What I Wore: Styling the Monki Chambray Shirt Dress for Autumn

Remember that Monki Chambray Shirt Dress that I picked up for my Madrid holiday? Well, I loved it so much that once summer ended and the knitted jumpers and tights came out I decided to have a go at styling it for autumn. And you know what? I think I may have cracked it.

Dress: Monki Chambray Shirt Dress

At first I wasn’t sure if I could make this dress work for autumn, simply because it’s so lightweight! I was nervous that it wouldn’t be warm enough. But with a bit of layering it turned out to be pretty easy to make it work.

To help with the summer-to-autumn transition, I decided to focus on red / brown / orange accessories to play up the idea of the leaves changing. Using the warmer, more saturated colours helped make this dress appear a bit more autumn-friendly, and helped shift it away from it’s summer origins.

Cardigan: ASOS

If you remember the original post, I styled this dress with a lightweight oversized drapey cardigan. And for my autumn look I took that inspiration, but upgraded to a thicker, warmer knit. This cardigan is warm enough to double as a jacket on the not-too-cold days, and works well for layering.

Boots: Clarks (old), similar

Because it’s autumn (and a bit chillier than it was back in August!) I traded the sandals (sigh) for tights and ankle boots. These boots are from Clarks and are made with Gore-Tex, which means they’re water proof. Perfect for rainy autumn days!

Necklace: local market in China | Ring: market at Glastonbury Festival 2014

To complete the look I layered up on accessories. This necklace was a find at a local market when I visited China about ten years ago, and the bracelets have been collected from various markets and little shops in that same time period. If you’d like to recreate the look, I suggest piling on your favourite bangles – more is more with this look!

I ended up wearing this outfit to the office on a day where I went out after work. I’m happy to say I received a number of compliments both at the office and at the post-work event, and I felt like it really worked for me with the day-to-night transition.