Today I feature 2 items I hardly ever wear, namely a white dress and black leggings.
I hardly ever wear long leggings because I’m not a huge fan of them and secondly because they are simply too hot for Singapore! However, on this occasion I was going to the cinema where the indoor temparature is freezing cold.
I don’t think I have ever worn a dressy white dress before. I have one very casual white dress, but that is usually worn on holidays. Although I’m very comfortable with white trousers, pulling off a while dress is a totally different story.
When I saw this CK Calvin Klein dress, I was persuaded to give a white dress a go. Although it is very risky (and certainly not always recommended) to buy items that you are not sure of while shopping at the sales, this dress was discounted so low that it was perfect to try out something new.
I’m actually quite pleased with the combination. Black and white is always chic even when you wear it with a few cheap leggings. The dress make the leggings a bit dressier. I wore it with the hat as I had a bad hair day, and it suits this outfit really well.
I actually like this outfit both in complete black and white with my big black zippered bag, but for a splash of colour my versatile Heleen van der Meer bag comes in handy again. I only wished I had picked the blue colour this time as I’ve used the green a few times lately.
You can wear this outfit with both heels as well as flats. The open toes pumps elongate the leg line and is a good choice to wear with leggings.
Flat ballerinas make the outfit a bit more casual and the legs slightly shorter, but the overall silhouette still works for my body type.
This is the kind of outfit that you can wear at any age. If you have never worn a dress over leggings or pants I encourage you to give it a try. That may actually be a good topic for our next dressing challenge!
Check out lots more tips on how to wear leggings here.
Do you ever wear leggings or a white dress?
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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Very nice Sylvia. Although I think I prefer you in soft, flowy fabrics with colour. We’re all so different aren’t we?
I appreciate your reluctance about leggings, but have to admit you look pretty good in them, this is a very flattering outfit, and being seemingly tall, you carry it very well! What a charming outfit, very chic!!!
FF
Thanks for leaving your feedback Nicolene and welcome to 40+ Style!
Your grafic necklace makes this outfit
I like this outfit with flats a lot. The leggings make you casual light, safe and youthful. Black/white is my favorite combination. To my taste there’re too many accessories. I like and always follow Coco Shanel advice: “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory”. But, some people can afford a lot of them and stiil look great!
Thanks for the feedback Lara. I agree with you, especially when combined with the green bag. When you’re adding a hat in the accessory mix, it becomes too much quite quickly….
Looks great on you! I like the dress-over-leggings look a lot. Recently I bought a thicker pair of leggings to wear under my shorter dresses but unfortunately they are a bit loose. I think in the future I will stick to opaque hose!
I agree with everyone above, the look is lovely and it suits you so well. I am on the lookout for a summer dress without pattern or too many frills and shaping. This one is perfect. I’ll keep looking, fingers crossed I find something I like.
You look great in this outfit, Sylvia. I only wear leggings (under slacks/jeans) in the winter, or when I do yoga or ice skate. The look you have here is similar to your trousers under a dress concept, and I think I like it better since the leggings are so slim. I’ll have to think about trying it as a way to wear more dresses when it’s chilly outside. I love the leggings with the flats…so Audrey Hepburn. 🙂
This is such a wonderful outfit, I totally love this look.
Now I need a white dress like this…
Fabulous, Sylvia!!
Annette
Lady of Style
We are always talking about the need to have a LBD, but when I look at this dress I think we should include a LWD . The model is simple but very classy and you can combine it in so many ways. I am sure this is going to be the next musthave in our closets.
You are so right Marianne. Very seductive these examples, aren’t they?
Cute hat! You wear it well
I love wearing leggings – they’re so comfy! I do wear them under some casual skirts and dresses, and they’re especially good for bicycling.
I love your outfit – it looks sleek and chic, and the hat is a great way to top it off!
I love this silhouette, Sylvia. And the simple color palette too – so chic. Thanks for sharing with Visible Monday!
This outfit looks so chic! I particularly like the top image.
I love that dress, and I think the outfit is perfect with the flats! The dress over leggings combo is something I’ve never tried although I certainly like the look, but I should probably follow your advice and try it.
Yes do. I’m almost certain that it will be our next dressing challenge!
Perfect. Love the dress. As usual you have styled it very well.
A minor taste detail (to me, please bear that in mind): I am wondering whether it would even be better to do without either the hat or the necklace in the combination with the fun Heleen van der Meer bag.
Yes, I agree. Having it all is a bit too much!
As I said, it was just a minor thing. Your smile is dazzling by the way.
Love this outfit! The green bag gives a perfect pop of colour against the black and white. I very occasionally wear leggings, but tend to use them as part of very casual laying round the house outfits. I’m thinking of putting together a couple of more stylish outfits featuring leggings that could be worn on my holiday this year – we’re going to the north of England in May so the weather could either be lovely, or more likely not so lovely in which case leggings could be required!
I’m sure I would wear them a lot more often in a colder climate…
Sylvia,
I LOVE LOVE this look!!!! Clean lines…SO chic!!
I have not tried the dress over leggings or pants, but just may give this a shot for spring… I love your combination here including the hat!
I love this combination. I am usually very nervous to pair dark items under light – some “rules” hangover I have from my youth. But these items worked great together! Since I am always drooling some sort of food down myself, I probably won’t be trying a white dress soon. But this makes me think that maybe I could…
Funny Tracey. Most people feel the opposite. Definitely give it a try. A white blouse with dark jeans or trousers is always very chic.