I was invited to host a “style lab” in a group recently and one of the questions I got asked was what is the difference between dressed up and dressed down? I loved the question and I answered it to the best of my ability. Today, I will share the answer I gave with you……….
Right here on the blog, minimalism, practicality, chic and sleek are a few of the words I use a lot and today’s look embodies all 4; the look is dressed down yet polished with a hint of street style.
For my look today, I styled this shirt dress with a pair of lace up flats and voila my outfit of the day.
The shirt is the same one I wore as a top in my “unusual basics” post. The idea of this post is to share another way to rock / style a shirt dress in a laid back way. Not every day dressed up right? Sincerely, I just can’t get enough of the shirt dress and the fact that it is white. I love white; not only does it suit my skin tone, it is fresh, crisp and clean. Read the full meaning of white here
By the way, we actually struggled trying to capture this look because the weather changed on us; it started raining and it was unnecessarily windy but hey, we had to do what we had to do but we did it quickly. At least we got a few. Let’s have a look…….
Dressed Up Option
Fashion TIP Today ::: Dress up / Dress Down
Like I mentioned above, here is my answer to the difference between dressed up and dressed down…..
Dressed down : Informal dressing; casual, laid back, “untidy” and relaxed. In this case your accessories are minimal, make up could be minimal and shoes are simple and relaxed too; shoes could be flats like I had on in my look, slippers, sneakers etc.
You would notice that I tried to make the look untidy by not fastening all my buttons to the very top. I wanted to create that “ruff and tumble” vibe / street style feel to the look.
Dressed Up : Smart or Formal Clothes. This is the direct opposite of being dressed down. In this case you are well put together, polished, groomed, very well presented and all attention to detail is ticked.
An example of a dressed up version of a casual look is the denim and shirt dress look above. Dressed up could also be formal like black tie, interview looks, glamourous events and more.
Sometimes throwing on a pair of heels can dress a look up. Another is pairing a casual look with a blazer etc.
I do hope you now understand what it means to dress up and what it means to dress down. Let me know what you think about the look. Which is your favourite, the dressed up or the dressed down? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
I want to thank you so much for stopping by. I am always very happy to see you stop by. Wishing you an amazing day today.
Much Love, Mojisola.
I was wearing COS shirt dress // Zara Flats (similar) // Mac’s Ruby Woo lipstick
Shop More Shirt Dresses, Lace Up Flats & Lipstick
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14 comments
I was immediately drawn to your shirt dress and lace-up’s as I was scrolling through my feed this morning. Wow! I absolutely LOVE this look. I think I’m going to duplicate it (behind the scenes). Haha! I love dressing up, but dressing down really gives you the freedom to be who you are (in my opinion). I agree with your definition of dressing up…typically a polished look. Dressed up or down, you ALWAYS look fabulous!!! Hope you’re having a great end to your week! Xx
A| https://norulejuststyle.wordpress.com/
Thank you so much Abrielle. Appreciate the feedback. Means a lot. Cheers.
You are a genius Mojisola. You tell great style stories in your look books and in texts. Well done and thank you for sharing everything including your motivations with the world.
Take care. Kisses
Thank you so much Chi. Wow, I am so humbled. Thank you. Take care of you.
I absolutely love this!
This would be the perfect outfit for a mummy meet up coming soooon
Well done Mojintouch..x x x
Thank you for reading Traycee. Appreciate the time and feedback. Take care of you X
I really like the white dress and the way it’s styled in both looks. Your analysis of dressed up and down is on point. It’s questions like that that made me start a blog in the first place. It’s amazing how much people really want to know about styling and how much we inspire each other as bloggers.
Thank you Sade. Appreciate your time and feedback. Have a lovely day today.
They are both such great looks Mojisola! The white shirt dress looks lovely with the flats – casual but still classy!
Thank you Linda. Cheers.
I adore this white shirt dress on you. It looks lovely. White is definitely your colour.
Thanks Stella. You know it right. Kisses.
Weather is also a pain in the butt!
Hope you had a nice weekend love
Thank you Dana. Take care.