Dresses/ shirts for leggings

December 29, 2010 2:50 PM

Where can I buy short dresses or tunic shirts to layer with leggings?

Hi guys! I am looking for cute short dresses or tunic shirts to layer with leggings. Here are my specifications... Have had little luck meeting all of them, so I hope you can help:

--size 0-2
--must have sleeves. Three-quarter length preferred.
--machine washable.
--$100 or less.

I'm 25 and 5'2'' and I live near Houston. I tend towards jewel tones and muted neutrals, and nothing too courageously fashionable. I see people with this look all the time but whenever I go shopping I can't find anything with sleeves or the right length. I appreciate your input!

posted by jschu to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (11 answers total)

Lots of stuff at ModCloth should fit the bill.
posted by scody at 3:00 PM on December 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

Urban Outfitters and Free People are chock full of cute, teeny short dresses with sleeves.
posted by iconomy at 3:01 PM on December 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

I think we have the opposite problem. These are all I see and I do not want them! I've seen them at F21, H&M, Zara, and Nordstrom recently. And oh god yes. Urban Outfitters is like the Land of the Tunic at this point.
posted by grapesaresour at 3:11 PM on December 29, 2010 [6 favorites]

I like the same sleeve length as you described, but have trouble finding shirts/tunics with those sleeves. So, I have several well-fitted neutral-colored 3/4 sleeved t-shirts that I wear underneath a tunic. Layering could in this way relax one of your constraints.

Macy's will have racks and racks of these. Also look through the teens section, an M will fit you well, most likely.
posted by copperbleu at 3:54 PM on December 29, 2010

J. Jill may have some, and they are having sales right now which would put more things in your price range. They have physical stores in the Houston area, as well as a good online store, and their smallest petite sizes probably should work for you. Check out their online store to see if anything suits you.
posted by gudrun at 4:01 PM on December 29, 2010

I have a ton of dresses like this (including the 3/4 sleeve) from Old Navy. They're probably less durable than others listed here, but you can't beat the price.
posted by punchdrunkhistory at 4:23 PM on December 29, 2010

I've bought several at Kohl's, but some of them have been more vibrantly colored/patterned.
posted by girih knot at 6:03 PM on December 29, 2010

The above suggestions are good. You may also want to consider hemming dresses to the appropriate length. Whatever you do, make sure to check that the tunic/dress covers your bum both standing and bending over, lest embarrassing pictures of you be taken and posted on the internet.
posted by Logic Sheep at 6:04 PM on December 29, 2010

Boden is having a big sale right now; I only took a quick look at their tunic section and it seems a lot of the choices are sold out in your size (but here's a cute one that could work, and one other); if nothing else, it might be worth checking back in when they put up their spring collection.
posted by katie at 6:17 PM on December 29, 2010

Seconding Boden
posted by celilo at 6:51 PM on December 29, 2010

I must add that I LOVE Boden. But I also noticed that Ann Taylor Loft and Macy's INC brand also have a lot of tunics and short sweater dresses that go really nicely with leggings.
posted by dmbfan93 at 2:45 PM on December 30, 2010