A few years ago I wrote a post called “How to identify your style” and wrote all about the mood boards I created for myself that help me keep my style narrowed and focused. It helped me to form some thoughts about my personal style that had only been stuck inside my head for ages. Since then I’ve had a couple of babies, been diagnosed with some thyroid stuff that and haven’t lost much baby weight because of it. Through it all, I’ve continued to think about why I dress the way I do and turns out, which is pretty much exclusively dresses. I’ve gotten some questions about it over the years so I decided to write a bit about why I only wear dresses and where I go to shop for them.
At this point, I don’t even own pants (unless you count the sweatpants pajamas that I wear to bed). It’s not because I don’t like the look of them–in fact, I think the switch from skinny pants to wide leg and high waisted is my favorite yet! I’ve always loved both. I’d really have to adjust my wardrobe if I wanted to tap into the great pants going on right now, so, out of respect for my budget, I’m going to stick with dresses. I have a number of reasons why so let’s get down to business!
Why I only wear dresses
1. The CEO uniform
Dresses are so much more time efficient! You only have ONE thing to choose from. None of this, “what goes with this?” or “do I have a clean blouse to go with my skirt?”. One piece. That’s it.
A lot of CEOs talk about their uniform. Think about Steve Jobs and the iconic black turtleneck. He had a closet full of jeans and black turtlenecks. I worked for a famous designer who wore white jeans, polos, and white sneakers every day. They were slightly different in color but always the same brand and look. It makes morning decisions that much faster.
Whether you’re a CEO or not (or maybe a CEO Mom), we are ALL busy. Having a go-to can be super helpful and narrow the focus. I choose dresses because it’s ONE piece and if I truly love it and it fits, then I don’t stare in the mirror wondering if I’m feeling like it that day. I nearly always do! Which brings me to my next point.
2. Dresses can adjust to your body
The right* dresses can adjust to your body. I started wearing mostly dresses before I had a baby and I was surprised at how little I had to adjust my wardrobe for pregnancy and beyond. I didn’t buy one piece of maternity clothing! My loosey goosey dresses have been with me this whole time making them both a great investment and much better for the environment. Since I like to mostly invest in good pieces I keep them forever!
*I’ll define what the “right” dress means later
3. Dresses are keep you cool in the summer
This one goes without saying–during the summer dresses are MUCH cooler than pants. I mean, who wants to wear tight fitting clothing snug around your whole body that suck the life out of you?! Not me, thanks! I want them LOOSE and I want them BAGGY! And PRETTY while we’re at it!
4. Dresses are easy to layer in the winter
While I definitely have some dresses that are primarily summer and winter respectively, for the most part I’m wearing the same wardrobe throughout the year because of…layering! I know tights aren’t everyone’s keep of time, but I love them because they keep me snug as a bug in a rug and there are some great color and pattern options that can really complete an ensemble. Add on a cardigan or coat and you’ve got a cozy look!
5. Keeping to one category of clothing expands your wardrobe
I sometimes get comments about the amount of dresses I have–“whoa, another new dress” or something like that. It definitely might seem that way, but the truth is, by keeping to one category of clothing, I just have more of them. I’ll wear them to everything–soccer games, park, art night, church. And while I might wear something different to the soccer field than church, I can dress each up and down. I go to church every Sunday and wear dresses there as well, so I’ve multiplied by church wardrobe. It may even look like I buy a new dress for every Sunday because of it. Nope! Just my everyday!
6. I love the look and feel of dresses
I recently saw this video on Instagram
And was reminded of another reason I love dresses–there’s some sort of magic in them. I love the feel of the swing, the sleeve…I feel feminine and powerful. Plus, because there’s so much surface area to work with, you can really make a bold statement with them and lean into your artistic side. As you know, I love color and pattern and it’s a great way to show both.
We are in a world where gender boundaries are much more blurred, but dresses are still primarily used only by women. And we are so lucky that we get to wear dresses! You can have a beautiful sleeve, a great pattern, buttons, ties, ribbons…so many gorgeous options.
Men are generally limited to pants, shirts, ties maybe, hats…now they do fun socks. I like having more options.
What makes a dress worth buying
Before Marie Kondo’s “sparking joy” phenomenon, I used a similar system to help me determine what I would only buy. For me I called it something that made my heart jump. Clothing that sparked something in me. Something I truly loved. I know it when I see it. And when it comes in the mail, I should want to put it on immediately and wear it around the house. If it comes and I don’t feel that, it’s going back. I should also want to wear it every day. In fact, most times, I do! I have no qualms about wearing the same thing every day for a week. If I love it, you’ll see it. Maybe I’ll wear different shoes or different accessories. Most times not. Ha! I don’t care if people see me in the same thing.
(Same dress as above, worn differently)
I also have a slightly dressier dresses for more special occasions. Now that I live in Utah, I don’t have as much of these (Utah loves casual! and less events).
The ideal dress
Like I mentioned, I only buy dresses that strike my fancy big time, but they generally have a few more elements than this.
- At this moment in time, they are generally loose fitting. No waistbands for this girl! Mostly because I don’t have much of a waist right now, but also, I love the loose fitting look and I’m going to ride it as long as possible!
- POCKETS! Every dress deserves pockets. Period.
- And SLEEVES! I love sleeves. The more interesting, the better.
- Statement pieces. I love patterns and colors though it’s not always necessary. I just bought a black dress from Zara that I love because it’s intentional. It’s got a great shape and feels unique. I love a POP of black (Ok, I know no one uses the term “pop” for black, but I do! As long as the dress makes a statement and is not boring, I’m in. Because LIFE IS TOO SHORT FOR BORING CLOTHES.
Life is too short for boring clothes
On that note, I will always go for statement dresses. Ones that tell stories, whether it’s through the brand I buy from, or the pattern, the color palette, or how it fits into my own story. I’m in a place now where I generally know what types of patterns and palettes I’ll go for and when I see it, I get excited and feel like it’s meant to be. I’m not very subdued in my clothing, because it bums me out!
Ok, that’s my theory on dress wearing. Now, onto WHERE I get them from.
How to shop from the dresses I wear
I’ve been trying to make it easier for you to find awesome dresses that are shoppable. Here are a few ways!
1. I just started a new series on Instagram called Tuesday Try On where I’m going to try on 3 dresses every week. I’ll be linking them to LTK so you can shop them there.
2. LTK. LTK is an app where we have started sharing more often. You can purchase directly from our selections. This is an affiliate program so we make a small percentage from each sale.
3. Pinterest. You can also find them in a highlight on Instagram and on Pinterest on a new board called Dresses.
4. Things We Love. We have a Things We Love page here on our website.
5. The House That Lars Built Amazon shop. I’ve been doing a much better job finding great dresses and other clothing and accessories on a board called Clothing and Accessories on our Amazon Shop. It’s been fun!
The Short List of where to shop
If you want to scour yourself, here’s my short list of where I like to shop. Please note, I love shopping for clothes when I travel because I find that they are the ultimate souvenir. I love that my travel stories come through in where I shop. That said, here’s where I go online. I shop pretty much exclusively online right now because I live in a place without many shops.
- Anthropologie It’s kind of my default if I don’t know where to start. I do spend a bit of time going through their pages to find some dresses that I like. Sometimes they’re a bit too boho so it takes a bit of sifting.
- Shopbop A huge marketplace at a higher price point. They have a beautifully curated collection. I love digging through their “new arrivals” and “dresses” and of course, “sale”.
- Printfresh I’ve been loving their casual, comfortable dresses! Lots of great colors and prints!
- Hunter Bell has really been tickling my fancy lately.
- The Great been loving what they are doing lately!
- Nikki Chasin I found a new favorite dress here and love their funky style in general! Great colors.
- Ace and Jig I’m a big Ace and Jig fan and I love their mission to do their work sustainably. I have quite a few pieces from there. I find that I always have to down size.
- Tia Cibani They’re a kid’s brand that does women. They always have bright and whimsical clothing!
- Ulla Johnson Admittedly, I haven’t yet purchased because the prices are just a tad too high for my budget, but I drool over everything they do. Definitely in my dreams.
- Day Dress I LOVE their patterns. It’s Indian block, but with an English sensibility.
- Free People I love their free flowing dresses
- Marimekko I’ve always been a big fan of Marimekko and have quite a few from them. Going to their factory in Helsinki was a such a lifetime highlight.
- State the Label I love Adrienne’s focus on the handmade. I love her use of color and small batch concept.
- Toast One of my favorite dresses is from here.
- Ganni Found them in Denmark and love them!
- Asos A huge marketplace and it takes some TIME go through. I’m finding that I shop less and less from here the older I get. Ch-ch-changes!
- Doen Love their romantic approach to fashion.
- Gorman Based in Australia, they do collaborations with great print artists. They have great sales and I usually just buy from those. And because their seasons are the opposite from the US, I always get sales on the upcoming season!
- Zara Everyone knows it, but you can’t beat the price. And they keep on trends well.
- Tiny Cottons Spanish brand with great patterns and colors that’s more casual
- Bobo Choses Another Spanish brand with great patterns and colors! On the casual, every day side.
- My Little Belleville I have my favorite jumpsuit from Michelle and get asked about it all the time.
Shoes & Accessories
I love shoes and accessories, but I find that I don’t spend too much on them. I reserve it for dresses, since that’s what makes the most impact.
- Loeffler Randall Lovely shoes and accessories.
- Charlotte Stone Bright and colorful and happy! I have a few pairs from here and they bring me so much joy.
- Clare V LOVE HER BAGS! And I love following her on Instagram because she has great style and travel itineraries.
- Hansel from Basel I have a ton of their tights that I get on their sale. I try and get them a size too big because it’s never comfortable to have too tight of tights.
- Bonne Maison The most beautiful socks! Ever!
- Bobbies Great French shoes.
My Dream Closet
Here’s where I wish I could frequently shop from:
- Horror Vacui Is a German based brand that has the most interesting details. I love their scallops. It’s romantic yet modern.
- Yolke I adore this English brand!
- Thierry Colson I covet everything from here!
- Dodo Bar Or One of my favorite dresses is from here from earlier this year, though I haven’t seen much since then that I’ve loved. Maybe it depends on the season.
- Obus Clothing Another Australian brand with fun prints and casual shapes
- Tata Naka (this one is on sale right now!)
- Zimmerman Beautiful, romantic dresses. In my dreams!
- Vita Kin Folk-inspired dresses that would be a staple in my closet if I wanted to have no more money.
- Innika Choo Love her shapes!
- Rennes Such a beautifully curated collection of brands in this shop in Philadelphia and online too. A lot of Japanese brands.
- Moda Operandi A huge curated marketplace for beautiful, more luxurious lines.
- Stine Goya A brand I discovered while in Denmark. Love her colors!
- Peter Pilotto An Italian brand who I can’t get enough of.
- La Double J Another Italian brand with a love of patterns. Also, a great dinnerware collection.
- Kule Love their stripes!
- Temperley For more special occasion and high price point. I dream!
- Mara Hoffman LOVE her shape and colors. Such a unique view on fashion.
- Dusen Dusen Great patterns
- Bobo Choses This children’s brand finally started making women’s wear at around the time I had Jasper. Colorful casual wear.
- Cecilie Bahnsen LOVE her romantic and frilly dresses
- Mr. Larkin Such great shapes and patterns from this Copenhagen based shop. They also have exclusive designs.
- Casita de Wendy Whimsical Spanish brand.
- D’Ascoli The pattern and color combos!
There you go! Do you have any places you’d add to my list? I’d love to hear about any shops and designers that you think I’d love!
And what about you? Are you a dress wearer? Why or why not? Would love to hear your thoughts!
Comments