dressing tips | Fabulous After 40

Fashion question: Can this long sweater go over a dress?

December 14, 2011 | By Deborah Boland | 6 Comments

Dear Glam Gals,

I have sent you two photos and need your help. I feel this dress is age appropriate. It is not black. It is not baggy. It is the right length.

Do you think that I have “overdone” the cream with the hose and shoes? I am only 5’2’’. So I try to follow rules for petites. Unfortunately, the dress doesn’t really have a sleeve to it. So I wore it with the wrap and I think that looks nice.
I also have this rust colored sweater. What do you think? Can I wear it over the dress?

I am enjoying your website and I have told lots of other women about it! Thank you. ~Dianna

Dear Dianna,

This is a great dress and it fits you’re lovely figure well. While the sheer wrap on the left does technically match the dress, what has happened is that you have started mixing up styles and this is why you’re feeling like there might be something going wrong here!

This dress is very classic and needs to have a classic wrap with it.

The sheer wrap on the left is just too romantic looking for your tailored dress and the red sweater on the right is too heavy and casual. It is meant to be worn with jeans and some boots. Also, the cream sheer hose: while the “rules” say that they elongate your leg, right now, cream hose are out of style. You would look more updated if you wore a nude hose and nude shoe. Actually,the style of your shoe is nice and would look fine with nude hose.

One more thing: the necklace you have put with this is a little too frilly as well. You don’t really need a necklace at all but some simple pearls would be fine. Here are are few ideas that we think would step this outfit up to the next level:

This simple white sweater would be perfect worn open. It is from Talbots and comes in a variety of colors. Or you could go more dramatic and opt for a black jacket like this one from Dillards. However you would need a black pump and nude hose to pull the outfit together.