On the beach the dress was fine but out of context I felt as though it looked as if I was wearing a dress that was far too short for me, even though I had denim shorts underneath. Not one to be defeated, I tucked the back of the top underneath itself, grabbed the front, tied it in a knot and off I went. Now admittedly, having made the top shorter I ended up with more leg on show than if I had worn it as a dress but somehow it worked better. I think that it looked more intentional and less like I had left the house without really checking the length of my dress.
I'm also wearing Amirah flat shoes from Banana Republic which had their first outing yesterday. I bought these when I was in New York in June for about £20 and there are similar here in silver for £49.99, reduced from £75.
I also really like these Aiden D'Orsay flats from Banana Republic (£69). What I hadn't appreciated until I wore my shoes for while is that they have padding under the ball of the foot and a memory foam system, which makes them really comfortable. As in really, really comfortable so I will definitely see what Banana Republic have lined up for next season.
Re-working pieces is a great way to make your wardrobe work harder for you - whether it's layering something underneath, or over, something else chopping your old jeans into cut-offs (which mine are above), belting an item to change its shape or length, or committing an act of sacrilege by knotting a a J. Crew dress to make it into a top, thinking outside the box opens a whole host of wardrobe options.
