I fell in love with this shot the first time I saw it on
The Sartorialist. What can I say? I’m just a girl who believes in love at first sight. Sartorial soul mates and all that. 🙂
What’s so great about this outfit is the simplicity of it. Dress. Bag. Belt. No muss, no fuss.

Top Left: Theory 'Odalis - Shellback' Dress - $100 on sale @ Nordstrom Rack, Top Right: Raoul Contrast Mod Dress - $190 @ Neiman Marcus, Bottom Left: Shoshanna Tone-on-Tone Check Dress - $190 @ CUSP & Bottom Right: MISERICORDIA dress - $75 @ Yoox.com
The first piece of this puzzle is a basic shift dress. Whether you want to go for a solid colored dress, a subtle pattern or something more dramatic, the key for a shift dress is to find a style that is flattering on you. Long-sleeved, knee-length, sleeveless, mini, pockets… It’s all about the fit and cut.

Top Left: Aria Leather Cross-Body Bag - $120 @ Banana Republic, Top Right: Ted Baker Leelar Patent Satchel - $210 @ Nordstrom, Bottom Left: Calvin Klein Vienna Lock Dr. Satchel - $130 @ eBags.com & Bottom Right: London Fog Hampton Satchel - $140 @ Amazon.com
A solid colored satchel bag is incredibly versatile and the top handle makes it a very east to hold onto bag, especially if you’re, say, a photographer and always busy with your hands.

Top Left: Cross-Stitched Panel Belt - $52 @ Guess, Top Right: Braided Leather Ring Belt - $30 @ American Eagle Outfitters, Bottom Left Leather Bow Belt - $30 @ Gap & Bottom Right: Braided Belt - $40 @ LOFT
A braided or simple belt doesn’t have to be expensive and in either black or brown is a great basic to keep in your closet. I love this bow belt from GAP but you want to make sure that a style like this is worn with a very basic shift dress to avoid over doing it on the cute-factor.
And if the browns & neutral tones of this color scheme don’t suit your coloring, just pick a more flattering color for pieces. Just try to keep them all to a similar color to keep the general idea behind this look in tact.
You can also check out past MCLV Style File looks below:
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December 22, 2011 | Categories: Fashion, Style File | Tags: Amazon.com, American Eagle Outfitters, Banana Republic, Calvin Klein, CUSP, eBags.com, Gap, Guess, LOFT, London Fog, Misercordia, Mod, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Nordstrom Racj, Photographer, Raoul Contrast Mod Dress, Satchel, Shoshanna Tone-on-tone dress, Ted Baker, The Sartorialist, Theory Odalis Shellback Dress, Yoox.com | 9 Comments