Swing Shift
October 2 | Searching For…

Lately, I have been obsessed with finding the perfect shift dress.  It’s a silhouette that fits in perfectly with this season’s layered looks but remains timeless.  Right now my favorite shift dresses are by Miss Davenporte.  Started by two celebrity stylists, Miss Davenporte has only been around a year but already has a huge Hollywood following.  I suppose being stylists to the likes of Demi Moore and the Olsen twins gives you a built-in customer base.

Miss Davenporte shift dresses available at Ron Herman

I absolutely love the floral printed shift.  Since the Miss Davenporte aesthetic gives a definite nod to vintage, I thought I’d check out my favorite vintage store to see if I could find something similar.  I ended up snagging some other great finds which I’ll post later.  But I’ve decided a shift dress can’t be that hard to make so started a sewing project that (cross my fingers) will give me the look without spending $500.

You can find plenty of loose shift dresses made from cotton to silk to wool in a range of prices.

Low end of the price scale: Fire eyelet trimmed dress, $44 at Nordstrom

The high end: 3.1 Phillip Lim silk shift dress, $405 at La Garçonne

A swingy shift dress is always stylish and flattering for most body types, as long as the proportions are right.  I think the secret to this look is wearing it just loose enough without going into muumuu territory.  If you’ve got great legs, this is a fun way to show them off.  Or go for opaque tights and boots or flats with your dress.  Since I despise leggings, I won’t dignify them with a remark.