Fall Wedding Outfits: The Red Floral Dress

If you haven't noticed a trend has started to emerge with these wedding outfits. Red florals are a hot commodity in all shapes and forms. This was a happy coincidence and this red floral dress couldn't be more different from the Free People red jumpsuit from last week. I used to be wary of reds that weren't darker and closer to burgundy because of my hair. It was auburn and I was afraid it would clash with any red clothing. So I relegated myself to wearing pops of red in my outfits with accessories. Now I've grown my hair out with no red hair dye in sight and my dark brown hair is a good contrast with red.

I might have seen this red floral dress earlier this year on & other stories when perusing for winter dresses. Now it's on sale and the price is right so I couldn't resist even though winter is so far away. When purchasing, I thought maybe I could wear this to a wedding but really I just wanted a red dress to wear in the winter. This will keep me from reverting back to my usual all black clothing. This dress will only work in very narrow weather conditions in September in Texas. If it is unseasonably cool, at least under 80 preferably less than 70, it will work or else I will turn into a sweat box. I definitely will be keeping this dress but probably not showing off my twirling abilities at a wedding unless it is in the winter.

Here are all the style details that made me super pumped about this dress: midi length, flowy skirt, red background with floral print, long Victorian inspired sleeves and open or tie collar detail. Other useful attributes for a wedding: flowy skirt with a tie around the waist hide any food gorging, you can wear a bra, if you want, without any peak a boo moments and skirts with movement always look great on the dance floor.

I couldn't stop spinning in this dress and wish fall weather was here so I could take it for a spin in the real world instead of just my air conditioned house. Another occasion this would be great for is my birthday, in the middle of November, which always seems to coincide with the first temperature drop after summer. This makes dressing for my birthday and the outings associated with it confusing as the weather is sporadic. Sometimes I can wear shorts the weekend before my birthday and then be freezing on the actual day. Also I can have an outfit picked out that would be perfect for cooler weather and then the forecast changes.

A red floral dress might not seem the epitome of versatility but I've already cooked up various outfit recipes. My favorite is the high low combination of this dress with sneakers. This is an outfit trend I've seen captured at fashion weeks for at least two years. Now I will get to try out my version with my trusty black and white Vans. I love Vans in general with most outfits whether it is jeans or skirts. They are endlessly comfortable and go with everything. With very slight arch support they have replaced my high school sneaker go to the ever pervasive Converse as my sneaker of choice.

Beyond color, this dress is fairly non controversial in regards to “appropriate” wedding attire. Most of my skin is covered. You can barely see my curves; unless you look really hard. No one will mistake me for the bride, unless she is super cool and wearing a non wedding dress which I aspired to do but it turns out I'm as much a sucker for lace and tulle as the rest of them.

With the Victorian vibes, I will probably be the only theoretical wedding guest the over 70 crowd approves of. Let that sink in. But this approval will instantly go out the window when they see me wearing heels to make up for the puritanical sensibilities up top. One of the few “fashion rules” I will follow occasionally is wearing heels with longer skirts and not so much the other way around. But I mostly forsake the heels unless I'm really feeling myself and know that I can take them off eventually or the outfit calls for it.

Don't forget about the boots! I will also pair this dress with any and all of my boots, even the red ones, for an outfit that is easy to put together but looks like it took some amount of effort. Here's to the future of fall and winter when I will be twirling in my new red floral dress. If I dressed up for any Christmas celebrations this dress would be perfect.