Button It Up: Not Just Another Shirt

When shirt dresses began popping up everywhere a few summers ago, I was instantly on a mission to find one that fit perfectly... A great alternative to summer florals, I like that these are so light and airy to wear, while still offering a fun and casual look. Unfortunately, each one that I have tried on was either (1) too short or (2) too boxy. Even on my 5'1 frame, I was surprised at how indecent these things could look! Without the proper dress length, the ones I found truly made it look like I was missing a pair of pants (was definitely not going for Blake Lively's infamous I'm wearing my bf's shirt from the night before look). After pretty much being disappointed each time I tried one on, I gave up.

Recently, however, I came upon a picture of Amerie in this Gap shirt dress and knew that it was exactly what I have been searching for all this time. The blue stripes are classic, the ruffles add the perfect touch of femininity, and the belt completes the overall shape by cinching at the waist. Too bad this dress is from Gap's 2007 summer collection. How did I miss it?! Still, seeing this gave me hope and so I began my search all over again... with much more luck this year!

I finally found a summer shirt dress of my own this past month at H&M. It's not as stylin' as the one Amerie has on, but I think it'll definitely do. The H&M version I found has light blue stripes, a pleated bosom and the sleeves can be worn rolled-up or left at a 3/4 length. My arms are short, so I favor the rolled-up look (love that the dress comes with a button strap to hold the cuffs in place). Since the material is pretty sheer, I also bought a cotton slip at H&M's Divided department to wear underneath (it comes in a pair of white and black for only $12). These slips hit mid-thigh and are the perfect accompaniment to the overall length of the dress. Although the empire waist gives a cute A-line silhouette, I found that the size 4 was still too unfitted when left on its own. Since I wanted to wear the dress with my new cognac Bandolino Fortunata sandals, I needed to find a substitute for my go-to cognac belt. After digging through my closet, I came up with a much more comfortable alternative: a silk sash from one of my work dresses. The dark blue, 2-inch sash was a simple solution to keeping the dress fitted, while adding a fun contrast. Being able to tie a cute, fluffy bow in the back also gives it more of a "summer dress" feel! The dress, itself, is super lightweight and comfortable to wear and will be a definite staple over the next few months. I've been trying to stop myself from buying things from H&M just because they're cheap, but thankfully this dress was $24.95 well spent!

Love the pretty blue color and pleats!