My Little Black Travel Dress - YouLookFab Forum

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My Little Black Travel Dress

Debora

Veteran

Hello Fabbers!

I've been looking for ages for a versatile black dress to wear while traveling and finally found it, at JJill of all places. I wanted something that I could dress up or down, toss a cardigan or jacket over, belt, or change up with a scarf or necklace. My other criteria included sleeves (for chilly planes and trains), and a fluid fit for comfort. I'm delighted with this one. It has a slight A-line shape, 3/4 length sleeves, and enough length to keep me covered. I'll be able to wear it with tights and boots in the winter, sandals or flats in the summer.

Nothing groundbreaking, but exactly what I was looking for. I know I'll be a happy traveller.

Here's the link and just a few ways I have styled it so far. I wore outfit #4 the other night to the movies to see The Grand Budapest Hotel.

http://www.jjill.com/jjillonli.....&sk=M

Thanks for looking!
xo

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49 replies

Latest reply was from Jenniferblue

NDMom

What a great basic foundational piece! And your styling of it is superb....especially love it with the jean jacket!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Super dress on you, Debra. There's nothing better than that type of dress for travel, in my view. It just plain works.

I see you are as well-balanced as ever.

Debora

Veteran

Thanks so much NDMom and Suz! I forgot to add that the necklace in photo #1 was a Christmas gift from Kindrex.

kerry

Veteran

Sheesh! I love ALL the ways you've styled this dress. What a great find, so versatile. You wear it very well!

catgirl

Veteran

I always find this kind of piece inspiring and tempting, though I fail miserably at accessorizing. It looks spectacular on you!

Joy

Veteran

I found a great sleeveless version of this dress on sale at JJill last fall, but I think it is a bit longer. Does your dress have any hem that could be let out? I'd love one with sleeves but need a little more length. The tall would be long enough, but a tall on a 5'3" frame probably puts the sleeves at the wrong place
you look wonderful in the dress!

Debora

Veteran

Kerry, thank you!

Una, you are too modest. You are a great accessorizer (is that a real word?)!

Joy, the length from shoulder to hem is listed as 38 1/2 inches. There's not any hem to be let out, but I bet it would fall to the knee on you. It's just above the knee on me and I'm 5'6".

Joy

Veteran

To fall to my knees it needs to be 40 inches or 23 inches from the waist. I know that doesn't make sense as I don't have curves to take up fabric, but I shop for dresses with a tape measure and it never fails. I must be long of thigh.

Kristin SF

Veteran

What a great find! I especially love #4. J.Jill has some really nice basics and some very nice linen pieces. Good for you, you look fab!

Suzanne (ambergreen)

Veteran

It's a perfect basic! I've had a short-sleeve soul sister of this for years, it's an Ann Taylor and I I have no idea how old it really is at this point. But aren't they just the best canvas? Well done.

Jeanie

Veteran

Looks like the perfect little travel dress. You've styled it so nicely. Thanks for sharing!

Vicki

(website)

Veteran

Debora, I love your LBTD and I have the same criteria. I want sleeves, comfort, etc. and you hit all the right notes here!

This is a dress for all seasons.

Debbie

Veteran

Love this! You look stunning as busual. Have fun traveling.

Em

That really IS a very practical dress! And it looks great on you, Debora! Thanks for sharing.

I usually stay away from A-lines as I don't feel they look good on me, but I barely notice it - both on the website and in your pics. In fact, I wouldn't have noticed it at all, had it not been mentioned...

Is it lined? I saw you were wearing it with tights on one of the pictures. Doesn't it cling/create static? J.Jill's stuff normally runs big. Is your dress S or XS?

It's tempting me, but I almost vowed not to buy anything else black in any foreseeable future.;-) Only that my dress that serves this purpose kind of needs to be replaced... Also, the right length is hard to find, too, and it sounds like the petite length would be good for me, and if not, I can return the dress to the store. I'm not particularly fond of shipping things back unless it's super easy, and even then... it's still a hassle... I guess I can visit the store, but it's quite a bit out of my way and in a very dangerous mall.;-) The last return there cost me about $500...

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

What a fantastic dress--love all the ways you've styled it. Great find! I used to wear a lot of JJill clothes and then fell out of love with the store. Nice to see you sporting one of their pieces with panache.
Oh, and you've given me ideas of how to style a plain black dress I have!

Debora

Veteran

Joy, I probably would have been happier with one more inch added to the length, but I sprung for it considering it hit all my other marks. I do the same thing as you and carry a tape measure in my purse. It really saves time in the dressing room.

Kristin and Ambergeen, thank you! That's exactly how I see this dress, as a basic piece.

Jeanie, Vicki, and Debbie, thank you all for your kind comments.

M Youlookfabforum, thanks for your thoughtful response. You are right, the Aline is very subtle. This silhouette, as a rule, usually doesn't work for me, but I really like the extra room and ease of movement in this particular dress. I usually don't have luck at JJill because their clothes do seem to run large. I'm glad you mentioned this because I did, in fact, size down. I normally wear a Small but bought this in an XS. It is unlined but I feel comfortable wearing it without a slip, most likely because it's an A-line. Also, no problems with static cling. Hope this helps.

Thanks, Firecracker! I've only ever bought tees there before and was pleasantly surprised to find my elusive travel dress.

Beth Ann

Veteran

This is perfect for the "travel dress." I have a similar shape in a sleeveless version that I wear a lot in the summer. Black, oddly enough, can work on really hot days, too. It never looks rumpled!

I love the fit in the shoulders and arms, as well as the fluid look in the body of the dress.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

And I call this elegance personified while balancing on a bathtub.

Marmee

Veteran

This is an amazing dress and you look stellar in it! #4 is my favorite version, but I like them all!

Day Vies

Veteran

This dress is simply effortless. I love #4 the most probably b/c it has the most depth. All the looks are strong and the dress is quite versatile. I adore the 3/4 sleeve too because it looks great with or without a jacket. I hope you enjoy this dress to the hilt. What a great find.

Em

Thank you very much for answering my questions, Debora. I appreciate it.

I had the feeling this dress may be XS. J.Jill's site does state that their size S corresponds to 6-8, not 4-6, which is the case with most other stores. I'm also glad to hear A-line doesn't generally work for you, either. I don't really need such a dress right now, but I may consider it, should it go on sale... I recently bought a tunic (S) from J.Jill and it's veeery loose, while I have hard time getting into many other S's these days...

Speaking of sizes (a little off-topic), a few days ago I finally saw what size 12 meant in the 50's! I came across a beautiful dress with a blazer in a vintage shop and I looked at the original tag. The dress was amazing... people used to wear clothes in those days, not junk like today, but that's another off-topic... I love seeing those "handcrafted in the U.S.A" labels. It's like being able to touch the long-gone past and it serves as an anti-shopping vaccine for a few days. The comparison makes me sad.

Anyway, this dress would definitely be a size 4 in most mainstream stores today. It'd be about perfect for you, I think. I've seen people argue that Marilyn Monroe was "fat" because she was wearing 12. Well, that 12 equals 4 now! I'm past size 6 now, almost an 8, and I wouldn't have a prayer getting into this dress!

rabbit

Veteran

Great shape on you! Perfect find!

Debora

Veteran

Beth Ann, I agree about wearing black in summer! I think both white and black can come off as crisp and cool.

Shevia, I really am probably too old to be climbing up on the tub. One of these days I'll probably have to give it up. Maybe next year...

Marmee and Day Vries, I'm so glad you liked #4. I felt good in it when I wore it for date night last Saturday. Thank you.

M_youlookfabforum, so true about sizing from days gone by. My daughter loves to shop vintage stores and she has found that to be the case. As for the Jill dress, hope you find it on sale and it works for you.

Rabbit, thank you!

Golden

Veteran

Great dress! My favorite is the last picture

Em

Thanks, Debora. Well, let's call me Em because that handle was too weird and I didn't expect anybody to use the whole thing.;-)

I changed the original one deliberately because I wasn't planning on posting much, if at all, as I recover from forum addictions... We'll see how that goes... This is the type of forum I'd rather just read for the most part, but you never know what a former addict might do...;-)

Em

Wow, I just clicked on your profile and saw that today is your birthday!

Happy Birthday, Debora!

dfkmnkdh

(website)

Member

Black dress will feel people look is particularly spirit.

Sarah A

Veteran

Great find! I love easy knit dresses for summers and travel. This is the perfect balance between flowing (not clinging) and flattering. The slight a line is very slight but just enough to give a carefree chic look.... Love all your stylings!

Anonymous

What a lovely versatile, easy dress. You styled it beautifully.

Happy Birthday for yesterday!

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