Drop waist dress + striped espadrilles

asos petites white dress soludos striped espadrille sandals outfit

ASOS dress sz 2P (similar options listed below), Celine luggage tote in nano

This is my second dress in the drop-waisted style…the first one I experimented with was back here and I initially had mixed feelings, but ended up absolutely loving it after shrinking that dress in the dryer. Shrinking brought both the hem and dropped waistline up several inches so the dress fit more like a tunic, which made a big difference visually (wish I had an “after” photo!). I think a key to shorter ladies pulling off this style is to keep the waist undefined and unbelted, but make sure the length is short and shows off most of your legs. This will help balance out the lack of a true waistline, which usually marks the visual beginning of the leg line. I prefer my pieces with this silhouette to hit around the mid to upper thigh – pairing it with flat or lower shoes will help keep that length from feeling too hoochie! white asos petite dress soludos stripe espadrillesThe dress I’m wearing here is nearly sold out, but I found a few white ones in similar styles: 1. a casual swingy linen option also from ASOS; 2. super cute cluster jeweled option from Neiman Marcus Last Call, on extra sale right now; and 3. a long sleeve marled gray dress with a fun removable collar detail.
white ruffled dress spring outfit charleston
Alterations tip: to get dresses like this to hit at your optimal length, try either altering by raising up the shoulder straps if sleeveless, or, have your tailor remove the bottom ruffled hem part from the dress and re-attach it at the best height (rather than hem length off the bottom of the ruffle). Here is an example of another drop-waisted dress I borrowed from a friend that was altered to fit a shorter frame well.white dress denim jacket spring outfit
With a silhouette like this, I like pairing jackets that are slightly cropped and hit above the dropped waistline. Unfortunately this random pic is the only shot I got with a jacket on before Nick’s attention was fully captured by the start of happy hour…

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35 Comments

  1. Anonymous wrote:

    Hi Jean!
    thanks for taking your time to answer my question 🙂 I will give it a little bit of time. and apparently I can't type haha
    thanks again and always looking forward to your awesome new outfit ideas~

    Posted 4.17.16 Reply
  2. Unknown wrote:

    Hi Jean! Long time blog follower and shopper. When will you do your post on the Celine bag? I'm considering the Celine micro as a work purse. What do you think of the Celine as a neutral purse? (Already own the 1st Prada saffiano lux tote in black).

    Posted 4.16.16 Reply
  3. Nancy wrote:

    I never thought I would purchase a pair of espadrilles and I just did about four days ago from H&M.; I am excited for them to get here and to wear them to work.

    Would you recommend the dress for petites with a fuller lower half?

    Posted 4.16.16 Reply
  4. Jean wrote:

    Hi – I've had nothing but good experiences with ASOS returns and refunds and I shop there a lot! It might take some time but I've always gotten my money back if the items were sent in the original condition. Just make sure to return it in advance of the return window dates and allow some time for it to arrive. I've even sent it after the due date and they refunded it with no issues…but I won't push my luck in the future. In the world of retailers they are definitely one of the best ones in my experience for the ease of returns.

    Posted 4.15.16 Reply
  5. Jean wrote:

    Hi Julia – it's really old H&M;, but I've tried on LOFT petite's and they fit very similarly!

    Posted 4.15.16 Reply
  6. Jean wrote:

    Thanks! It's really old H

    Posted 4.15.16 Reply
  7. Jean wrote:

    Hi there – if you click on my category or tag "tailoring" or "alterations" all of my past posts on this topic should come up. I haven't done one dedicated because there is just so much to cover. Btw, my friend's blog Kelly at Alterations Needed has an awesome dedicated section to the topic that may be helpful.

    Posted 4.15.16 Reply
  8. Jean wrote:

    It is! No slip needed on this one and yes, the back covers my bra. I didn't alter the one I'm wearing.

    Posted 4.15.16 Reply
  9. Jean wrote:

    I sprayed it with leather protectant…hopefully that will help!

    Posted 4.15.16 Reply
  10. Anonymous wrote:

    Hi Jean,
    I want to know what you ASOS return/refund experience was like if you ever have. I ordered some from ASOS after reading your blog, some were lovely and some were not so, and returned. Now I am just waiting for the "return accepted" email but after reading some horrible reviews on google, I'm a little worried… Could you let me know?

    Posted 4.15.16 Reply
  11. Unknown wrote:

    Hi Jean,

    I just want to know what your ASOS return/refund experience is like if you ever have. I ordered some stuff after reading your blog, some were lovely and some were not so returned. Still waiting for the return accepted email after a week. Is this normal? I googled and found some horrific reviews… and worried now..
    could you let me know?

    Posted 4.15.16 Reply
  12. MODENOVA wrote:

    What a beautiful spread. We really like your pictures! Best, MODENOVA I http://www.modenova.com

    Posted 4.12.16 Reply
  13. ayme nicole wrote:

    Love that white dress on you and how you paired it with the espadrilles. Super cute look!

    coffeeslag

    COFFEESLAG Best Reads 04.08.16

    Posted 4.11.16 Reply
  14. La Vie En May wrote:

    Dress looks great on you!

    May from La Vie en May

    Posted 4.10.16 Reply
  15. Cassandra Westfall wrote:

    Cute dress – I love a dropped waist, but you're right that they can be tricky for petites. I have had drop waist dresses altered so that the skirt portion fits in the proper spot. Unless it's cotton, shrinking probably doesn't work too well. 🙂
    Love the pairing of the denim jacket and espadrilles. Great tips!

    Cassie
    http://stylecassentials.blogspot.com

    Posted 4.10.16 Reply
  16. Anonymous wrote:

    Hi there, don't know where that jacket is from but I recently found a super cute one from Nordstrom. http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/kut-from-the-kloth-amelia-denim-jacket-sweet/4275249?origin=PredictiveSearchProducts I'm also petite!

    Posted 4.10.16 Reply
  17. affecionada wrote:

    You look so bronzed and your hair is getting so long!

    http://www.affecionada.com

    Posted 4.9.16 Reply
  18. Jennifer M wrote:

    I love your dress. I would never think that silhouette would be very flattering on. AND I LOVE THAT BAG. I've never seen it in that colour before. So very pretty.

    Blog: One Moment Plz

    Posted 4.9.16 Reply
  19. BAMBI BOHO by Sylwia Badora wrote:

    amazing dress! love your blog $ style

    Posted 4.9.16 Reply
  20. mybeautrip wrote:

    Cute white dress!
    xx

    http://www.mybeautrip.com

    Posted 4.9.16 Reply
  21. Julia wrote:

    Jean, where is the jacket from? I've been looking a petite jean jacket.

    Posted 4.9.16 Reply
  22. Julia Mazzucato wrote:

    I love this dress! The flared hem is so cute and I love the pale shade. Those flats are adorable as well.
    Julia // Little Miss Haute Couture

    Posted 4.9.16 Reply
  23. Thuy | Dress Up, Chow Down wrote:

    I'm iffy about the drop waist thing too but it looks cute on you.

    http://www.dressupchowdown.com

    Posted 4.9.16 Reply
  24. Jenn wrote:

    So cute, I love how you paired it with the denim jacket in the last photo! I can't say that drop waist dresses look great on me…it kind of throws my body out of proportion but after seeing how you styled it, I'll have to give it another try!

    a small bit | bloglovin | twitter | latest post

    Posted 4.9.16 Reply
  25. blair wrote:

    So cute! Where is the jean jacket from?

    Posted 4.9.16 Reply
  26. Živilė Dap wrote:

    Such a sweet look!
    Jill
    http://www.jilldap.com

    Posted 4.9.16 Reply
  27. Lo wrote:

    Would you ever consider doing a post dedicated to tailoring? You probably have in the past, but I've ben following for a few months and haven't seen one, and I'd love to see some before/after pics of your clothes off the rack compared to when you tailor them. I'm looking for a good tailor in my area and would love tips and tricks on how to know what to look for and then how best to fit your clothes to your body type!

    Posted 4.9.16 Reply
  28. Pamela Gonzalez wrote:

    What a cute dress! Love your hair xx

    http://www.pamelayaquelin.blogspot.com

    Posted 4.9.16 Reply
  29. YannaRose wrote:

    This dress looks so comfortable. Does the white version need a slip, and is the back high enough to cover a strapless bra before alterations?

    Posted 4.9.16 Reply
  30. Catarina Neves wrote:

    I love the dress so much! It is totally me!
    http://silkypearl.com/

    Posted 4.9.16 Reply
  31. Serein Wu wrote:

    I love the mix of the denim jacket with the drop down cut of the white dress.
    xoxo
    Serein
    http://sereinwu.com

    Posted 4.9.16 Reply
  32. Avanti Gomes wrote:

    Love this drop waist silhouette – really adds an interesting edge to this look.

    Avanti
    xxx
    Avantigarde.wordpress.com

    Posted 4.9.16 Reply
  33. Deasy Noel wrote:

    Great photos. I've never tried a dress with this kind of silhouette, but it looks great on you. If I ever get to try one in the stores, I'll have to remember your tips about wearing it short.

    http://www.deasynoel.com

    Posted 4.9.16 Reply
  34. Kblossoms wrote:

    Cute dress and love your white bag, how do you keep it so clean? http://www.kblossoms.etsy.com

    Posted 4.8.16 Reply
  35. Petite Pretty wrote:

    I love this drop waist dress! and I love that last candid shot, those are seriously the best shots! Love the jacket!

    http://www.petiteandpretty.com

    Posted 4.8.16 Reply

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