How to Wear a Shift Dress

Shift dresses may just be my favorite dress silhouette. I find them easy to dress up or down for multiple occasions, great for layering, and very figure flattering on most figures types.

In this post, we'll cover how and when to wear a shift dress, how to make a shift dress more flattering, what shoes and accessories to wear with a shift, and how to choose the right shift dress for your body type.

In addition, I'll provide lots of shift dresses for women later in the post.

What is a shift dress?

A shift dress is a straight dress (somewhat boxy) with very little shaping.

Shifts are most often short with hems landing just above the knee, however, shorter or longer midi versions are available as well.

When should you wear a shift dress?

You can wear shift dresses for so many events - both special events and everyday occasions.

Worn with a pair of heels and dressier accessories, a shift is suitable for wedding guest attire, cocktail parties, formal events, church or synagogue, date night, bridal showers, and business dinners.

Alternatively, you can wear shifts for casual events as well. Just adding more casual shoes such as sandals, mules, slides, or even sneakers, will give your dress a more relaxed look. I like to layer my shifts with a denim jacket or sweater over my shoulders for a casual yet pulled-together look.

Pro Tip

Keep a few shift dresses in your closet for when a special occasion pops up. Then you won't have to rush out and buy an entirely new outfit, you'll have everything you need right in your wardrobe. Check out the video below to see my shift dress mini capsule wardrobe.

Do shift dresses suit everyone?

As I mentioned earlier, shift dresses are one of my favorite styles because they are flattering on most body shapes.

For example, can an apple-shape wear shift dresses?

Absolutely!

Because shift dresses have a straight shape, they are perfect for camouflaging a tummy. In fact, this dress I'm wearing from Lilly Pulitzer even features an engineered pattern to give the appearance of a slimmer waist.

What if you have an hourglass figure?

Yes, hourglass figures can wear shift dresses as well. Look for shifts with a bit more tailoring at the waist or add a belt to show off your best assets.

In fact, shift dresses will work on any body style.

Are shift dresses timeless?

Another reason why shift dresses are a must-have wardrobe piece is that they are classic and timeless. Shifts have been worn by style icons and celebrities such as Anna Wintour, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Gwyneth Paltrow, Victoria Beckham, Amal Clooney, and Kris Jenner.

When choosing a shift dress that you can wear for years to come, opt for classic patterns and keep embellishments to a minimum so the dress doesn't get dated.
While I will show you some gorgeous shift dresses from other brands later in this post, my favorite brand for classic shift dresses is Lilly Pulitzer.

They've been making them for more than half a century and the fit on these colorful dresses is second to none.

Here are some of my current favorite shift dresses from Lilly Pulitzer.

Lilly Pulitzer Shift Dresses

I also really love the sophisticated and stylish shifts from Tuckernuck. Check out these gorgeous multi-use dresses for whatever the day brings - brunch, garden party, bridal shower, or even an afternoon wedding.

Tuckernuck Shift Dresses

What shoes to wear with a shift dress?

Because shifts are a classic dress option, you'll want to keep your shoes classic as well. Choose low-heeled pumps, sandals, espadrilles, wedges, ballet flats, or mules.

If you have a more casual shift dress, you can opt for sneakers, flip-flops, and slides.

More Classic Shift Dresses

In addition, here are some classic shift dresses for you to check out. They are from some of my favorite preppy brands including Kate Spade, Talbots, J. Crew, Kiel James Patrick, and Draper James.

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