I LOVE a versatile piece of clothing.

When I come across an item I like and I see countless ways that I can wear the piece, it makes for an easy buying decision.

That was the case with this striped dress.

Short striped dress worn over pants | 40plustyle.com

It’s made out of a stretchy material which makes it very comfortable to wear. The dress is short and came without a belt but I instantly saw its opportunities as a tunic. Since it has sleeves, it can be worn for warmer and cooler weather situations.

Blue striped dress with fuchsia pumps | 40plusstyle.com

It can also be worn as a dress on its own, but since I’m one of those women who doesn’t particularly like to show the knees, I don’t think I will wear it much in this way unless I’m heading for a beach resort. I do like the look of the dress with these fuchsia kitten heels though.

I’m much more likely to wear this over pants. And I particularly like it with my bootcut Paige jeans. The belt gives the dress structure and I like this new silhouette that goes in and out.

A striped dress worn over bootleg jeans | 40plusstyle.com

Wearing it over skinnies is another no-brainer for this dress. These are cropped skinny jeans from Uniqlo. Super comfortable and very easy to combine with your longer tops in spring and summer. The fuchsia accessories give the look some extra color which is good for my complexion.

Blue dress worn over cropped denim skinnies | 40plusstyle.com

These whiter jeans are even wider but I really like this wide over wide silhouette at the moment. Of course it’s important to give your look structure which I’m doing with the belt. The heels help to give me some height and compared with the belt (which I belt quite high) it gives the appearance of nice long legs.

Short dress over wider white pants | 40plusstyle.com

This dress is a great example of how one new items can instantly refresh your wardrobe. All other pieces in on this page are at least one year old.

Red, blue and white - a lovely combination | 40plusstyle.com

how to wear a short dress 4 different ways | 40plusstyle.com

Outfit details (only the dress in new)

Striped dress: In Good Company
Bootcut jeans: Paige
Skinny jeans: Uniqlo
Silver shoes: Lotus (comfortable option from Sofft)
Fuchsia shoes: Hogl (also like these)
Blue suede booties: Aura
Blue necklace: market in New York
Fuchsia necklace: In good company
Red necklace: Dogstar Clothing
Red bag: unbranded

I’m curious, which of these 4 looks is your favorite?

For further reading also check:

Sylvia

Sylvia is 40+style’s editor-in-chief and has been helping women find their unique style since 2011. An alumni of the School of Color and Design, she is devoted to empowering women of any age to look and feel their best. Read more about Sylvia and 40+style on this page.

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