The Shirt Dress

A highly versatile blank canvas, the shirt dress is the perfect end of summer, moving quietly into fall essential. It is essentially an oversized man’s shirt turned into a dress, without the fuss. This is a piece that should exist, in some incarnation, in the wardrobes of every style-conscious woman. No really. I recommend the shirt dress to a lot of my clients, be it this specimen by Thakoon Addition as shown here, or something from American Apparel, DVF, vintage, or better. It can be forgiving, always feminine, and tough enough to stand up in a boardroom. Buying a well-made, high-quality basic like this one will prove its worth in no time.

The wonder piece, I like to call it, has the capabilities of transforming seamlessly into the closets and onto the bodies of very different women. And when those autumn days come creeping in, throw on a pair of skinny jeans, like these from Lucky.

Here are the five essentials to pair with a shirt dress.