The One Dress That Will Take You Anywhere

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I’ve posted before about my minimalist wardrobe and how I use an app to manage it. I like to keep a very few pieces in my closet and mix them up with fun accessories. I keep track of what I wore every day in the Stylebook app, and I often wear the same thing multiple times in a week if I’m fairly certain I won’t see the same people. Until recently, I hadn’t figured out how to do this with special event clothing. I tried the little black dress thing, but I look terrible in black and I never felt like my accessories made my dress of choice look different enough at different events.

Then, I had a summer with four family weddings to attend–with basically the same guest list. It’s not in my budget to buy four dresses, and I’m too vain to wear the exact same thing every time. I considered Rent the Runway, but my body’s weird after two babies and a mastectomy, and I hate leaving decisions to the last minute. I wondered if there was a way to wear the same dress more than once and change more than just the accessories. After much googling, I stumbled upon convertible dresses.

What are convertible dresses?

Convertible dresses are dresses that can be tied in varying styles, often with extra pieces of fabric that can change the neckline or the silhouette of a dress. They are popular with brides who want to give their wedding parties a chance to show some individuality and with travelers who want to make one piece of clothing work extra hard.

The problem I found with most convertible dresses? They’re incredibly strappy, and tying the dress leaves bare arms, shoulders, and sometimes even bare midriffs. I’m just not at a point anymore where styles like that are practical in my life. Also, many of them went all the way to the floor. I knew I would get more wear out of a dress that was a little shorter.

Enter the Henkaa Iris Covertible Dress

I think it was a search for “convertible dress with sleeves” that finally helped me strike gold: Henkaa’s Iris Midi Convertible Dress. It’s a 3/4 sleeve dress that falls just below the knee, and it can be styled 15+ ways! Also, they offered it in a deep teal color which is the ‘signature color’ in my wardrobe.

I skipped around the website and watched a tutorial video of their model tying the dress.

I trolled pictures of regular people wearing the dress (and saw that they looked pretty darn cute!) Buying one was a no-brainer. Since I’ve added this piece to my wardrobe, I’ve easily worn it a dozen times.

Here are just a few of the reasons that I LOVE my Henkaa Iris Convertible Dress:

• • • You store it crumpled up in a bag, and when you pull it out, it looks fabulous. IT DOES NOT WRINKLE.
    • You can wash it IN YOUR WASHING MACHINE in that same bag, and it comes out looking great. No “dry clean only” here.

• 

  Yes, this is the bag that the dress lives in (and the bag you use to wash it in the WASHING MACHINE!)

  • You can order it in a range of colors, so you’re not just stuck with a little black dress.
  • There are only four sizes to choose from, which take you from extra small to plus size (size 0-24). The fabric is a bit stretchy, so it will continue to look great as you gain or lose a few pounds.
  • The fabric is super drapey and flattering, even over mom tummies—heck you could even wear it while pregnant.
  • You could totally rock the wrap styles while breastfeeding.

• You can dress it down with a sweater, tights and boots in something simple like the wrap or cowl-neck 3/4 sleeve styles, or make it cocktail party ready by showing more skin and adding some sparkly things.
• It looks (and feels) appropriate in winter or summer as you can change the sleeve lengths.
• You could wear it in one of the more conservative styles during the day, and change it up to go out at night.

I seriously cannot say enough good things about this dress. It went with me to those four family weddings. It went with me on our Disney Cruise. I wore it to my best friend’s rehearsal dinner when I was matron of honor. I wore it to sing on a couple of concerts. It is always comfortable and always appropriate. I haven’t bought a dress since. Yes, I’m sure my family and friends are on to my trick by now, but I don’t even care.

Oh—and the customer service is awesome. When the stitching started to come out of my convertible bandeau, they sent me a new one free of charge right away—no questions asked. Side note: you should get the convertible bandeau to prevent showing any skin you’d rather not. Sometimes the creative tying involved in styling the dress can leave a little peek of torso showing through.

Anyway, you’re welcome. You are now sorted for any halfway dressy situations coming up. They also make floor length gowns appropriate for bridesmaids if you’ve got such an occasion on the horizon. As for me, I’ve got my eye on the Henkaa Calla dress. It’s a casual dress, a shirt, a party dress, or a tunic depending on how it’s styled. How cool is that?

Have you found a solution for managing dressy occasions with a minimalist wardrobe?

Tell me about it in the comments!