double-duty

while i was busy getting excited about floral prints and freaking out about qualifying exams, it seems that a lot of my friends have been planning their nuptials. i went to my first wedding of the season last weekend in hampton, virginia - my bff from FES, mrs. rae wynn-grant davis. in a few weeks, i'll be headed home to celebrate the marriage of ms. jessica stern, and the month after that i'm planning a trip down to querataro, mexico to see kyle ww and sarah tie the knot.

with all of these weddings, i quickly realized a big fashion dilemma:
1) i don't want to wear the same dress to multiple events
2) i don't want to go bankrupt from buying dresses i'm only wearing once.

finding the first dress was a challenge, but after i did, i realized what i was looking for: the perfect dress can be dressed down with a jean jacket and cognac boots, and dressed up with heels, a blazer, and a piece of statement jewelry. so i started looking for dresses i could wear to class and wear to wedding festivities.

ann taylor loft has quickly become one of my favorite places to look for this double-duty dress. for example:
this dress could definitely play both parts - the belt and shoes can make the difference between day and night.

though this dress is a jersey knit, the gathering at the side makes it something a little more special.

 i love this dress. full stop. it may ride the line with being a little too fancy with the jacquard print, but i love neutrals and neons together.

 this is the dress i ended up getting and wearing to the wedding this weekend. it looks like silk, but it's not, so wrinkling isn't as much of a problem. i paired it with a chunky yellow necklace from charming charlie and a pair of taupe patent wedges. for school, though, a jean jacket and sandals or cowboy boots are the perfect way to play up the fun, springyness and down-play the formality.

there are tons of dresses like this - and even if you end up spending a little bit more, you can rest assured knowing that it's a multi-purpose garment! i have a feeling that i'll be attending more and more weddings, graduations, and other celebrations over the next few years so i'm planning to stock up on a few of these kinds of dresses and rotate them around. 

thoughts? what are your tricks for helping your dresses adapt to multiple situations?