Help me find cute, patterned jersey dresses!

April 6, 2013 12:05 PM

I am looking to fill out my clothing options with a few casual, patterned jersey dresses that I can wear with boots or sandals, dresses I can throw on instead of jeans or a skirt and top. At 5'10", I find many dresses too short or sit too high on the waist, that is why I default to skirts. (But I don't always need tall sizes, sometimes rtw dresses do fit, if they are cut more generously in length). I am an hourglass with a small bust and broad shoulders, and I tend to look best when there is some waist definition.
posted by nanook to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (12 answers total)

I feel like a broken record saying it but Boden! I think they have tall sizes and patterned dresses are their wheelhouse. Their stuff is generally a little pricey but it's nice. You can use eBates and search RetailMeNot for deals to cushion the blow. Their return policy is also reasonable.
posted by kat518 at 12:09 PM on April 6, 2013 [1 favorite]

Hi! I am your height with a long torso. I have fallen in love with Lands' End knit wrap dresses. They are über-flattering, comfy, and reasonably priced. Whenever I wear one, I get a ton of compliments on it. Enjoy!

P.S. Also check out the printed versions that are out right now. I wore one out for Easter, and was very pleased by its vintagey charm. A friend asked if I bought it at Anthropologie.
posted by anonnymoose at 12:11 PM on April 6, 2013 [1 favorite]

I'm wearing this dress from LL Bean as we speak, and I got compliments on it. I have it in blue but it comes in patterns. I'm also 5' 10" with broad shoulders and the size M is fine. I'm long-waisted and the waistband hits me up high, like on the model.
posted by The corpse in the library at 12:23 PM on April 6, 2013

Eddie Bauer, Athleta, Boden, J Crew and Long Tall Sally all offer these in tall sizes. So does Gap but the quality is comparatively crap for the price imho.
posted by fshgrl at 12:46 PM on April 6, 2013

I was at Eddie Bauer the other day and they have a bunch of cute jersey dresses. I didn't get one because, at 5'8", I found them too long on me! (They all hit mid-calf to below the knee, I prefer knee length) So perhaps they'd hit at a better place on you? They did all seem to have the empire waist thing going on...at least on me. I have big boobs so perhaps the waist would hit lower on a person with a smaller bust?

Anyway, Eddie Bauer's got cute knit dresses, go try one on.
posted by Elly Vortex at 12:55 PM on April 6, 2013

Here is one with good waist definition.

Matte Jersey Dot

There are many options at Nordstrom.com and elsewhere after a quick search.

If you do an internet search for "pattered wrap dress" there are a ton of options. The majority of wrap dresses are jersey and wrap almost always give great definition.
posted by Fairchild at 12:55 PM on April 6, 2013

Lands End knit dresses this year are very cute.
posted by Malla at 1:36 PM on April 6, 2013

Try Ureshii. Custom-made, good quality and reasonable price. The fit is excellent (assuming you get accurate measurements to send them). Mostly they do solids, but sometimes they get print fabric in stock.
posted by crush-onastick at 2:00 PM on April 6, 2013 [4 favorites]

I should add: it's a Canadian company, but I'm in the U.S. and have ordered from them often without shipping issues.
posted by crush-onastick at 2:01 PM on April 6, 2013

I like eShakti for custom dresses. I'm 5'9", with a relatively large chest and I wind up getting so many things tailored that custom ends up being just as cost-effective. The dresses are cheaper than Boden and pretty high quality.
posted by dame at 2:33 PM on April 6, 2013

You want this dress from Urban Outfitters. It's a lot longer than they usually make their dresses, and it makes you feel like a rock star. You know, a rock star who wears polka dot and floral dresses.

I also stumbled across this dress at Banana Republic. It isn't patterned, but it's a good length and has tons of waist definition. Plus, it's ponte! Ponte is the best thing ever. There is a version of it with stripes in case you have your heart set on a patterned dress.
posted by topoisomerase at 2:33 PM on April 6, 2013

Seconding Boden plus Long Tall Sally has a lovely range of dresses and they ship to the US if there are no stores near you.
posted by humph at 3:10 AM on April 7, 2013