What I Wore: Adrianna Papell Navy Maxi Dress

Gwynnie Bee is such a wardrobe lifesaver especially this time of year.  While it's a great program to rent dresses and separates for work and weekend, I find the service especially great when I have a calendar full of social occasions.  Weddings, cocktail parties, holiday happy hours, and more… it can get expensive.  This dress from Adrianna Papell came in my latest Gwynnie Bee box and I feel it's perfect for so many social events. Below I share how I styled this navy dress and why a navy dress is a great choice.

dress | shoes | bag | earrings

Dress: Adrianna Papell via Gwynnie Bee (shop the dress here, here, and here on sale) | Earrings: Jenny Bird (smaller version) | Bag: c/o Talbots (old; this year's version) | Shoes: Erica Bow-Detail Pumps c/o Talbots

While a relatively simple chiffon-overlay true wrap dress, it can dress up so nicely with the right choice of accessories.  Being navy, it's great for almost any occasion, not too somber but also versatile for day or night.  Navy is also a color that is flattering on so many different skintones.  If you find value in a full-length gown in your wardrobe, you can't go wrong with navy which works year-round and can dress up and down so beautifully.  Come spring, style with nude heels and pearls, for the holidays up the glamour with dark red or green velvet shoes and sparkly chandelier earrings.  Add a faux fur stole to really go luxe! 

To make it more “Allie” I styled it with bold silver accessories and a shoe that brings in a pop of color.  I chose this berry shade, but truly navy looks great with so many colors (hot pink, teal, gold, pumpkin, turquoise, plum, emerald). To keep it looking formal and elegant, I chose a subtle black suede clutch which picks up the fabric of the shoes and has a formal shape but doesn't steal the spotlight.  While this bag is from last year's collection at Talbots, they have a similar one this year which I find even better as it has an optional chain shoulder strap.