The Ever by X Dress Styled Three Ways

My friend Sylvia is one of the most stylish women I know and has a true passion for fashion. When she was training to become a personal stylist, one of her course projects was to take a colorful dress and style it three ways on another individual, and I offered to be her guinea pig. She had my emerald green ever by X dress styled three ways.

The Ever by X Dress Styled Three Ways

I was intrigued by this activity. I think my styling skills are pretty good, and I feel no one else really gets my body/taste combo better than me. But as you will see, Sylvia suggested things I would never consider, which broadened my perspective. I ended up liking the results.

For more information about this versatile and unique dress check out my original ever by X dress review. I share information about the company and show multiple ways to style it.

1. Styling the ever by X Dress for a Night Out

Sylvia loved the idea of gold with the green of the dress so she asked to see if I had any gold heels. I shared I have a pair of gold heeled sandals from Margaux (they aren't cheap but they continue to be the most comfortable and versatile heels in my wardrobe and they come in wide width).

To continue with the gold theme, we went through my belt collection, and she chose this gold elastic belt with a pave buckle from Zara that I got a while ago. Choosing a metal belt instead of the self-belt gives a more dressy/cocktail effect.

Sylvia then wanted a unique gold earring that gave an effect similar to a hoop. She chose my “Edie” hoops from Jenny Bird, a gold post with a ring dangling from the end (these earrings are no longer available for purchase).

The thing I would have never chosen for this look but love is the bag. This bag is from Everlane and is several years old (previously seen here and here). I would never have considered pairing a coral red bag with a green dress, but the warm red and the bright green combo feel modern and fresh.

Sylvia then had me to finish the look with a red lip (this lipcolor from L'Oreal) and to pull my hair up in sort of a windswept look with tendrils. This is another thing I wouldn't have done on my own but it really did elevate the entire look! What do you think of the result?

2. Styling the ever by X Dress for Work

Sylvia checked out my blazer collection. We tried my black blazer and it was meh with the dress. We then tried this white double-breasted blazer that is from a Zara suit I wore in this post and when I was a guest for the DC stop on the Bad on Paper Podcast tour.

We tried the self belt, but it didn't look polished under the blazer, so we switched it to a belt I got at Chico's a few years ago. Chico's has no belts right now, but watch this space because they always do belts really well (I have several Chico's belts in my wardrobe).

For shoes, we tried a few different things – we tried some zebra print knit booties and leopard calf hair pointed-toe kitten pumps. We settled on black pumps, which tied in the belt. To make it feel me, we added bold gold mirror earrings I purchased at B. Yellowtail.

Sylvia recommended a red lip. We went through my selection for a bag, and she chose a black-and-white graphic leather bag from Dagne Dover (a limited edition, no longer available). The bag had a shoulder strap and a wrist strap; we removed both to carry it like a clutch. Again, I wouldn't have picked this bag, but the black-and-white print tied the whole look together to give a creative office vibe.

3. How to Style the ever by X Dress for Vacation

I have taken an ever by X dress on vacation and now won't travel without it. Wearing it without the belt like a caftan is an obvious choice, but Sylvia wanted to switch it up a bit by doing a cape-life effect. We did this by putting the self-belt around my waist under the dress, having the ends come out the slits in the front, twisting the straps in front, and then feeding them back through the slits to tie them behind my waist under the dress.

Sounds complicated, but if you own the dress, it's quite easy and comfortable. You can also achieve this look with a skinny belt that will fit through the slits; have the belt against your body and feed through the slits, clasp it in front over the dress, and adjust the fabric.

Sylvia wanted the look of lots of different necklaces, and we layered a bunch of my gold and beaded necklaces, but with my bust, they all just fell to the center and didn't achieve what she hoped for. She then suggested unbuttoning two of the dress buttons to elongate and open the neckline, taking two necklaces and shortening them so they layered, filling in the neckline. I shortened these two necklaces by placing a gold safety pin through the chains and then letting the excess necklace hang down my back. Again, this is something I wouldn't consider on my own, but I loved the result.

We played a bit with bracelets; Sylvia loved the gold cuff (Chico's) but also wanted something on the other wrist. I pulled out a wood and acetate bangle (also Chico's) and it had the same green as the dress. We both were surprised by how much we loved the mismatched bangle effect. I myself would never choose such a combo but don't be surprised if you see me rock it again!

We tried a few scarves on my head, but it looked like a hybrid between Little Edie and Little Steven, so we checked out my straw hat selection. My big floppy hat was the wrong proportion, and the fedora was too proper, but this hat from Lack of Colour was perfect.

This bag is also Zara; it's pretty old. My summer shoe selection is limited; Sylvia went with my flat gold gladiator sandals, which are neutral enough to let the outfit take the spotlight. Makeup was just brows and bronzer to give a summer holiday effect.