Happy Friday, friends! In an attempt to share some more summer content with you before diving into fall fashion next month, Alison and I shot this look on Monday. Unfortunately, I didn’t check the inventory on this dress, and a few of the sizes have sold out already, but this post is more about the concept than the actual dress.

dress // sandals // tote // necklace // earrings // bracelet // sunnies

This is the outfit I wore when one of my best friends took me to lunch for my birthday earlier this month. This Peyton Jensen dress is from Evereve, and I love the super soft knit fabric and the way they incorporated the muscle tee trend into the top half of the dress.

The ruching on the skirt adds texture and interest, and is very flattering, and it’s a nice contrast to the looser top half. (That will be more true for ladies who aren’t quite as well-endowed as I am — the top should be a little more blousy, as shown on the model.) I suppose I could have sized up, but I’m afraid it would be too big under the arms if I did that.

Here are some more black knit dresses that could be styled a similar way, if you don’t have something in your closet already:

A black dress is a blank canvas for styling, but it can be boring, or skew formal if you aren’t careful. Since I was going out to lunch, I wanted to make sure this outfit looked like a daytime ensemble, so the first thing I grabbed to go with it was this colorblock straw tote.

It sold out in the black/tan/ivory combo I have, but the orange is cute too. It would totally work with this black dress, but I also rounded up some other more neutral options below.

I played around with some beige sandals, but I ended up wearing these black slides with the square toe and woodgrain heel. I especially liked how the colors coordinated with the bag, and the black helps to bookend the look.

These rattan earrings keep the look summery, and they bring down the level of formality a bit. Bringing in natural elements like straw, rattan, and wood keep the look more daytime, without being downright casual.

For my remaining accessories, I wore this gold layer necklace (use code 20Jolynne for 20% off) and the gold Chartres Cuff (on sale for $34.) And my oversized sunglasses complete this summery ladies who lunch outfit!

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photos: Alison Cornell