Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! Even though it has been hot as BEJEEZUS for the past several days, I have been in a complete fall state of mind thanks to my new hair. During last week’s OOTD, I created an outfit to fully compliment my new do and I loved how it turned out so much that I wanted to go that route again. I also want to take all of the opportunities I can to wear dresses without tights before the weather gets too cold! Take a look at this look and let’s discuss:

Who? What? Wear?

Yellow Floral Dress: Xhilaration, Target

Denim Platforms: Bamboo, TJMaxx

Double Strand Earrings: I think these are from Target?

Can we all just talk about how great dresses are for a minute? They are one of those pieces where literally all you have to do is throw it on and you have an outfit. Also, bonus points if the dress has pockets like the one I’m wearing in this OOTD! It feels so weird to not see a huge list of clothing and accessories under Who? What? Wear? but I simply didn’t need anything more than what I had. That’s the power of a patterned dress because the last thing a bold print needs it to be bogged down with anything extra.

After rocking a navy blue dress last week, I decided to show attention to another color in my hair – Pulp Riot’s Satire. This yellow shade is my absolute favorite and it feels perfect for the last days of summertime and the approaching fall season. I mentioned in the Fabulously Fall OOTD that I thought the dress I was wearing shrank but, alas, it wasn’t the one I had on. It was actually the Target dress I have on in this shoot lol.

After assessing my options, I decided to try the lovely yellow frock to see if it was as badly shrunk as I remember it being. Happily, that wasn’t the case even with platforms on so we were in business! I love this dress so much and I have yet to find anything similar to it in stores. This dress is old as dirt, but it still feels brand new – especially since I just didn’t wear it for years straight lol. Of course, the color is great but there is so much more to this little number than that. The bell sleeves, for example? Darling! The burnished gold buttons down the front? Adorable! Flowy A-line skirt? Too cute! This dress is a statement in itself and when you break down why, it makes sense to style the rest of the look minimally.

For shoes, I went with my denim embroidered platforms by Bamboo. Although there were no perfect color matches to the shoes in the dress, that was okay! Denim is a neutral – this is why you can pair anything with blue jeans and it’s going to look good every time. These heels added fantastic length without making the dress too short and they are also comfy as can be. I could walk for miles in them… I think, anyways. 😀

All that was left to do for this look was accessorize and with the patterned dress, I didn’t need much of anything other than earrings and rings. However, there is more to keeping things minimal than just the pattern of the dress. Notice the neckline, for instance. It’s almost nonexistent and there are already tie down strings so you can tie it with a bow if you want. Would it be smart from a styling standpoint to put a necklace there anyways? No! Same with the sleeves of this dress. Sure, you could wear bracelets but I would rather the focal point be on the gorgeous bell sleeves!

Styling killer OOTDs is all about common sense and if you are struggling to create something, it helps to look at your clothing objectively. You can then see what parts of the outfit needs built up and what parts you can leave alone. This YAS In Yellow OOTD was all about minimal styling because the dress required it to be. When you can establish how and why you need to style specific pieces, you’re outfit building game will improve tenfold!

What is your favorite thing to shop for at Target? What is something you struggle with when styling OOTDs? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah