The Short Denim Dress: A Woman’s Any-Occasion Outfit

One of the most prevalent sources of stress for a lot of women, particularly working mothers, is decision fatigue. Every day, they deal with various demands for their time and energy from their partners, children, superiors and colleagues. It’s no wonder many of them consider being able to carve out short moments for themselves such precious treats.

According to studies, decision fatigue can come from various aspects of life. However, one situation wherein decision fatigue is quite easy to address is when a woman gets dressed for the day. This is the reason why so many women today set up a capsule wardrobe. By having fewer pieces of clothing that they can easily mix and match, they can get dressed without thinking too much about the actual act.

When it comes to setting up a capsule wardrobe, Jennifer L. Scott of The Daily Connoisseur advises choosing your basics or neutrals and throwing in a few favorite items. One example of a favorite item for a lot of women is a short denim dress which is a completely utilitarian piece. There truly is no shortage of ways for women to wear it.

Eight different outfits you can create with a short denim dress.

1. Relaxed Casual Wear

If you simply want to look presentable for your day, pair your short denim dress with a midi or maxi linen skirt or wide-legged pants. This type of outfit is so popular in Asia because it’s super-comfortable and simple, yet stylish. You can complete the look with a pair of canvas shoes or slip-on sandals.

2. Feminine Brunch Attire

For weekend brunches with your girlfriends, you can fancy up a short denim dress a bit by wearing it as a top for a flowy pleated skirt. Tuck the dress into the skirt for a more polished look and make sure to cinch in the waist to accentuate your womanly figure.

For final touches, wear gold jewelry and an elegant watch, and consider wearing kitten heels or dainty mules for a completely feminine style.

3. Day-with-the-Family Fashion

For a day indoors or outdoors with the people who truly matter to you, keep everything casual and comfy. Pair the denim dress with white shorts.

If you’re heading out, say, to play at the community park, deck out the attire a bit more by wearing a hat, donning a pair of designer specs (like Tom Ford sunglasses), and wearing boots or sandals.

4. Work Style

To make the dress appropriate for corporate settings, all you need is a form-fitting, structured midi pencil skirt. This will smooth out and flatten the extra volume of the dress and transform it into a figure-flattering top.

Now, if your workplace allows for edgy office attire, wear thick black tights and high heels with the dress. And if the piece is loose and looks like a babydoll dress, alter its shape by wearing a cardigan or structured blazer. If you wish to show off your trim waistline, wear a skinny belt or multiple skinny belts (if you’re a little on the curvier side) to define the curve of your midsection.

5. Resort Wear

For a holiday getaway with family and friends, bring your short denim dress as well. There are two main ways to wear it when you head to a luxurious resort for some R&R.

One is by wearing the dress over your swimsuit as a cover-up. You can go from the pool with your kids straight to a restaurant with this dress as a cover-up.

Another is by pairing it with drawstring pants. Again, a loose, short denim dress makes for a stylishly versatile top, especially for straight-cut drawstring trousers. You will look fashionable yet comfy with these two styling options.

6. Chic Cold Day Layering

Everybody knows that the winter requires multiple clothing to keep the chill in the air off the body. Do not ditch your short denim dress yet; it’s still winter-appropriate despite its length. Pair the dress with jeans and a leather jacket for street chic cold weather-day layering. Perhaps throw on a beanie and chunky boots for an edgier outfit.

For a more feminine ensemble though, wear the short denim dress over a turtleneck bodysuit, a long and heavy skirt, tights, boots, and a trench coat. With all these layers, you’ll certainly feel warm but still look quite like a lady.

7. Errand Day Stylish

For a day packed with chores and a bunch of other responsibilities or tasks, put on the dress and make it more modest and convenient to move around in by pairing it with leggings. And don’t forget to wrap your hair with a bandanna for that vintage “tough girl, I can do it” look.

With this getup, you can do everything from going to different business establishments to cleaning your home, and yet not worry about sudden visitors to your home because you actually look nice and presentable.

8. Fancy Festival Fashion

Sometimes, even the busiest mothers want to hang out with their girlfriends and enjoy the social events they used to go to when they were younger. Dressing up for music festivals and concerts is bound to be easy with your short denim dress.

Denim is the most common material for festival outfits and you don’t need to do much to your denim dress to make it thoroughly festival-appropriate. Wear it as it is, but perhaps go all out on the accessories. You can’t go wrong with boho-chic metal accessories and beads. Also, wear boots and sunglasses, and pull your hair back with a turban.

Versatility in Denim

A short denim dress is a lot like the staple ingredients you have in your pantry. There are so many ways for you to style it and make it appropriate for whatever it is you need to do or wherever you need to be.

What’s even lovelier about a high-quality denim dress is that it feels so much softer and it falls more flatteringly on the body over time. So it’s only fitting that you wear yours as often as you can.

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About The Author

Ethiopian-born and Dubai-based fashion designer Feiruza Mudessir discovered her curiosity to mix the traditional with contemporary at a young age, and this has become the trademark of her designs for Finchitua today. With her unique style standpoint, she served the VIP Color Forecast Panel 2017 for Al Jazeera Paints Company and VIP Color Forecast Panel 2019 for Asian Paints Berger. Ms. Mudessir is a shortlisted nominee for the prestigious Fashion Scout London 2018.

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