March 31, 2025
It’s a question that many of you ask – do I really need to own more than one dress? If I pick something really simple and classic, can’t I just wear it for every “dress event” that I have?
To which I am – of course – going to reply “Heck yes!!!”
This dress is a wonderful candidate. Simple. Flattering. Ponte knit, which travels well, sheds wrinkles nicely, and has enough of a “neutral personality” that it can be dressed up or down with equal ease:
There’s no real pattern or system to the ten ways I’m accessorizing this dress – I honestly just scrolled through all of my usual suspects for finding sweaters, shoes, scarves and jewelry. When I saw something that appealed or sparked my imagination, I proceeded!
First – obvious, but very useful and attractive:
Of course spring is coming – I could see this on Easter Sunday!
Dress – J.Crew; earrings – Givenchy; scarf – Talbots; washed lavender cashmere cardigan – Lands’ End; sandals – Bandolino
If the weather’s truly hot, you don’t need anything more than accessories – especially if your earrings and your handbag look as if they’re cousins…
Earrings – Talbots; Dress – J.Crew; necklace – Talbots; sandals – Jewel Badgley Mischka; woven wire bag – Brunna.Co
I love green with navy – in another life, when navy is my neutral, bright green will be my springtime accent of choice!
Cardigan – Boden; jade & pearl earrings – Way to Chic; scarf – Jessie Zhao New York; sandals – Talbots; Dress – J.Crew
Just a timeless wrap, and some peacock pearls!
Dress – J.Crew; earrings & necklace set – The Met Store; wrap – The Met Store; sandals – Naturalizer
Imagine this cardigan tossed casually over your shoulders… And you MUST look at the sweater on the Boden site – it has embroidery AROUND THE BACK! Sigh…
Cardigan – Boden; earrings – Kate Spade; bag – Coach; pink poppy sandals – Sam Edelman; Dress – J.Crew
An outdoor wedding? The light blue is unexpected, but so pretty…
I understand from the trend followers that yellow will be big this year. That means nothing to us, of course, but it does mean that if you like yellow, it will be easier to find!
Dress – J.Crew; earrings – Frasier Sterling; cardigan – Kate Spade; bag – Danni Ro; sandals – Talbots
Changeable weather? You can go sleeveless when it’s hot, and then cuddle into a lovely ruana when the temperature drops:
Earrings – Talbots; necklace – Talbots; ruana – Lauren Ralph Lauren; loafers – Forever & Always; Dress – J.Crew
And if you need to look like a serious adult, this dress is a great place to start!
Dress – J.Crew; earrings – Anthropologie; scarf – Lazyjack Press; blazer – Alex Mill; pumps – Saks Fifth Avenue
Once you’ve assembled an accessory family or two to wear with your navy dress, don’t forget to dig out your favorite navy shirt and pants! A navy column is a navy column… Maybe a navy cotton turtleneck and chinos? Or a navy sleeveless top and capris?
love,
Janice
p.s. Ten years ago, I posted a week of my wardrobe diary – I was getting ready to move into a new apartment! That was THREE apartments ago… We move a lot.
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This is possibly my favorite post yet–and I’ve been following you since the very beginning!
I’m a self-processed Dressaholic. I love dresses and prefer to wear them in all seasons, except for the coldest days of Maine winters. I can honestly say that, even though I prefer bright colors and cheerful patterns, my simple navy jersey dresses are the workhorses of my wardrobe. I have three–one super casual slub knit to wear in summer, a long sleeved faux wrap for winter and my Boden Melanie jersey dress that’s similar to the J. Crew shown here, but with cap sleeves. Each one has a different function and I truly wear these all of the time.
I love all of the scarves you have shown here and each one tells a different story. I also have some patterned cardigans (especially striped) that I’ll pair with my dresses, as well as some pullovers that will achieve a polished “skirt” look. But yours are the ‘winner, winner, chicken dinner’. I’ll try to replicate these looks in the weeks and months ahead.
Merci beaucoup!
Same for me! With all the lovely (and comfortable!) dresses available recently, my wardrobe has shifted to more than half dresses in the last couple of years. But the plain ones are truly the most versatile of them all!
Wow, that outfit with the Boden cardigan and the matching purse took my breath away. I would love to walk into a room wearing that whole outfit.
This is the unicorn of styles I’ve been seeking. The concept is exactly what I’m trying to achieve. If only the navy wasn’t soooo dark. Could this work in dead of winter with heavier cardis and jackets? Boots?
I checked the perfect little kitten heels at the Sak’s link. In addition to the navy and the ubiquitous black, these shoes come in a color called “mouse.” That reminded me that my online quilting group has defined certain colors as “dead rodent colors.” 😁
This could work any day of the year – you’d want pretty warm tights, and I would want tall boots and a warm sweater. But this could easily be the only dress you owned…
hugs,
Janice
Perfect! I’m a tights and boots gal!
My favourite is the navy with camel. So classic, and even more so with the RL loafers.
Oh oops the loafers are not RL but the ruana is. Love this.
This post was perfect. 2 week trip to Germany planned for May and Navy is my base color. Thanks
Lovely dress, but please some of us need sleeves! I have to do a lot of shopping online (in Europe) and it may be different in store, but it seems the clock has been turned back again and nearly everything I see that isn’t incredibly dull and uninspiring, is shown on 6′ tall skinny young models, indeed skin and bone sometimes. With as we are told ageing populations, it is surely a huge untapped market. As someone 5′ tall, in their 70’s, it is just as well I can sew!
Rant over, and I do love this post, some of those accessories are just beautiful. Lots of ideas for perking up my predominantly navy wardrobe.
Models have gotten painfully skinny again, haven’t they? I thought that we were over that silliness…
For the next dress post I do, I will try to find something with sleeves!
hugs,
Janice
Do you need long sleeves? I own this dress and the slightly longer than cap sleeves is very flattering. It is very similar to the beautiful J. Crew one, but has a bit more coverage.
In fairness, I don’t love my arms either. I try to pair with cardigans or wraps.
https://us.boden.com/products/melanie-jersey-midi-dress-navy?_pos=2&_psq=melanie&_ss=e&_v=1.0
Ellen s,
Thanks for the link. Not only does it have sleeves but it has pockets! And it comes in petite and tall sizes too.
Quince also has a similar dress with half sleeves:
https://www.quince.com/women/ultra-stretch-ponte-short-sleeve-midi-dress?color=navy&productPosition=17&searchQuery=ponte&tracker=searchPage__search_section__search_results
These are all very pretty. I haven’t worn a dress in years. Do people still wear pantyhose?
Also, I am going to an Orioles game in Baltimore in the middle of August. I’m sure it will be 100 degrees. I will be staying with friends for about 4 days. There may be a casual lunch with high school friends. I don’t really want to wear shorts. Could you do a capsule wardrobe using black, white, blue and purple?
I am a serious dress wearer. I haven’t worn pantyhose in at least ten years, probably longer. But, I do wear opaque tights in winter.
What do you wear in Spring/Fall when it is too cool for bare legs and too warm for tights? I find I just don’t wear dresses during these seasons for this reason.
I still wear pantyhose for church, business and dressy occasions.
Around the house or out and about, I’ll wear tights or leggings + socks in cool weather. I wear bike shorts under skirts and dresses when the weather gets warmer.
One of my favorite things to do while watching baseball is to check out what the crowd is wearing. I have seen just about every outfit imaginable. Since you don’t want to wear shorts, maybe linen pants would be a great option or even gauze ankle pants. Many retailers have linen pants right now, check out J. Crew, Lands End, J Jill, Talbots, and even JC Penny. Pick a top with your team color or grab a team cap and you’d fit right in.
Perfect timing! I have s summer wedding and I bought a dress very similar to this in colour only mine is an A line which is a better style for me. I bought gold sandals but that is as far as I have gotten so your ideas are perfect. Thank you so much for all your great posts.
Fabulous post! A simple, solid-toned dress like this can be a wardrobe chameleon. My jaw dropped when I the “cousin” earrings and purse. Well spotted, Janice!
This was a great post! I remember looking at the one navy dress (and all the other wonderful one dress posts) a couple of years ago when I was first looking through all of the Vivienne files archives and this hearts back to that one. I love the idea of a good navy dress as a base for lots of outfits. I am still looking for my perfect one. I’m thinking of a navy wrap or mock wrap with an a line skirt and some sort of sleeve that will fit nicely into a cardigan or blazer.
Thanks so much for all your inspiration Janice! Especially on my birthday. :-D
Wow what a great post! Not yet giving up black but one could have two dresses correct? One black one navy? Adore all the looks but the camel and navy. The ruanna is fine but the loafers are not working the look. Ballets flats or an ankle boot in camel would look so chic here. Loafers can stay with the trousers.
For those affeared of sleeveless you can buy under garments that are called Sleevie Wonders that go on like long sleeved bolero under a sleeveless dress. The bodice part is a very thin material. it’s a clever idea! I’ve seen them in different colours and fabrics too. Great for taking a sleeveless dress into cooler seasons.
Of course you can have two dresses! I have three for summer: black, bright pink, and turquoise-ish…
And I tried really hard to find boots to go with the ruana, and anything that I loved wasn’t available in hardly ANY sizes. I refuse to taunt you with a great pair of boots that are available in only 5 1/2 and 9 1/2. Narrow.
hugs,
Janice
I love the idea of a navy dress but dark navy just makes me disappear. Light navy, a dark “denim” blue look better on me. There are so many ideas here for accessorising that I could certainly shop my wardrobe and never tire of such a dress. Metals would preferably be silver.
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Hi-
FYI
My post is dated May 31 2025.
Well if THAT’S not wishful thinking, I don’t know what is! Thanks for letting me know – I’ve fixed it!
hugs,
Janice
Great post. And so timely. I have a navy jersey, somewhat A-line dress hanging on my bedroom door for “thinking about” will I wear it. After reading this, it’s a YES! I have a lavender summer cardigan, a cropped trench, a tobacco brown ruana (an old friend I’ve had for 20 years!), and a white blazer. I could truly empty (almost) everything else out of my closet. (Nah, making outfits is too much fun.) This is a favorite post!
I love a statement piece with my basics, and the J Crew jacket and Boden cardigan are my ideals. Thanks for these stunning selections. I don’t care if people notice I’ve worn it before. Another possibility for dressing up the dress is a sheer capelet from Babeyond; they do 1920’s style clothing. I wore one to a recent wedding over my lighter than navy sheath dress with gold sandals.
I especially appreciate the comment towards the end of your post, reminding us that a navy column is a navy column.
I so love the idea of dresses, but when it comes right down to it, I’m dissatisfied with the way that I look in them. However, a column of color, especially navy, would be super useful.