shirt dress, jeans outfit, fashion over 40, rainbow stripes, pink shoes, fedora

The Fab 40’s are Sprucing Up Shirt Dresses

shirt dress, jeans outfit, fashion over 40, rainbow stripes, pink shoes, fedora
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Living on the edge. Dreaming in colors. Hiding between the lines. We get muffled up and flipped around and turned upside down so many times, it’s hard to find right. Like a spinning machine that leaves us in a state of disorientation, life tumbles us ass over head in a repetitive wash and rinse cycle. We come out frazzled and crumpled as we stumble around trying to regain our balance and perspective.

shirt dress, jeans outfit, fashion over 40, rainbow stripes, pink shoes, fedora
shirt dress, jeans outfit, fashion over 40, rainbow stripes, pink shoes, fedora

My hair is dirty but my face is clean. I like to stay in jammies for entire days at a time but I always brush my teeth. Leave me in my solitude so I can manifest the courage that is needed to immerse myself back into the world as a social butterfly. A luminous, colorful embodiment of grace and poise, kindness and enthusiasm. Shine bright like the perfect rainbow that leads every lost soul to their pot of gold.

shirt dress, jeans outfit, fashion over 40, rainbow stripes, pink shoes, fedora
shirt dress, jeans outfit, fashion over 40, rainbow stripes, pink shoes, fedora

Lead by example and set the standard. Walk in a straight line because it is the shortest distance between two points. Boring as hell, but you might be in a hurry. If you trip and fall, just act like you meant to do that. Pick yourself up, brush yourself off, give a big hearty chuckle at your own expense, and keep on moving.

shirt dress, jeans outfit, fashion over 40, rainbow stripes, pink shoes, fedora
shirt dress, jeans outfit, fashion over 40, rainbow stripes, pink shoes, fedora

Keep your eye on the ball, your focus on the goal, don’t ever let them see you sweat because sweat is kind of gross. And it might make you stinky. No one wants to see your stink. So we take all the necessary measures to cover that shit up. Spritz and spray all the glorious aromatic things on your body to make sure the dirt and filth and grime cannot be detected.

shirt dress, jeans outfit, fashion over 40, rainbow stripes, pink shoes, fedora
shirt dress, jeans outfit, fashion over 40, rainbow stripes, pink shoes, fedora

This is kind of how I have felt all summer long. Dirty and stinky and crumpled and frazzled. Going in and out of coherent understanding and clarity back to the muddled disorder of an unsure mind. Refusing to color inside the lines because that’s somebody else’s picture. I want to draw my own picture, but I sometimes have forgotten how. So I scribble the words on blank pages with the intention of adding the colors later. Except I can never choose the right colors. And then the lines get all crooked. And blurred. And things get spilled. The words get smudged and smeared and no longer make any sense.

shirt dress, jeans outfit, fashion over 40, rainbow stripes, pink shoes, fedora

So we try to make sense out of chaos and corruption. We try to find clarity in a massive fog that permeates our lives, our minds, our souls. None of it makes any sense but in one blazing flash of clarity, we catch a tiny glimpse of the greater things. Whatever those things may be. They seem important in that moment of revelation, but then they disappear again and we forget what they were in the first place. So we continue seeking them without even a description of what exactly we are looking for.

shirt dress, jeans outfit, fashion over 40, rainbow stripes, pink shoes, fedora
shirt dress, jeans outfit, fashion over 40, rainbow stripes, pink shoes, fedora

What am I looking for? Damned if I know. But I have got stripes and colors that scream in your face that I am bold. I am brave. I have guts. I can handle glory. I can wear what I want. I can do what I want. I can say what I want. I can pretend in front of the whole damn world that I know who I am. But I know only just about as much as you do.

shirt dress, jeans outfit, fashion over 40, rainbow stripes, pink shoes, fedora
shirt dress, jeans outfit, fashion over 40, rainbow stripes, pink shoes, fedora

Stand up straight and tall. Shoulders back. Chin up. Smile on. Eyes ablaze with determination. Or maybe that is just fear that makes them glimmer. Beautiful, luminescent, driving fear. Present me with a challenge and I will accept it. I will go at it with an unbreakable fortitude. Right up to the point that I break. We all having a breaking point. But we are also the dictators of our own limitations. Where is my breaking point? I’m not sure. I haven’t reached it yet. I guess I’ll know when I get there. Just like all other things.

shirt dress, jeans outfit, fashion over 40, rainbow stripes, pink shoes, fedora
shirt dress, jeans outfit, fashion over 40, rainbow stripes, pink shoes, fedora

The Fab 40’s took a basic closet staple, shirt dresses, and spruced them up a bit. We don’t live inside a style box. Who wears a dress as just a dress anymore anyway? What fun is that? Shift your perspective just a tiny bit, change your hand me down views, look at things just a little bit differently than the rest of the world, and you will be amazed at what you can see hiding between the lines, walking closer to the edge, and dreaming on in color.

shirt dress, jeans outfit, fashion over 40, rainbow stripes, pink shoes, fedora

The Fab 40’s is a group of six fashion bloggers from around the globe. Each month we choose a different theme and invite a guest blogger who is also in their 40’s to join us. This group’s goal is to take on a style theme and show how we each interpret and incorporate it into our own lives. With six widely varied views, you are certain to find something that speaks to you each month and encourages you to continue to have fun with fashion after the age of 40.

The Fab 40’s, style over 40

Dee picked the theme. And then she rocked it. Even wearing a shirt dress just as a shirt dress. I cannot get over the shoes. Cool, casual, brilliantly situated right on the line. Close enough to the edge to keep you interested.

shirt dress, platform sandals
Dee of Dee Sayz

Outfit Details: Shirt Dress-Bugis Street, Singapore / Sandals-Forever 21 / Bag-Rubi, Ion Orchard Mall, Singapore / Earrings-Thrift Store 

Sheela took a basic white shirt dress to a level of badass that one would not suspect from the crisp, clean lines of stark white shirt dress. Add some torn up camouflage and killer heels and teach the world that our rips and tears partnered with our purities make for a perfect representation of humanness.

white shirt dress, camo pants
Sheela of Sheela Writes

Outfit Details: Shirt-Thrifted / Jeans-NY & Co / Heels-GX by Gwen Stefani / Hat-A gift from Eve / Cuff-c/o Unearthed

Jennie switched it all up and flipped this shirt dress thing right on its head. Who would have thought to go under with the dress rather than over? And I thought I was being clever. That’ll teach me.

shirt dress, sweater vest
Jennie of A Pocketful of Polka Dots

Outfit Details: Shirt Dress-Mango / Top-Loft / Shoes-c/o VANELi / Necklace-NY&Co. / Bracelet-Charming Charlie / Tote-Vince Camuto / Sunglasses-Tahari

Daenel heard shirt dress and saw an opportunity for an amazing example of layers.’Tis the season for layering. I have mastered the layering game myself, but I can certainly learn a few new tricks from Daenel! And those shoes! They will visit me in my dreams, I am sure.

denim shirt dress over leggings
Daenel of Living Outside the Stacks

Suzy took some colors and made a combination that challenges all the rules. And we all know that rules are meant to be challenged. Otherwise, we would live in a great big world of boring. And I couldn’t tolerate that. So thank you, Suzy, for this amazing combination to keep us all on our toes.

shirt dress with sneakers
Suzy of Suzy Turner Books & Style

Outfit Details: Sneakers-Skechers / Dress-H&M / Bumbag-Stradivarius

And then there’s me. Just doing my thing.

shirt dress, jeans outfit, fashion over 40, rainbow stripes, pink shoes, fedora
Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge

Outfit Details: Shirt Dress and Jeans-Torrid / Tank Top-Thrifted (Ralph Lauren) / Socks and Earrings-Target / Shoes-Shoe Dazzle / Hat-Kohl’s / Clutch-Old Navy / Belt-Super Old

And that’s my 200 shitty words for the day. Do you prefer to color inside the lines or do you just draw your own images and perceptions of the world?

Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

Linking up with these Fabulous Link Parties.

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I am a 40 something Army wife and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats named Dave and Frankie. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.

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Shelbee on the Edge