Three Easy Ways to Style a White Summer Dress: Edgy, Girly & In-Between
It’s been a long while since I’ve done a Edgy, Girly & In-Between post and with summer coming at us in full-swing, I wanted to put together one around a summer dress! I used to HATE wearing dresses because of my leg, but I’m trying really hard to wear one dress a week this summer. Not only are they really cool in the heat, but I just feel so feminine when I wear them. Plus, this white dress from One Loved Babe was only 36 dollars (which is a deal in my book) and I LOVE it. I’m wearing it in a medium and it fits perfectly, although I will say that it did need a slip!
The Closet:
Like always, I tried my best to use only a handful of pieces in different combinations while putting these three looks together. I feel like there are a lot of style bloggers out there who show a new outfit every day and I just can’t afford that kind of lifestyle. I’m more about getting the most out of my closet as-is, while picking up a few new pieces every month. I don’t want anyone who comes across Hey There, Chelsie to feel like they have to spend a lot of money to attain a look that they may like.
White Lace Dress – One Loved Babe ($36.00) – Wearing a medium
Jean Vest – DownEast Basics ($36.00) – Similar here for $19.99 Wearing a medium
Choker – Walmart (gifted)
Golden Necklace – c/o Gray Monroe
Booties – Indigo and Sage ($34.00) – Similar here
Gold Sandals – Payless (last season) Similar here for $11.99
Pink Heeled Sandals – c/o Marc Fischer
Flower Crown – Handmade by your’s truly!
Girly White Summer Dress Outfit:
White Lace Dress + Flower Crown + Gold Sandals
I think this is my favorite look from the bunch, mainly because I MADE this crown all by myself. With my own two hands. WITH REAL FLOWERS. I am NOT a crafty person, so I’m pretty proud of myself and I love how it totally transformed this outfit into from a simple white dress to fairy princess status.
Since this floral crown is such a statement piece, I opted to keep shoes and accessories minimal. I really wanted the crown to be the hero of the outfit and didn’t want anything to distract from it. The sandals are simple, with a little wedge to help give my legs a bit more shape and the earrings (from Kendra Scott) are the perfect pop of color to tie in the colors from the crown.
So-if you want to go girly with your summer white dress, here are my three tips:
Pick a strong headpiece – Floral crown or headband – having a girly headpiece will be really pop against the white while bringing an extra girly element to the outfit.
Minimal Accessories – Don’t distract from your statement piece. Opt for maybe some earrings or a bracelet, but nothing else!
No high heels – Once again, having a huge pair of heels could distract from the statement piece and we don’t want that! Pick something with a little heel to give your legs some extra length, but keep the style simple!
Edgy White Summer Dress Outfit:
White Dress + Denim Vest + Choker + Layered Necklace + Marc Fischer Sandals
So how do you make a sweet white dress edgy? Especially in summer when you can’t throw on a leather jacket? I first threw my hair up on a high curly ponytail because that felt more effortless/carefree and more suited for an edgy style. If I had thought about it at the time, I would have also put a darker lipstick on (like a dark pink/purple) to really give an edgy feel to my makeup. Remember, styling an outfit goes beyond you are wearing!
I paired my denim vest with the dress because I wanted to layer it without making it too hot and unwearable for the summer. I choose my caged heels from Marc Fisher. I knew I wanted to wear high heels with this look to give me some more height and help me feel more BA when walking around. I finished styling this outfit by layering necklaces – a double chain gold necklace and a suede choker. The choker feels really edgy and 90’s to me, but I think layering necklaces takes that edgy feeling one step further.
See other ways to style these Marc Fisher Sandals Here!
Three Tips for Styling an Edgy White Summer Dress:
Wear Heels – Not only do they give you some height and make you SOUND ediger, they will make you feel edgy as well!
Layer Jewelry – This is the time to pile on the different necklaces you have. Mix metals and textures to really give a carefree and “I do what I want” vibe.
Bring your Style up through your hair and makeup – This isn’t the time for beautiful flowy loose curls! Throw your hair up in a messy ponytail or bun to complete your edgy look!
Edgy White Summer Dress Outfit:
White Dress + Denim Jacket + Layered Necklace + Booties
Remember how I said hair makes a difference? For this look, I took my hair down from the high-pony and just wore it in loose curls and I think it made a HUGE difference in the over-all feeling of this outfit, even though I kept the vest and one of the necklaces on. Crazy, huh?
To take the edginess down a little more, I swapped my heels out for flat booties. I think these shoes do a great job of giving the “All-American Girl” vibe, even though they aren’t cowgirl boots. On the other hand, they still have a cool design that makes them a bit edgier than other booties. It’s all about balance, right?
I really love doing posts like these because it’s a great creative challenge for me to really make my closet work for me. No need for ten white dresses when you can get so many looks from one, right? Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!
Which look was your favorite? Which look would you wear?