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14 Types of Shirt Dresses that’ll Transform You into a Style Icon

“How many types of shirt dresses would you buy if you were given a choice?” The sales attendant asked me as I kept rummaging the racks of clothing for a shirtdress.

Even though her question came out of the blue, I still had to give her an answer. So, I stopped eyeing the clothes for a moment and gave her my full concentration. “I’d go for anyone that suits my style and pocket even if it means every type.”

She smirked and I rolled my eyes. “How many types do you know?”

Her questions were beginning to feel like an interview. All I wanted was a new shirtdress, not some questions that would make me question my fashion instincts. But I answered her anyway. 

“Well… Shirtdresses come in different styles just like how there are many types of dresses. I’ve not particularly sat down to make a count of the ones I know. But if you really wanna test my knowledge, I can do that and get back to you.”

She laughed and told me not to mind her. She was only trying to engage me so I wouldn’t have a boring time searching for my pick. I muttered an “ooh” but that wasn’t all for me.

Even though I had succeeded in circumventing her question by not giving a direct answer, I wasn’t pleased. I felt bad that I couldn’t give an outright number of the types of shirt dresses I knew. And so, as usual, I decided to do some research.

My findings are in this piece you’re reading.

So, if you’ve been contemplating adding a shirtdress to your wardrobe, stay with me till the end. You’ll find in this article beautiful types of shirt dresses that’ll get you stares, compliments, and admiration anytime you wear them.

Let’s get started.

What is a Shirtdress?

plus-sized lady wearing shirt dress

A shirtdress is a dress that borrows details from a man’s shirt. These details include a collar, pockets, button front, cuffed sleeves, etc. These dresses are usually made with fabrics such as silk, linen, jeans, and cotton.

Furthermore, a shirtdress has no defining waist. It’s like a shift dress with buttons. They are usually loose and this makes them good at hiding belly fat

The main difference between this style of dress and a regular shirt is the length.

Types of Shirt Dresses for Women

ladies wearing ankara and plain material shirtdresses

As I told the sales attendant, shirt dresses come in different styles. There are simple ones and there are others with details such as statement sleeves, pleats, frills, and other embellishments.

But for this piece, we’ll categorize these dresses into 14 types. And they are:

1. Oversized

Rihanna wearing black oversized shirt dress

These types of shirt dresses are extra loose and that’s the style. Their oversized nature makes them perfect statement outfits that you can wear while keeping other things low.

Rihanna wearing white oversized shirt dress

If an oversized shirtdress is your pick, try not to over-accessorize since your dress already does the talking. 

Only go for mild accessories to enable your dress to gain the attention it deserves. In addition, don’t be scared to wear more colors especially if your dress is neutral-colored.

2. Denim

This type is made with denim fabric. If it’s hard denim, it can as well pass for a long jean jacket. And if it’s soft denim, it can pass for a denim shirt.

lady wearing denim shirtdress

You can either rock them as a dress or style them like a denim jacket.

3. Floral

These are made with floral prints. If you wear this type of shirt dress, you’ll have little or no need to wear more colors since the print is multicolored.

smiling lady wearing hat a floral shirtdress

4. Ankara Shirtdress

smiling lady wearing ankara shirtdress

Speaking of multicolor, another good example is the ankara shirtdress. This is an afrocentric choice that can pass for native wear, workwear, and casual wear at the same time.

lady wearing ankara shirtdress in the suns

5. Mini

As the name implies, mini shirtdresses are skimpy. They barely cover your thighs and are great at flaunting your legs.

If you’re comfortable, you can rock them like that as you would a miniskirt. But if showing much skin isn’t your thing, pair them with skirts, biker shorts, bum shorts, or a pair of palazzo pants underneath.

6. Midi

lady wearing white midi shirtdress with sneakers

A midi shirtdress stops right at your mid-calf. They go beyond your knees and cover a bit of your legs. And as such, they are suitable for modest occasions.

lady wearing midi shirt dress

7. Maxi

lady wearing colorful flowery maxi shirtdress

Unlike the midi shirtdress, maxi goes extra: it extends to your feet and even reaches the floor.

lady wearing ankara maxi shirt dress

These types of shirt dresses offer protection to your legs. And if they are your favorite, check out our guide on how to style maxi dresses. The tips will come in handy.

8. Striped Shirtdress

The prints of this dress either comprise thin or bold stripes. They mostly come as a combination of white and another color and they give off the vibe of a dress shirt.

lady wearing stripped shirt dress

9. Checkered Shirtdress

Any shirtdress made with checkered prints and boxes falls under this category. If yours is custom-made, you can combine it with plain fabric.

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10. Solid Colour

Any shirtdress that is of one plain color falls here. And that’s to include your plain white, black, red, yellow, or blue, etc., dress.

11. Short-Sleeved

white lady wearing black shirt dress

Not all shirt dresses come with long sleeves. Some come with sleeves that stop at your arms or extend to your elbow.

lady wearing short sleeves shirt dress

These types of shirt dresses fall under this category. More so, they can be in the form of any of the styles mentioned above.

12. Long-Sleeved

lady wearing green long sleeves shirtdress

This comes with sleeves long enough to keep you warm when the weather is cold. What’s more, they’re super stylish too and like short-sleeved dresses, they also come in any of the above formats.

lady wearing white long sleeves shirtdress

13. Sleeveless

smiling woman rocking sleeveless shirt dress

These types of shirt dresses have no sleeves and that’s the beauty: to give you room to flaunt your arms as you like it.

But that’s not all about this type of shirtdress.

You can also use it to layer your tops. That is, wear a turtleneck top or any style of uncollared shirt underneath. You’ll love the results.

14. T-shirt Dress

smiling lady rocking t-shirt dress

This doesn’t have buttons and a collar so you may choose not to call it a shirtdress per se. It’s a T-shirt with an extended length which turns it into a dress. It’s more casual than a regular shirtdress as some come with hoodies.

lady wearing t-shirtdress

You can wear your shirtdress to work or any business event as business casual attire. These outfits are easy to rock, comfy, and super stylish too. But if you don’t know how to wear a shirtdress, we already figured it out for you.

Now, go ahead and read our style guide on how to wear a shirtdress. The world needs to adore the fashion icon in you.

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Victoria B. Willie

Writing has always been a part of me. From writing stories as a young child to studying Communication Arts in the university, it has always been more than a medium of expression to me.

And then one day, I found myself toeing the path of an entrepreneur and becoming a fashion enthusiast. This made me develop an interest in content marketing and copywriting which I've been chasing alongside my fashion career.

That aside, when I'm not sharing style articles, selling with stories, or creating fashion-forward pieces for Ria Kosher, you'll find me telling wild stories that always come with a twist.

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