Petite gals are always told how vertical stripes are the way to go (for the elongating effect), but I can’t resist chic horizontal stripes! This flattering dress from Banana Republic petites combines both in a comfortable stretchy sweater knit. It comes in a few different colors, and while I love the white, black is a safe bet if you’re looking for something extra slimming and low maintenance.
Fit is true to size with good stretch to it. I paired it with casual mules here, but this can also be work appropriate with a cropped blazer and heels, and when the weather cools I’ll be styling this with a moto jacket! Below are a few other beautiful dresses currently at Banana Republic and available in small sizes (see this post for a fit photo of the black linen one). They’re currently having 40% off right now with no code needed!
Thank you to Banana Republic for partnering on this post.
Love this outfit on you, it’s so cute and very well put together! Just wondering, where is the black bag from? Adorable and very summery! 😊
Love that dress and it looks so good on you! The horizontal with vertical stripes is so nice.
What a beautiful dress!
Mariya
The knit looks pretty thick, is it? I’m wondering if it’s to thick for hot summer days.
Hi Patty, it’s actually just medium weight, not too thick!
The knot looks pretty thick, is it? I’m wondering if it’s too thick for hot summer days.
Gorg! They nailed the placement of the straps on that. I am greatly looking forward to a day when wide straps placed closer together like this (not as far as possible apart like current trends) finally catches on. Totally agree, no horizontal stripes on petites is not a great rule.
That looks so cute! I love that style of dress in that kind of fabric, it’s so flattering and the stripes look so chic.
What a cute dress! It screams summer and you wear it so well.
Hey Jean, thanks for this post on this BR dress – I love stripes and it’s not too often do I find pieces with horizontal stripes, which is great for the petite figure.
I am however interested in BR’s Floral Ruffled Dress. Not too sure if it’s meant for summer or if the high neckline looks good on us petites, but I wonder if you have any thoughts on it. With the sale, I think I’ll try it out and see.
Hi Amanda! I love the look of that ruffled dress and included it as the print reminded me of another popular one from BR that I have from last season! I don’t think the neckline is high – I actually liked that it doesn’t look too high or too low cut. Their dresses usually fit very nicely on a petite figure without alterations needed.
Hi jean
What size are your shoes. Also, I’m usually half size smaller than you in shoes. Do you think I’ll be able to fit castaner wedges in a 5?
Hi Cindy, my shoes are sz 5. As for Castaner, they run a little big and I have a size 5, so unfortunately I think their wedges in a 5 might be too big for you.
Oh such a beautiful look … very Summer lovely ♥️,
That is a cute Dress! I love striped clothing items for summer, and how cool is that combination of horizontal and vertical stripes!
Xx Janine
Wow, your summer dress is wonderful!
xx from Bavaria/Germany, Rena
Such a lovely look! X
Love the dress, Jean, it’s super cute! 💕✨
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
The stripes are darling on you!
Briana
Beautiful dress, Jean. I was wondering if the material is stretchy. I’m currently three months pregnant and in that in-between stage where most of my sheath dresses are uncomfortably tight but I’m not quite ready for maternity clothes yet.
i was thinking the same!!
Hi Evelyn – congrats!! I remember those in-between days. Yes it can definitely accommodate a small bump. As your belly grows and if you want to show it off more, you might want to try more empire style waistlines that hit right below the bust (higher than this one) which will accentuate the bump more.