Flattering50: Stretch Dresses: Stylish and Oh So Comfortable

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Stretch Dresses: Stylish and Oh So Comfortable

I won't beat around the bush: I love this season's dresses with stretch. These days, I'm practically living in my new Jones New York stretch dress (above). It's so comfortable and versatile! I wore the dress to a Mother's Day brunch with my family. I also wore it for the 60th birthday party I gave my husband on Derby Day. The dress was super comfortable for entertaining 40 of your husband's favorite people. In fact, short of a formal occasion, I think a stretch dress is perfect for day or night.

STRETCH SEASON
In general, I've always loved the ease of wearing dresses. With a dress, I don't have to worry about a top (is it ironed?) like I do skirt or slacks. I also find that the continuous color or print from shoulder to hem is slimming. (This spring, I'm loving the dresses with graphic prints.) And besides being comfortable, the stretch fabric is wrinkle resistant, so the dress usually looks good.

For cooler spring days or for places with air conditioning, I like to pair my navy and white stretch dress with a super lightweight black cardigan (Uniqlo) as well as black beads and sandals. (I'm a big fan of black and blue.) I've also paired it with my blue jean and white jean jackets. I won't swelter just to keep my aging arms covered, though. So...here's the dress sans cardigan or jacket.

SHOPPING SOURCES
Looking for other examples of dresses with stretch? Here are a few other styles from Jones New York...

Jones New York Sleeveless A-Line Dress (was $98, now $78). Dress length = 39". This style is also available in ocean blue. An A-line dress is a great style for pear-shaped women like me. (The dress I'm wearing is an A-line with a center pleat in front.) Add a statement necklace or pretty scarf and you're ready for day and evening. (I like to wear my dress with a belt, too.)