This month I stopped by Soul Studio on South Lamar to see what this little Austin shop is all about. I’m a South Austin gal, so when something pops up in my hood, I’m especially curious to see if they’ve got anything interesting for myself and my clients. And they did!

Soul Studio has a unique approach to retail — the store is all about self-care, wellness, and community. Owner Melissa Hargus says what makes her store special is her “focus on natural goods that are both ethically and sustainably handcrafted by (mainly) local artists/small businesses.” The store is beautifully designed and smells uh-mazing — candles, oils, incense, aaall the things in your nose at once.

They carry everything: western-style jewelry, sage bundles, crystals, silk scarves, dresses, books and more. It’s a collection of random pieces that add up to a really fun place to shop for home, wearables, and gifts.

Among all the goodies, a silk dress caught my eye — with the right jacket, it’s the perfect piece to style for a cool, but not cold, fall day. All the dresses are hand dyed by Carol Hargus, Melissa’s mother and co-owner of Soul Studio. Carol gave me a tour of the back of the shop where she actually dyes the silk garments with all-natural dyes, which made the silk dress feel like an extra special piece to take home.

And today, I’m showin’ ya how I styled it! While Soul Studio is a great place to pick up a silk dress, these styling technique will also work on any simple, silky, above-the-knee dress.

At Greer Image Consulting, I’m all about mixing higher end pieces (like the silk dress) with easy trend items, so your closet and style are a completely unique blend of items that represent all facets of you. So to complete each outfit, I popped over to Target to see what fun fall pieces they were carrying.

I picked up 3 outerwear pieces: an emerald sweater, a fleece-lined jean jacket, and a charcoal corduroy jacket. The rest of the pieces came from my own closet (and you may have something similar too).

And voila! Here’s 4 ways to make your simple, silky dress pop this fall.

BELTS + BOOTS

Western is a huge trend this season, so my first instinct was to pull out my go-to fall shoe: Tecovas cowboy boots. I played into the warm brown leather boot by adding my similarly shaded Anthropologie waist belt and Beaded by W mustard earrings. Underneath the belt is my emerald Target sweater, and to finish the look, I added my Nina Berenato gold cuff.

Use code “GreerVIP” at NinaBerenato.com to get 30% off all full priced jewelry!

photographed by Natalie Beurskens

TEXAN AT HEART

Hats are the perfect addition for weekend fall looks because they add both warmth and style to your outfit. For this look, I pulled out my cowboy hat from Favor The Kind on South Congress to give it some flare. I finished the outfit with gold layered necklaces, the vintage-inspired, fleece-lined jean jacket from Target, and my Steve Madden dusty rose platforms. These shoes are surprisingly comfortable and would be perfect for dancing the night away in!

90S INSPIRED

For this look, I went a little grunge and oh-so 90’s with a corduroy charcoal-colored jacket from Target and military-style boots from Kork Ease. I picked up these boots back in March for my honeymoon in Europe, but I loved pairing the corduroy jacket in this look, because it really popped the boots. Both dark colors played into each other and enhanced one another. Since the whole look was neutral, I added an ultra violet (Pantone 2018 color of the year) beanie to bring a playful touch to the whole look.

POWER PLAY

I love to style business pieces for date night looks, so for this outfit, I brought out my classic black blazer by Vince. To make it not-so-business, I added the ultimate date night shoe, the knee-high boots. There are few pieces more dramatic than these. I finished the look with dark wood bangles and resin earrings from The Big Little Box.

Now I would love to hear from you! What was your favorite way I styled the little silky dress? How would you put your own twist on the look to make it perfectly you? Leave me a comment below. I would love to hear from you!

Xx,
R