red sweater dress, cowboy boots, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 style

Inspired by Elegantly Dressed and Stylish: Red Sweater Dress for the Holidays

December 12, 2019 / 31 Comments
red sweater dress, cowboy boots, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 style
red sweater dress, cowboy boots, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 style
red sweater dress, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 style
red sweater dress, cowboy boots, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 style

For my entire life, literally for as long as I can remember, green has been my favorite color. But ever since I started this blog, which obviously requires lots of photographs of myself, I am realizing that while green might be my favorite color, red might possibly be just my color. Over the past few years of blogging, I have been adding more and more red items to my closet. I will often add bits and splashes of red into my outfits which tend to be heavily anchored in black. But every once in a while, I will step out of the black and into the red and what better time for that than the holiday season when the color red seems to be appearing everywhere.

Last year I purchased a red sweater dress from Torrid and while I loved it in the store, every time I have tried it on at home, it has left me disappointed. And then I saw my very dear friend, Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, wearing a gorgeous Red Sweater Dress for the Holidays. Her outfit was even the featured reader favorite on last week’s #SpreadTheKindness Link Up.

Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, red sweater dress, holiday outfit
Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish

My Torrid dress is very similar to the one Jess is wearing except it has a lace up corseted waist instead of a belt and it is a bit more a-line in shape. The knit is soft and fine and lends itself to being dressed up for the holidays. So with a newfound inspiration from Jess, I pulled out my red sweater dress and slipped it on. And I was disappointed yet again. It’s probably not the dress’s fault. I have gained about 10-15 pounds in the last few months and I definitely see it when I look in the mirror. Once I ditch these pounds, I am going to give it one last try before listing it on Poshmark.

Even with my red sweater dress failing me, I was still so inspired by Jess’s gorgeous look in red for the holidays so I wasn’t quite ready to give up my red sweater dress quest. And then I found this cute and cozy red cable knit sweater dress at Old Navy. It was half off the day I spotted it, so I figured I better grab it for the super reasonable price of $25. And I am glad I did because it is now only 20% off of its marked down price of $45. But still definitely a great buy for $36.

red sweater dress, cowboy boots, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 style
red sweater dress, cowboy boots, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 style
red sweater dress, cowboy boots, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 style

While it is not the most flattering cut on me, I am taking Jodie’s words of wisdom to heart…”I’m finally learning that ‘flattering’ isn’t everything.” I like the dress. I like the color and the cable knit detail and the warmth and coziness of it. I like the bold red color and I like the way it makes me feel. So darn it, I am going to wear it. I tried out a few different styling tricks with a scarf around the waist and a scarf around the neck. And I followed Jess’s lead and added a fun brooch to jazz it up a bit. And then…I went a little bit country and grabbed my cowgirl boots, which by the way, are not at all suitable for the snow!

red sweater dress, cowboy boots, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 style
red sweater dress, cowboy boots, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 style
red sweater dress, cowboy boots, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 style
red sweater dress, cowboy boots, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 style

Now that I gave you a whole pointless story about my red sweater dress dilemma, let me talk about Jess for a minute. Do you all know her? If you don’t, you need to! Not only is Jess one of the friendliest women in the blogosphere, but she is so very interesting, too. She began her blog, Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, as a way to improve her mood as she struggled with her diagnosis of EDS, which is a connective tissue disease that causes hyper-mobility, joint dislocation, and severe muscle pain. Jess is truly inspiring in the way she prevails while coping with chronic pain. She uses her blog not only as a forum for sharing fun fashion, but also as a platform to spread awareness about EDS.

Jess is also a musician and former music teacher with a Master’s degree in Jazz Guitar and she is the proud mama of two shih tzus, Gibby and Truffles. She has been married to Roy for a really long time and he is equally amazing. And I know this first hand because I had the opportunity to have lunch with Jess, Roy, Gibby, Truffles, and Jennie of A Pocketful of Polka Dots this summer when I visited Asheville, North Carolina. If you missed that post, you can check it out here.

red sweater dress, cowboy boots, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 style
red sweater dress, cowboy boots, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 style
red sweater dress, cowboy boots, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 style

But seriously, if you don’t already follow Jess, you can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Bloglovin’. Tell her Shelbee sent you!

Have you ever met a blogger friend whom just instantly connected with? I have had this experience with literally every blogger friend whom I have met in real life and Jess is no exception. I guess we are a special breed of people who decide to share our lives in the public eye with the hope that we can inspire and empower others to live their best lives. I am always and forever grateful for this amazing community.

red sweater dress, cowboy boots, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 style
red sweater dress, cowboy boots, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 style
red sweater dress, cowboy boots, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 style
red sweater dress, cowboy boots, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 style

Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

Linking up with these Fabulous Link Parties.

Shop my look…

Outfit Details: Dress-Old Navy / Coat-Charlotte Russe (Old) / Boots-DSW (Old) / Gloves-Walmart (Old) / Clutch and Scarf-Target (Old) / Tights, Brooch, and Earrings-Old

I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.

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