Dresses for a Girl Who Prefers Pants

I have a love/hate relationship with dresses. At best our relationship is just fickle but often it is downright dysfunctional. My body type makes dresses a challenge. I am tall 5’9” but I have a super short waist and I find it really hard to find a flattering fit.

 

“Ok”, you say, “just wear pants”. The problem is that dresses are having a serious moment. There are so many fabulous dresses out there. Instagram is full of fabulous pictures of women all over the world in perfect, floral frocks. Not to mention, a dress is the perfect solution to the age-old problem of “I have nothing to wear”. I really, really want to find some dresses that work for me.

My family and I went to Italy and Paris this summer and I was determined to wear some cute dresses. I mean come on! Who doesn’t want to wear the perfect summer dress in Rome? After hours of shopping, I only found two dresses I thought would work for me.

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Universally Flattering Dresses

Fast forward to fall and I am still on the hunt for several seasonal dresses. My go-to silhouette is a wrap dress or simple shift. I think they are universally flattering and hide many figure challenges. I don’t like dresses that are overtly feminine, so I stick with designs without a lot of ruffles or one’s with too many flowers. Or, if the dress still feels too feminine, I add a leather jacket or over-the-knee boots to give the edge I prefer.

I am committed to building a healthy relationship with dresses. With so many to choose from, it shouldn’t be too hard to find a few togs to bring home and settle down.

Here are the five dresses I have found so far. I would love to know what dresses you love. Please leave a comment below.

Simple Shift

A shift dress falls straight from the shoulder. It isn’t fitted in any way and because of this it is incredibly forgiving on the figure. I like slightly short options to balance the volume of the dress with some leg showing. Shift dresses are also popular in maxi dresses but I often feel overwhelmed in fabric and I find these longer style better with a belt.

 Wrap Dress

A wrap dress is a universally flattering dress option. The style is just as it implies, the dress wraps around and ties. If all of that seems like too much there are faux wrap dresses. Wrap dresses are usually cut a-line and can me any length from mini to maxi. A wrap dress gives the illusion of a waist even when you don’t really have one like me. The bold color block pattern of the dress above is fun but I prefer wrap dresses in simple colors such as black (below). I wish I had purchased one size up in the Everlane Wrap dress because I find it just a bit too booby to wear without something underneath. I am wearing my usual 8 and it fits great everywhere but I am a bit more modest and prefer to cover the girls a bit more than this dress allows. So if you are busty, I recommend sizing up.

 

Dress to Avoid

One reason I struggle with dresses is I feel so many are made for models not real women. Real women have boobs, butts and bellies. We aren’t stick figures! Luckily fashion has started to reflect the reality of women’s bodies and now offer extended sizes and photos on real women in clothes. I still feel we have a long way to go but progress is good. There are several dress styles that don’t work on me and I find don’t really work for lots of women.

Universally Unflattering Dress Styles

1. Cap Sleeves – Any dress with cap sleeves isn’t the most flattering. Unless you have seriously toned arms, a cap sleeve usually highlights the widest part of your arm.  It also broadens your shoulders so if you are looking to visually broaden your shoulders a cap sleeve can help. I have broad shoulders and prefer not to accentuate them with cap sleeves or any ruffles!
2. Drop Waist – I know this is controversial but I really don’t think a drop waist is very flattering. Very few women are blessed with both a flat stomach and small hips and if you have one or the other, a drop waist will accentuate it. There isn’t enough Spanx in the world to get me to wear a drop waist dress.
3. Maxi MuMu Dress – Ok! I know that a MuMu dress isn’t about flattering. It is about fashion. I love seeing boho style, Free People maxi dresses on waif thin girls and I wish I could wear them but the reality so much fabric just isn’t flattering for most women. I end up feeling like I am wearing all the drapes in my house.

As a casual, fashion loving women, my go to dress is often a simple T-shirt dress. I love a good T-shirt dress like the Theory one I am wearing in the first photo. You can see why a T-shirt dress is perfect for you and my top picks by clicking here. Follow me on Instagram for my latest purchases and on Pinterest for my inspiration.