How to Style Tie Dye | 11 Ideas

When we think of tie dye, I know that the 70s comes to mind, as well as anything related to festivals and “flower children.” I am here to prove that you can work tie dye into your every day and for any occasion! This look book on how to style tie dye contains 11 ideas for dressing up, dressing down, being date night chic, festival ready, fall/winter bound, and more. By the end of this post, you should gain confidence in styling tie dye after seeing how I style dresses, rompers, jumpsuits, shirts, and more. You may even pick up a few new pieces! I am taking the time to shop similar pieces with affordable price tags that you can purchase to copy my looks. Here we go!

Look #1: Off-shoulder dress

The first outfit for how to style tie dye is an off-the-shoulder dress. With the intensity of red in the dress, I am opting for cognac accents with the shoes and the strap on the bag. To make this look more dressy, my shoes feature a stacked heel. You can make the look more casual, or even give it a beachy vibe, with a flat sandal, or at least a shoe with a lower heel. This dress gives me beachy vibes in general, so the rattan crossbody is a natural choice.

Outfit details:
Dress- Forever 21
Shoes- Big Buddha from Walmart
Necklace- Forever 21
Crossbody- TJMaxx

Look #2: Layers for transitional weather

Second is an outfit that is perfect to wear during transitional periods of weather, which would be summer heading into fall, and winter into spring. This silky and loose cami looks great partially tucked in the front, or you can leave it out. If the weather is not permitting that day, throw on a light cardigan in a natural hue that will not clash with the tie dye. Capris with distressing add extra details and interest. The peep toe bootie sandals are also great for transitional weather, but depending on what you are working with, you may prefer a closed toe bootie, or even a more open sandal. This outfit is another example of choosing a heel (or no heel) to provide you with the look you are after.

Outfit details:
Cami- Blu Pepper from Madison + Mallory
Sweater- No Boundaries from Walmart
Capris- No Boundaries from Walmart
Shoes & jewelry- Time and Tru from Walmart
Crossbody- rue21

Look #3: Long sleeve top

Third is one of my all-time favorite outfits to rock in the fall and winter! Any time that I wear these knee-high boots, I feel above and beyond fashionable, and the chunky heel reminds me of a gogo girl. The mauve hues in the shirt are unexpected, yet inviting, which gives me the best chance to whip out this handbag, and a lipstick to match. All of the accents are gold, right down to the zippers on the boots. I like a long, layered necklace here to add something to the chest area.

Outfit details:
Shirt- Timing from Ross
Jeans- 365 Jeans from Ross
Boots- Liz Claiborne from JCPenney
Necklace- Forever 21
Crossbody- Charming Charlie

Look #4: Tie dye jumpsuit

Fourth is totally a statement jumpsuit look. I have another jumpsuit exactly like this one, only in a solid color, so I can attest to how soft and comfortable the material is! You will notice slight ruching on the sides of the ankles, as well as the sides of the tube top. Anything that adds more subtle details, I am all about! You can do some really powerful eyeshadow with this jumpsuit! I am pulling the navy blue out with the handbag, and any kind of round bag always gives me major fashionista feels. Considering all the navy blue and orange going on, I do not want to add too many colors and turn this look south, so I feel a cognac shoe is safe, yet complimentary. Gold looks great with all of these colors, hence those accents. The layered necklace gives back that missing something to the chest.

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Outfit details:
Jumpsuit- Heart & Hips from Ross
Shoes- Time and Tru from Walmart
Handbag- Isabelle from TJMaxx
Necklace- No Boundaries from Walmart

Look #5: Cotton candy tie dye

Fifth is what I call my cotton candy shirt, because of the unusual mixtures of sky blue, purple, and hot pink. Something about this shirt makes me want to do silver accents, and plenty of holographic touches. But, you can definitely see the blues and pinks in the holographic bucket bag and choker, and the duo match each other great! I feel like this shirt needs some sort of attitude shorts, so I am going for major distressing. I once paired this shirt with shorts that had spikes down one leg, but I ended up donating them because the fit is too snug. Finish this look off with a silver glitter sandal, and you are on your way out the door.

Outfit details:
Shirt- No Boundaries from Walmart
Shorts- Time and Tru from Walmart
Choker- rue21
Crossbody- Joe Boxer from Kmart
Sandals- Charming Charlie

Look #6: Date night romper ready

Next up in how to style tie dye is a look that is date night approved. The blues are very rich in this cold shoulder romper, so I am playing with the pops of white and pulling those out. For the shoes I am going with a small heel, but these are one of my favorite and most versatile pairs for dressing up or down. Look at those studs on the shoes! Just a hint of attitude there, and they support the silver necklace. The super long necklace adds the missing bling factor back in, and breaks up all the tie dye on the torso. If you want this look to be less date nigh reminiscent, I would go for a flat shoe and a dainty necklace.

Outfit details:
Romper- Adam Levine from Kmart
Shoes- Attention from Kmart
Purse- rue21
Necklace- Walmart

Look #7: The everyday tie dye

Here is a great outfit for everyday wear, which could be running errands, shopping, grabbing a bite to eat, or hanging out with friends. I personally wore this to a food festival, and a flat shoe is key for all that walking around, especially if you are doing the other activities that I mention. I am playing it safe here with the color scheme for sure. The sandals pull out the white in the shirt, but the handbag pulls out the more faded navy blue sections. The super dark dye navy blue shorts blend in with the shirt, but you can swap these out for white or any kind of denim. Gold coin necklaces are one of my favorite ways to add lots of shine and attention to an outfit, which I feel is needed with all the dark hues to break them up. Navy blue and gold work together so well.

Outfit details:
Shirt: Olivia Rae from TJMaxx
Shorts- Indigo Reign from Macy’s
Necklace- Walmart
Shoes- Bongo from KMart
Handbag- Isabelle from TJMaxx

Look #8: Tunic with boho accents

Continuing on, I have an outfit with a very confusing shirt. I am not sure if it is a dress or a super long tunic shirt, but it is long enough on me that I do not have to wear shorts or leggings underneath. The Almost Famous brand is one that I see in stores like Boscovs, Peebles, Dillards, etc. so when I found it in Family Dollar of all places, I had to rescue it! With all of the tie dye going on, I prefer to keep the other pieces solid so that the look is in check. I get a boho vibe from this outfit, which is why I am selecting these earrings. I can also see a long necklace or a cute, chunky cuff bracelet with this outfit. The fringe handbag works with the tiny fringe accents on the ties of the sandals.

I want to take a moment to address my inconsistency with the white fringe crossbody and the baby blue one. When editing the photos, I see that I sometimes grabbed the wrong handbag with the outfit! That is ok, though, because this evidences how you can mix or match to create your own personal style. I always carry the fringe handbag with this particular outfit, but you do not need to.

Outfit details:
Tunic- Almost Famous from Family Dollar
Shoes- Bongo from Kmart
Earrings- Walmart
Crossbody- Basic Editions from Kmart

Look #9: Festival bound tie dye

Here is a great look for all things festival. This tank top is open and breezy, so I pair it with a white bralette. You really cannot avoid your bra being seen with this shirt, so if you are going to see it, might as well make it pretty! The big piece here is the metallic rose gold lettering on the tank. I found the rings at the same time while shopping, and they match so perfectly that I cannot stand it! I usually do not use rings as my statement piece of jewelry or a focal point, but I have to with this look. White shorts provide a nice, blank canvas for the eyes. More fringe really drives the festival feeling home.

I always carry the fringe bag with this look, but I again mixed it up with the blue bag. The blue bag is a great option if you want to tone down the style.

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Outfit details:
Tank top- rue21
Shorts- No Boundaries from Walmart
Crossbody- Walmart
Shoes- Bongo from Kmart
Rings- rue21

Look #10: The old romper

I call this outfit the ‘old’ romper, because it kind of is! I was a big fan of shopping Delias, but they went bankrupt and out of business for a time. When they came back, this romper is one of the first pieces to be released. But, they never updated the clothing on their website and just slipped into the darkness. I love how gentle the tie dye is. The pattern is like you are floating among the clouds. I want to play with both the white and blue here, so the purse is blue, but the sandals are white. The stone on the necklace is a much darker blue, but that adds a fresh air of contrast to the style.

Outfit details:
Romper: Style House from Delias
Sandals: Bongo from Kmart
Crossbody: Basic Editions from Kmart
Necklace: Kmart

Look #11: Blushed hues tie dye

Here is my final outfit in this how to style tie dye look book. This shirt is so soft in terms of color and fabric. To pull out those mauve/pink/purple hues, I am opting for an iridescent handbag that gives off the same color scheme. Even the sandals pull colors out of the shirt. This shirt definitely needs something to spice up the open area in the deep cut, so I am adding a necklace. I like a denim short for this outfit because it keeps the style more casual for the everyday.

Outfit details:
Tank top- Aeropostale from TJMaxx
Shorts- No Boundaries from Walmart
Necklace- TJMaxx
Handbag- Perfect Image New York from Ross
Shoes- West Loop from Walgreens

Conclusion

We are at the end of my outfits on how to style tie dye. If tie dye ever intimidates you, I hope that some of those feelings are melting away. Always keep in mind that you control the outfit. You can be as wacky and colorful as you want to be, or you can tone it down, simply by how you chose the other pieces surrounding your tie dye. You can really work the print into any occasion tastefully. Be sure to let me know in the comments which of these outfits are your favorite! You can also share with me some ideas on what you want to see me style next. Until next time, continue to let your true beauty shine.

Are you ‘brave’ enough to wear tie dye?