never been worn before: striped dress.

gap sateen fit & flare dress   ·   j crew cardigan {thrifted}
in pink necklace   ·   merona bella flats

i feel like i am cheating a little bit with today's "never been worn before" look featuring this striped dress i just bought, but it still fits the criteria of my theme week, right?  this bold striped dress is a bit out of my comfort zone and i knew i may need to push myself to wear it right away.  i don't think a lot of people i encounter day-to-day "get" pattern mixing, so instead of replicating the look i made when i tried the dress on after receiving it in the mail here that i really liked i accented with solid colors instead.  it's hard to tell, but the stripes are navy and i'm wearing navy tights and shoes.  i think the stripes are dark enough that they could pass for black too though.

alice runs one of my favorite blogs, happiness at mid-life, and she also bought this dress and is wearing it today.  i love seeing how she styled it for her climate (california) versus how i did in mine (minnesota) where i'm still layering like a madwoman and preparing for a foot or two of snow tonight.  i think our two looks show how versatile this dress can be year-round or in any climate!

get the look:  exact dress / similar cardigan / similar button-down / similar belt / exact necklace / exact flats