Casual Dresses
January 20, 2016 2:37 PM Subscribe
Where can I find casual but not so casual dresses that are comfortable to wear and not too pricey.
I love wearing dresses. However I find dresses are either a bit stiff and formal (mostly for work-the Calvin Klein or Vince Camuto kind you find in Nordstrom) or way too casual (the H&M kind for teens). I am looking for casual dresses to wear daily that are comfortable, don't look too cheap (in terms of cheaper fabric/bad stitching) are lined, and not overtly expensive (I can live with a casual dress for around $40). Something I can wear throughout the day. Knee length for apple shaped.
So basically where do you buy dresses that you wear on a daily basis that doesn't make you look like a pouting teen :). and you don't pay your weekly salary for. Thanks.
I love wearing dresses. However I find dresses are either a bit stiff and formal (mostly for work-the Calvin Klein or Vince Camuto kind you find in Nordstrom) or way too casual (the H&M kind for teens). I am looking for casual dresses to wear daily that are comfortable, don't look too cheap (in terms of cheaper fabric/bad stitching) are lined, and not overtly expensive (I can live with a casual dress for around $40). Something I can wear throughout the day. Knee length for apple shaped.
So basically where do you buy dresses that you wear on a daily basis that doesn't make you look like a pouting teen :). and you don't pay your weekly salary for. Thanks.
There are some great clearance dresses online at Boden right now! A little bit higher than $40, but a lot in the $40-80 range. I have about a half dozen dresses from there, and I want so many more.
posted by Maarika at 2:53 PM on January 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Maarika at 2:53 PM on January 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
Macy's and White House Black Market. I've had good luck on Zappos too.
posted by fingersandtoes at 2:55 PM on January 20, 2016
posted by fingersandtoes at 2:55 PM on January 20, 2016
I've had good luck at Kohl's; a friend of mine has had good luck at JC Penney.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 2:55 PM on January 20, 2016
posted by Ms Vegetable at 2:55 PM on January 20, 2016
I've had pretty good luck at Macy's during sales. You'll definitely see a lot of the work/sheath type, but they do have a lot of stock.
$40 is pretty inexpensive. Maybe also try The Loft and Target -- and go the the middle or back of the Target women's section, not the upfront area with the younger stuff.
The Loft has sales all the time. Is this too dressy? With their flash sale, it's only $35.
Could you post a photo or two of what you have in mind, even if it's in the wrong price range?
posted by bluedaisy at 2:55 PM on January 20, 2016
$40 is pretty inexpensive. Maybe also try The Loft and Target -- and go the the middle or back of the Target women's section, not the upfront area with the younger stuff.
The Loft has sales all the time. Is this too dressy? With their flash sale, it's only $35.
Could you post a photo or two of what you have in mind, even if it's in the wrong price range?
posted by bluedaisy at 2:55 PM on January 20, 2016
Lands' End
Karina (Bit pricier, but the quality is high)
Carefully curated dresses from Modcloth
Also seconding the Boden recommendation
posted by Diagonalize at 2:57 PM on January 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
Karina (Bit pricier, but the quality is high)
Carefully curated dresses from Modcloth
Also seconding the Boden recommendation
posted by Diagonalize at 2:57 PM on January 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
You've described my favorite kind of dress! I've had some luck on dresses under $50 at TJ Maxx, Marshall's, and Target. I'm not saying I've found things at these stores every single time I've looked, but I have luck often enough that I keep checking when I need something!
posted by pril at 3:03 PM on January 20, 2016
posted by pril at 3:03 PM on January 20, 2016
DownEast are inexpensive and casual, and apparently they're geared towards "modesty" (knee length). I don't care about modesty in any way, shape, or form and find their stuff to be really cute, slightly dressy but really comfortable knits. The dresses I have from them are lined.
I found DownEast when searching for cheaper alternatives to Anthropologie, which does the "casual but interesting" dress really well, and they have exact duplicates of Anthro dresses for way less money (which I know because I bought one that looked like an Anthro dress I already owned that I loved and wanted in another color...and discovered that indeed, it was same same!). But Anthropologie currently has 40% off sale items, which puts some things in your price range if you're into that style.
Ruche is also a great place for interesting, casual dresses that are fairly well made for their price point.
If you sign up for Gap emails, they basically have a 40% sale every week, and they occasionally knock it out of the park with basic but not boring dresses. Most are not lined, which annoys me, but they also happen to make really nice slips so it fixes that problem! And finally, as much as I love Target clothes, most of them don't fit your "don't look cheap" or "fall apart" criteria.
posted by the thorn bushes have roses at 3:07 PM on January 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
I found DownEast when searching for cheaper alternatives to Anthropologie, which does the "casual but interesting" dress really well, and they have exact duplicates of Anthro dresses for way less money (which I know because I bought one that looked like an Anthro dress I already owned that I loved and wanted in another color...and discovered that indeed, it was same same!). But Anthropologie currently has 40% off sale items, which puts some things in your price range if you're into that style.
Ruche is also a great place for interesting, casual dresses that are fairly well made for their price point.
If you sign up for Gap emails, they basically have a 40% sale every week, and they occasionally knock it out of the park with basic but not boring dresses. Most are not lined, which annoys me, but they also happen to make really nice slips so it fixes that problem! And finally, as much as I love Target clothes, most of them don't fit your "don't look cheap" or "fall apart" criteria.
posted by the thorn bushes have roses at 3:07 PM on January 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Great answers! (Here is an e.g. of what I like but not in Jacquard. A simple cotton/polyester would be just fine with a V-neck or round neck. However this is only one type of dress, there are many more...p.s: I am fine a bit over the knee, it doesn't have to be knee length but anything touching my hip and I call that a top :). I find myself staring at my closet in the morning-I want to get coffee but I don't want to dress up like I am going to attend a meeting for top executives -which I am not :(.
posted by stepup at 3:13 PM on January 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by stepup at 3:13 PM on January 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
Check out Modcloth sales. Bonus: all the dresses I've purchased from them have POCKETS.
posted by phunniemee at 3:17 PM on January 20, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by phunniemee at 3:17 PM on January 20, 2016 [6 favorites]
My favorite dresses are Jersey. Wash in the washer, no iron and travel beautifully. You don't say what size you are, but here's what I'm talking about:
Faux Wrap Dress
This one is very summery and pretty.
This one is cotton and adorable (I curse the day Tommy Hilfiger stopped making plus sizes!)
This one is really pretty too.
They are more summery, but I wear tights and sweaters and that makes them warm enough for most offices.
So my answer is Macys.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 3:17 PM on January 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
Faux Wrap Dress
This one is very summery and pretty.
This one is cotton and adorable (I curse the day Tommy Hilfiger stopped making plus sizes!)
This one is really pretty too.
They are more summery, but I wear tights and sweaters and that makes them warm enough for most offices.
So my answer is Macys.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 3:17 PM on January 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
Touching on the thorn bushes have roses's point, dresses these days are more and more often unlined, particularly in the price point you are looking at, but it's also become somewhat easier to find decent and inexpensive slips, so that may help expand your options.
I've also had some difficult to size friends who swear by eShakti, although they have warned that it can be hit or miss depending on what the style/fabric is, so I've never ordered anything from them myself.
posted by Diagonalize at 3:21 PM on January 20, 2016
I've also had some difficult to size friends who swear by eShakti, although they have warned that it can be hit or miss depending on what the style/fabric is, so I've never ordered anything from them myself.
posted by Diagonalize at 3:21 PM on January 20, 2016
I love COS (the H&M A brand) for more casual work dresses and blouses.
posted by frumiousb at 3:26 PM on January 20, 2016
posted by frumiousb at 3:26 PM on January 20, 2016
The lining part is going to be quite difficult at $40 without a big sale. But based on your Boden example (which is really cute!), I'd say look at Target or Lands End, and look for ponte. Here's a Lands End option on sale, but they have other styles (a-line and sheath) in the same material.
posted by bluedaisy at 3:28 PM on January 20, 2016
posted by bluedaisy at 3:28 PM on January 20, 2016
I am IN LOVE with the dresses at Brooklyn Industries. I have about 5 dresses I've purchased there, they are all easily my favorite items in my wardrobe for work. I feel put together but not dressed up when I wear them. They have great tops in this category, too.
posted by pazazygeek at 3:29 PM on January 20, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by pazazygeek at 3:29 PM on January 20, 2016 [3 favorites]
I love Anne Taylor / LOFT (ughh LOFT, so good) and the not-for-teens stuff at H&M. They have some really nice dresses for grown-ass women, too. Uniqlo also occasionally has something nice, though they often have very hideous things as well.
posted by easter queen at 3:36 PM on January 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by easter queen at 3:36 PM on January 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
Old Navy sometimes has good dresses like that. Especially in their non-plus-size section, but even in the plus-size stuff, they have some cute dresses.
posted by sarcasticah at 3:38 PM on January 20, 2016
posted by sarcasticah at 3:38 PM on January 20, 2016
I often buy this kind of dress from Target. Tj Maxx can also have this kind of thing, but it's even more hit and miss in my experience. At Target, your price point shouldn't be an issue, although I find that pretty much all the casual dresses I come across are unlined, so I'll second that some kind of slip might be your best bet if that's an essential criteria.
posted by litera scripta manet at 4:56 PM on January 20, 2016
posted by litera scripta manet at 4:56 PM on January 20, 2016
Response by poster: oooh I am drooling, these are fantastic suggestions :) (might raise my budget a bit also)
posted by stepup at 6:39 PM on January 20, 2016
posted by stepup at 6:39 PM on January 20, 2016
If you live in a metropolitan area, I'd also suggest swinging by your local Salvation Army or Goodwill and at least see if you enjoy the experience. If you go in with a fairly broad category ("medium-fancy dresses"), put on some headphones, and browse for an hour, you will very likely end up with an armful of name-brand dresses and you'll probably discover at least one you love. I like to get the nicer stuff drycleaned - when you tear open that plastic bag and see them all neat and pressed, it's real thrill. I've got several J.Crew dresses worth over a hundred dollars off the rack that are basically as good as new.
posted by pretentious illiterate at 6:59 PM on January 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by pretentious illiterate at 6:59 PM on January 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
don't look too cheap (in terms of cheaper fabric/bad stitching) are lined, and not overtly expensive (I can live with a casual dress for around $40)
It is crazy-hard to find dresses in that price range that meet that criteria. Which is why a lot of answers are linking to unlined stuff in cheap fabrics, or stuff that is more expensive (and still nothing to write home about quality-wise). The only recommendation here that I would really get behind for quality is "Boden on sale," (but, most of my casual Boden dresses are unlined).
Cheap fabrics rarely look good unless they are very new and a perfect fit.
So, my solution/suggestion is used. Hit the thrift stores, eBay, Etsy, and buy good quality used. If you can find a good seamstress you can get first-rate clothing from well-cared-for older stuff, from before the era of fast fashion and disposable Chinese-made clothing, and have it tailored to just your size and have a few modernizations made, and if you chose well in thrift stores and seamstresses, still get away with a $40 budget -- but have lined wool/linen/silk in a weight that will last for years, and which fits like a dream, instead of viscose/rayon/modal/poly junk with dodgy stitching, which will pill and lose its shape and fade and so on. Clothing is appallingly junky nowadays, but there are ways around it. The other good option is to buy all of your stuff at end of season sales, and wait for "40% off site-wide" during the off-season sale, etc; J. Crew is pretty good for this if you are quick when they have a sale. (Their quality is overall very hit and miss now, but their lined natural fibre dresses are still mostly good.)
One good way to eBay is to look for lesser-known but higher-end brands. They don't get the exposure that the brands every Donna, Ricki, and Sherry is searching for, so the prices can be terrific, and the quality and design is a world away from the disposable stuff. Some quality brands that come to mind that do not attract a lot of bids: Jaeger, Stills, Pringle... Check out some of the less common names on Yoox and see what you can turn up on eBay.
If you are not an on-line/thrift store shopper (I don't understand why anybody would want to go to a mall store in 2016 given the value for money usually found therein, but, something something "fitting rooms," I know, some people like that), I got nothin'. Very occasionally a "value brand" like Joe Fresh or Old Navy will knock it out of the park with uncharacteristically good fabric; Joe Fresh makes lined silk stuff sometimes in the summer for very little, and (see above re. off-season shopping) on Boxing Day I bought a cotton/linen Old Navy dress for $20 and was surprised by how nice the fabric is in both feel, weight, and drape. But it takes as much looking as it does at thrift stores to find the rare well-made cheapies.
posted by kmennie at 7:02 PM on January 20, 2016 [7 favorites]
It is crazy-hard to find dresses in that price range that meet that criteria. Which is why a lot of answers are linking to unlined stuff in cheap fabrics, or stuff that is more expensive (and still nothing to write home about quality-wise). The only recommendation here that I would really get behind for quality is "Boden on sale," (but, most of my casual Boden dresses are unlined).
Cheap fabrics rarely look good unless they are very new and a perfect fit.
So, my solution/suggestion is used. Hit the thrift stores, eBay, Etsy, and buy good quality used. If you can find a good seamstress you can get first-rate clothing from well-cared-for older stuff, from before the era of fast fashion and disposable Chinese-made clothing, and have it tailored to just your size and have a few modernizations made, and if you chose well in thrift stores and seamstresses, still get away with a $40 budget -- but have lined wool/linen/silk in a weight that will last for years, and which fits like a dream, instead of viscose/rayon/modal/poly junk with dodgy stitching, which will pill and lose its shape and fade and so on. Clothing is appallingly junky nowadays, but there are ways around it. The other good option is to buy all of your stuff at end of season sales, and wait for "40% off site-wide" during the off-season sale, etc; J. Crew is pretty good for this if you are quick when they have a sale. (Their quality is overall very hit and miss now, but their lined natural fibre dresses are still mostly good.)
One good way to eBay is to look for lesser-known but higher-end brands. They don't get the exposure that the brands every Donna, Ricki, and Sherry is searching for, so the prices can be terrific, and the quality and design is a world away from the disposable stuff. Some quality brands that come to mind that do not attract a lot of bids: Jaeger, Stills, Pringle... Check out some of the less common names on Yoox and see what you can turn up on eBay.
If you are not an on-line/thrift store shopper (I don't understand why anybody would want to go to a mall store in 2016 given the value for money usually found therein, but, something something "fitting rooms," I know, some people like that), I got nothin'. Very occasionally a "value brand" like Joe Fresh or Old Navy will knock it out of the park with uncharacteristically good fabric; Joe Fresh makes lined silk stuff sometimes in the summer for very little, and (see above re. off-season shopping) on Boxing Day I bought a cotton/linen Old Navy dress for $20 and was surprised by how nice the fabric is in both feel, weight, and drape. But it takes as much looking as it does at thrift stores to find the rare well-made cheapies.
posted by kmennie at 7:02 PM on January 20, 2016 [7 favorites]
I bought a dress at Marshall's for around $40 that is similar to what you describe and I've received several compliments on it. It's flattery and extremely comfortable. Definitely check out Marshall's if there is one near you; there's a mix of stuff, but I often find something I like at a pretty good price.
posted by bearette at 7:46 PM on January 20, 2016
posted by bearette at 7:46 PM on January 20, 2016
Toad & Company. Everything is comfortable and well made.
posted by Joleta at 8:40 PM on January 20, 2016
posted by Joleta at 8:40 PM on January 20, 2016
I've had some luck with the dresses at Gap, especially their 'fit & flare' type dresses, like this one.
posted by toska at 9:25 PM on January 20, 2016
posted by toska at 9:25 PM on January 20, 2016
I dress along those lines too, and I get a lot of my clothes from Joe Fresh and the Gap, and both stores usually sell dresses and skirts that have pockets, which is just an added bonus.
posted by peppermind at 4:36 AM on January 21, 2016
posted by peppermind at 4:36 AM on January 21, 2016
Maybe some carefully chosen Dorothy Perkins dresses might work? A fair bit of their stuff is perhaps too casual, but I could see this one and this other one perhaps working.
J. Crew Factory is probably a good bet, too. Their dresses will be outside of your price range at full price, but you should be able to find some $50-ish dresses when they do 50% off sales, and especially if you can get the 15% educational discount.
posted by blerghamot at 9:27 AM on January 21, 2016
J. Crew Factory is probably a good bet, too. Their dresses will be outside of your price range at full price, but you should be able to find some $50-ish dresses when they do 50% off sales, and especially if you can get the 15% educational discount.
posted by blerghamot at 9:27 AM on January 21, 2016
A bit above your price point, but I love Shabby Apple's style.
posted by sweetmarie at 10:59 AM on January 21, 2016
posted by sweetmarie at 10:59 AM on January 21, 2016
I second Toad & Company. Their winter sale is going on right now. They are also on Zappos and occasionally on sale and free shipping. I love the Rosemarie dress. I have five of them with 3/4 length sleeves and am going to start acquiring short-sleeved versions for the spring.
posted by mimo at 7:58 AM on January 22, 2016
posted by mimo at 7:58 AM on January 22, 2016
Oh, and for Boden, I highly recommend the Elena fixed wrap dress, I have three of these and I see that they just released the design in new prints for spring. Basically, I hope Toad & Company and Boden never decide to get rid of or "update" these styles and I will buy a couple a year of each until I retire in 20 years.
posted by mimo at 8:03 AM on January 22, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by mimo at 8:03 AM on January 22, 2016 [2 favorites]
Ooh one of my favorite topics! I only ever wear dresses and do not own pants. I am fat so if you aren't you'll have many more options!
Ross Dress for Less--you can't shop online and you have to go pretty frequently but I never spend over $20 on any item there, and have gotten many fabulous dresses, shoes, housewares, etc there. I have THREE of them less than 3 miles from my house and it is amazing.
ModCloth.com, as mentioned above. Do yourself a favor and only ever shop in the sale section. I have made the mistake of buying at full price, only to find the item on a big ass clearance within weeks!
Once you know some brands you like, start checking for them on eBay. Orrrr just start checking eBay now and seeing if anything jumps out at you. It REALLY helps to know your measurements.
Amazon has cute clothes, too! In particular there is a brand called "CowCow" that makes a bazillion styles of dresses. They are maybe too casual for the office depending on what you pick out, but just search for "cowcow dress" and maybe include the name of a thing you like. For instance, I have bought dresses from them featuring fruit, sushi, hot air balloons, pizza, and donuts. You probably sense a theme...
eShakti.com makes custom clothing, but offers regularly-sized items too. I am between a 2x and 3x there and haven't ever bought anything custom and I still do ok. Their return policy is great! The prices look a bit high but they are literally always having some sort of deal like buy 2 get 1 free or 25% off or something.
Good luck! I'm way jeal--I have a closet full of dresses so I envy you getting to do all this shopping!
posted by masquesoporfavor at 10:13 AM on January 23, 2016 [3 favorites]
Ross Dress for Less--you can't shop online and you have to go pretty frequently but I never spend over $20 on any item there, and have gotten many fabulous dresses, shoes, housewares, etc there. I have THREE of them less than 3 miles from my house and it is amazing.
ModCloth.com, as mentioned above. Do yourself a favor and only ever shop in the sale section. I have made the mistake of buying at full price, only to find the item on a big ass clearance within weeks!
Once you know some brands you like, start checking for them on eBay. Orrrr just start checking eBay now and seeing if anything jumps out at you. It REALLY helps to know your measurements.
Amazon has cute clothes, too! In particular there is a brand called "CowCow" that makes a bazillion styles of dresses. They are maybe too casual for the office depending on what you pick out, but just search for "cowcow dress" and maybe include the name of a thing you like. For instance, I have bought dresses from them featuring fruit, sushi, hot air balloons, pizza, and donuts. You probably sense a theme...
eShakti.com makes custom clothing, but offers regularly-sized items too. I am between a 2x and 3x there and haven't ever bought anything custom and I still do ok. Their return policy is great! The prices look a bit high but they are literally always having some sort of deal like buy 2 get 1 free or 25% off or something.
Good luck! I'm way jeal--I have a closet full of dresses so I envy you getting to do all this shopping!
posted by masquesoporfavor at 10:13 AM on January 23, 2016 [3 favorites]
Depending on your size, I have come to love my Gwynnie Bee subscription specifically for the dresses- you can purchase what you like, return what you don't, and you get introduced to brands you might now have heard of (I love Effie's Heart,I have bought 3 of their dresses from Gwynnie Bee- they also all come with pockets). They have sizes 10-32.
posted by momochan at 6:39 PM on January 23, 2016
posted by momochan at 6:39 PM on January 23, 2016
« Older Opinions on the essential oils Young Living sells?... | Travel insurance in the case of pet illness Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by radioamy at 2:50 PM on January 20, 2016 [8 favorites]