Whenever I’m cold and sitting on my couch at home, I have this extremely odd habit of cocooning myself with the knit throw that adorns our couch (or a patch of floor in its immediate vicinity), always at the ready for just this momentous nightly occasion. I’m not saying that I just wrap myself in a blanket like a normal human, I’m saying that I legitimately mummify myself by spinning into the blanket as Rich holds one end. While it does create the ultimate cozy human burrito, I have to admit that it poses significant challenges to limb mobility, making it less than ideal for… well basically everything other than lying horizontally.
As temperatures drop, and all offices turn into veritable human freezers, it’s always extremely tempting to bring a blanket to the office and find a way to replicate the nightly mummification ritual at my desk. However, I have a feeling that aside from being less than professionally appropriate, it might signal a marked decline in my productivity, you know, given the inability to move my arms (and legs for that matter). So what’s a girl to do when she finds herself in this all-consuming workwear predicament?
Enter, the majestic sweater dress.
It’s basically like wearing a blanket to the office except—plot twist—you can move your arms and you won’t get fired. So many wins.
Ok, ok so the sweater dress itself is not necessarily the most novel article of clothing. Maybe you already have a stockpile of these beauties from seasons past that you can’t wait to bust out of your closet. However, the cozy/warmth factor of this particular dress goes far beyond just that of a normal sweater dress, because as the title of today’s post suggests, this number has a hidden trick up it’s sleeve—or up it’s neck rather. The cowl neck that you see above can be converted to be worn off-the-shoulder making it the ULTIMATE fall and winter day-to-night dress. Mmmk, but how does this amplify the aforementioned cozy/warmth factor? Well drinking makes you warm and this dress faciliates après-work drinks, ipso facto, this dress is the actual bomb.
If you check it out here on Nordstrom’s website, you’ll see that it’s billed as a simple off-the-shoulder sweater dress. I loved the dark charcoal hue and thought it would be a perfect dress for fall and winter date nights and dinners. It wasn’t until I tried it on and started playing around with styling options (belted? un-belted? booties? pumps?) that I realized the neck can be worn beautifully as a cowl-neck for a bit more coverage during the work day. Then, when you’re ready to leave the office in the dust, you can easily pull down the collar for a beautiful off-the-shoulder look.
If you watch my snapchats today (they will expire at roughly 5pm PST, so check before then!), you’ll see that there’s one more way you can actually wear the neckline (spoiler alert: it’s my favorite of the three) so check out @maryorton on snapchat for the details. I actually didn’t really think about it until after these pictures were taken yesterday, so hit up snapchat to hear all about it and get the full trifecta.
DRESS: Cupcakes and Cashmere | BELT: Linea Pelle (old, similar HERE and HERE) | PUMPS: Ralph Lauren (old, similar HERE and more below) | NECKLACE: c/o Baublebar | BAG: J.W. Anderson (similar HERE) | SUNGLASSES: Wonderland Sun (similar HERE and HERE) | LIP: Nars (Damned)
Thanks to Nordstrom for partnering on this post.