Fashion Over 40: A Beach Dress Styled For Daytime and Dinner #iwillwearwhatilike

Seems strange to bring you a glorious summer outfit when it’s cold and pouring with rain outside…!

I’m sure we’ll see the sun again eventually here in the UK, but for now I just want to revel in the outfit that I wore a couple of weeks ago when we were having some warm temperatures and beautiful, sunny evenings.

I featured this beach dress* – that’s NOT been worn as a beach dress but rather for daytime or dinner – on my Insta feed but it seemed too good not to be featured here as well. Plus, I just got back from the same detox retreat I went to back in September and as part of my new overhauled lifestyle and routine I’m not working myself into the ground. A photo shoot straight after getting back is too much pressure. I’m all about the work-life balance right now!

 

Disclosure: I was gifted these pieces by Land’s End for a paid Instagram post but was not paid for writing or obliged to write this blog post (click here for my full disclosure). It contains some affiliate links which means if you click through and buy I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Any items listed as* were gifted within the last 12 months.

 

SHOP THE LOOK:

As we’re not doing a beach holiday this year (and we haven’t for a few years, we won’t all the time we don’t want to leave Riley with anyone for longer than a day or two) then it seemed a bit counterintuitive to get a beach dress. But I loved the wrap over top and the coral colour so much that I couldn’t resist… I just needed to style it for when I’d wear it: daytime, lunch, dinner, an evening out.

I found the quickest way to get that smarter, daytime/evening look was the addition of a long waistcoat. (I guess it’s my spring-to-summer transition from wearing a longline blazer.) Take said longline blazer, chop off the sleeves [for goodness sake don’t ACTUALLY do this!], make it white and there you have a summer version. I love the mahoosive lapels on this one – with those gold buttons it has a touch of the nautical about it as well. The maxi dress/longline waistcoat combo just seems to work.

The less-beachy-more-smart casual look also comes via the accessories: smart Panama hat, statement earrings and a good quality canvas tote bag* (which Land’s End kindly embroidered with my name for me). I’ve wanted a monogrammed bag for aaaaaaaages, but I only have two initials and I feel monogramming needs three.

I thought about having “LAMB” on it, but that would confuse those who think my name is ‘Catherine Lamb’ even further…

DO YOU WEAR YOUR BEACH DRESSES AS DAYTIME WEAR? HOW DO YOU STYLE THEM? COMMENT BELOW…!

P.S. Do add your outfits to this week’s link up – and if you’ve added a link to here or my button to your post you may be featured in my bi-monthly Women Who Wear What They Like post!

Dress: Land’s End [gifted]
Waistcoat: Amazon
Bag: Land’s End [gifted]
Shoes: Office
Hat: Village Hats (similar)
Sunglasses: Borrowed from Keith (similar)
Earrings: Amazon (similar)

 

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Thank you for joining the #iwillwearwhatilike link up! This started as a campaign on Instagram in August 2015 where women over 30 wore everything on a journalist’s list of “inappropriate” items for 30+ women (including leopard print, short dresses and oversized sunglasses. Yes, really). It was so popular that I decided to carry it on weekly where women of all ages link up their fabulous style, never mind what anyone tells them not to wear!

The link up goes live every Tuesday at around 3pm UK time and will stay open for a week. Whilst the original article was of course aimed at the 30+, you can be ANY age to link up. The only prerequisite is that you’re wearing whatever you damn well like!

Click here to receive an email reminder for the next #iwillwearwhatilike link up as soon as it’s live!

Linking up etiquette…

CLICK HERE to read the rules of linking up (and to grab the #iwillwearwhatilike button). Basically it’s just good manners to link back to here – to leave a comment is even nicer!
Click here to enter

PLEASE NOTE: This is for linking up WHAT YOU’VE BEEN WEARING ONLY. Non-outfit links will be removed and you might be blocked if you turn out to be a repeat “offender” (and no one wants that, do they…)!