Take 13: Sweater Dresses

If there's one thing you can add to your wardrobe that's versatile, comfortable, and wickedly chic, it's a sweater dress. Pair it with tights or leggings; bare legs for spring or warm fall days. Wear it with flats, heels, or boots. Sweater dresses are perfect for dates, running errands, trendier offices, or even Thanksgiving dinner.

I bought this sweater dress at Avenue today. It was about $30. I plan to pair it with leggings and my flat, slouchy black boots for work tomorrow. The great thing is the dress hugs my breasts and then flares out, giving it an A-line shape even though it's not necessarily cut that way. I have another sweater dress that has a band under the bust and then pleats that gather around it, making it fall away from my torso. Look for dresses like this to hide a tummy. If you can rock a more fitted style — go for it!

I love this cowl-neck dress from Target — $30.

This dress from Target ($40) combines two hot trends this fall/winter: purple and plaid. I'm loving the shape. I would pair it with purple or pink shoes for extra oomph...but I'm a bit crazy like that!

This grey dress from Kohl's ($35) looks a little plain, but you have to think about what you can do with it. Try adding a scarf, or a long necklace. My personal creative touch would be colored tights — hot pink, teal, or royal blue. Yay! The waistline on this dress is ultra-flattering, so spicing it up with accessories is a great solution to a simple heather gray.

Another dress from Target — and this one's only $28! (The website has a TON of sweater dresses!). I love, love this color and imagine it would look awesome with black or gray tights. I'd wear a long necklace with this to break up the scoop neck with some added interest.

Finally, the last dress from Target is an ombre style (they also carry it in a gray-t0-black style). I love the ombre look — it's very hot right now. Again, you need some tights. But remember that you can always pair this with a cute little cardigan for colder days, and hang onto it for spring and wear it with bare legs. 

You may  have noticed that I chose rather low-price items for this blog posting. I'm going to try looking for more affordable options for awhile. You know how much I love to show designers' clothes and then say, "Look for something similar in a lower price point." Well, sometimes that's easier said than done! If you have any shop-on-a-budget tips, please let me know! We're all trying to pinch pennies these days.