to see them.
Iris
http://www.IrisOriginalsRamblings.com
Fashion Schlub
Yeah, we definitely want to go back at a sunsetty time in hopes of warm light coming through the house lighting it up…and hoping the truck that was parked next to it would be gone!
I feel that *every* town has *something,* sometimes you just have to really really look for it. Like the time My Friend Who Shall Remain Nameless and I went up to a Vermont on a spur of the moment weekend (I won it!) and she discovered that The Largest Filing Cabinet in the World was in the neighboring town. I’ve just popped it here if you’d like to see https://www.flickr.com/photos/dragonflyvintage/44149696622/in/dateposted-public/ Obvi every town doesn’t have AS amazing a wonder as that, but…just keep looking. Your own YARD has an amazing feature, Iris!!!
Sarah
Love that you called out your vionic inserts! 👍🏼👍🏼
Sounds like I need to make a trip to Brooklyn soon, up close real life inspiration is so fun. And in fall?? Dreamy.
I just bought a black dress from ASOS as well as float black elastic-waisted pants which are amazing. Unfortunately the trendy trainers that I thought I could pull off, I could not. Back they went!
Fashion Schlub
Ha, well, without the inserts, I could never walk 2½ miles in the Keds without being crippled. Not the Keds’ fault, but my feet’s. Feets? Feets’?
I do love Brooklyn. I get sad that it’s changing so much. I love old run down buildings and so many of them are coming down to make room for expensive condos. It’s changing the whole landscape and flavor of the place. I just don’t know where people will go next after being priced (and pushed) out of Brooklyn and Queens. Do you live near enough to drive or train in for a weekend?
Ooh, we can be black asos dress sisters! But FLOAT ELASTIC-WAISTED PANTS??? Tell me more!!!
Sarah
Float = floaty – fat finger mistake!
http://us.asos.com/prd/9084878
Yes! I live outside Princeton but don’t make it into the city as often as I’d like. Working on that!
Fashion Schlub
Ooh, those are super cute, I want them! It funny, they just reminded that I dreamt last night that I was wearing a pair of pants – looked like althletic pants, wide leg, with the stripes up the side, but the outside of both legs had a zipper on them and I had them unzipped like halfway up my thigh and I was like, “yeah, this is TOTALLY appropriate for work.” Ha ha!
Yeah, Princeton to Brooklyn is under 2 hours (with no traffic HA HA HA HA HA), you should definitely go. And the city. So many interesting things!
What’s the most interesting thing in Princeton? What’s Princeton’s tall filing cabinet?
Jodie
There’s that fabulous stained glass house!! It’s such a colorful addition in the midst of the greenery!!
And I’m ashamed to say I don’t have a piece like this. Only because I have way TOO many clothes. And I’m always trying to wear each and every one of them. Maybe one of these days, I’ll get over my addiction, but considering my mom is 80 and she isn’t over it yet…I kinda doubt it…
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Fashion Schlub
I used to have tons of clothes, too…and I hoarded sizes I could no longer wear…or sizes I might wear someday…in my house I had this funny little attic closet (that wasn’t so little) filled with those giant black leaf bags holding clothing from size 2 (I can’t believe I was ever THAT) up through size 24. I had to let all those (minus a few special pieces that I’ve hung onto just cuz, who knows, maybe someday) go when I sold my house 10 years ago and started Apartment Life. And maybe that in part has…affected me…so that I never again want to have more clothes than I could possibly wear. My mindset for the past 10 years has been all about down-sizing (everything, not just clothes). With each move I need to do more. And I see now that I’m perfectly fine with just 30ish items of clothing (well, x2 – 30 for warm weather, 30 for cold weather). Clothes are SUCH fun, and I love looking for different items and putting together new outfits in my mind…but I really *feel* better having just as many as I need for my lifestyle. Which is why versatile items are so important to me. And using a rental service like Gwynnie Bee affords me the opportunity to add something different in each week, without adding to my closet.
But we all have our “thing” that we can’t let go of 🙂
Julia @ When The Girls Rule
I always love when you give us a tour of your area. I’ve actually never been to New York so it looks interesting (though the trash really puts me off) to see it here. Maybe one day! I have a few classic pieces I wear over and over. I love that you don’t have to think about anything else but it when you’re wearing it. That sentence was weird. I need my coffee.
Fashion Schlub
Oops, I accidentally put my response to Nancy under your post, Julia 🙂
I love a good abandoned, burned out, crumbly old building. I even love the trash. I wish I could have experienced 70s Brooklyn when it really WAS a mess…
Go get coffee.
Nancy
Didn’t I see that glass house on Elle s blog? It’s very pretty! There is nothing wrong with wearing a black dress over and over again! I love black dresses, can you tell?
Fashion Schlub
It’s possible! It’s been in a couple different parts of Brooklyn over the past few years.
It’s funny, I was never a “black” person. But NY finally got to me, ha. It only took like 50 years!
(fixed the misplaced post)
Fashion Schlub
Its quite possible it was on Elle’s blog, it’s moved around a bit…and she gets around a bit!
Tina von Tinaspinkfriday
This dress is a wonderful allrounder. Hm I am looking for it at Asos 😉
I have a red dress…my red dress…. I wear it in every season, in different ways. I think I love to watch blogger wearing authentic outfits. I do so too. I am blogging about outfits I am really wearing. Again… and again.
You look gorgeous Bettye…wonderful pictures!
Fashion Schlub
Thanks, Tina. I would love to have an “every season” red dress! I tried with an asos one about a month ago, but…nope. Sometimes I use a bit of poetic license with my outfits on the blog, but I really try to stay true to what I really wear.