My Favorite Petite Dresses for Summer
Hello! It’s great to see you today. As far as online petite shopping goes, few brands have really hit the mark for summer dresses as well as Banana Republic has. A couple of weeks ago I featured several petite dresses from them and Banana Republic Factory in my Petite Summer Wedding Guest Dress post. Today I have a slightly more casual petite dress that is just perfect for this crazy heatwave! Plus, I'm showing you my favorite petite dresses for Summer.
The Summary
Today Kelly is talking all about her favorite petite dresses for Summer, with a focus on one from Banana
The dress is modeled, and she pulled together her other favorites at the end of the post
The dress is shoppable via a text or image widget
All of her other favorites are shoppable too
My Favorite Petite Dresses For Summer
1. Stampa Mini Dress
(Banana Republic)
This wrap dress is the Stampa Mini Dress. I am wearing petite xs – and the fit is true to size. The Stampa Mini Dress comes in three colors, and three prints, so there are a lot of options to choose from. I went with the color Yellow Umbrella. Many people think yellow makes them look washed out, or sallow. I used to avoid yellow. But you know what? I decided if I like a color, and it makes me happy, I am going to wear it.
Yellow might not be your thing. It wasn’t my thing for a very long time. But as I have gotten older, I get a lot of enjoyment out of playing with color; going for colors and prints I used to think were too far outside my comfort zone. But I realized it’s just too much fun to wear a sunny color or a bold print, and I didn’t want to miss out on the fun anymore.
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2. Details
The skirt of the Stampa Dress is lined and not sheer. There is a hook and eye closure at the bust, which I really appreciate. The other great feature of this dress are pockets!
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3. Accessories
I suppose I could have gone for neutral sandals - but if I am going all out for color, these aqua-colored espadrille low wedges are super fun. This combination is more analogous than complimentary, as aqua has more yellow in it – rather than turquoise or teal, which have more blue.
Stampa Mini Dress (Banana Republic) | Chiara Wedge Espadrille (Castaner, The Style Depot) | Lyon Wedge (Soludos) | Bembien Flora Rattan Box Clutch (Madewell) | St. Barts Cane Clutch (Lilly Pulitzer) | Tracey Wicker Clutch (J.McLaughlin)
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I love this low, 2.75-inch wedge, it gives just a little height, they are very easy to wear and walk-in. These are from Castaner, they are several years old, but Zappos has a similar color option this year: Chiara Wedge Espadrille.
The Wood and Cane Clutch from J.McLaughlin is sold out, but here are a few other options.
(Madewell) Bembien Rattan Clutch | (Lilly Pulitzer) Cane Clutch | (J.McLaughlin) Wicker Clutch
You certainly don’t have to go for the Yellow Umbrella Stampa Dress, as I mentioned it is available in a variety of colors and prints.
But might I offer this: color is a wondrous thing; yellow is the most luminous color in our spectrum; it’s a celebratory hue often associated with happiness, spring, and sunshine – someone got the memo, because yellow has been all over the runways and in a lot of ready to wear collections this year.
2022 might just be yellow’s best year in fashion! What are your thoughts on wearing bold, celebratory colors?
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My Favorite Petite Dresses
In Case You Missed It
Yesterday, our beauty & makeup contributor, Jennifer, showed you 3 summer lip looks you need to know. Click the title or image below to read the article.
Love the bright colors! I agree, go all the way with color in the shoes. Summer is the time for that kind of joy. Not only to wear, but for others to enjoy as you pass by.🤩
Hello Pat! You are so right – summer is perfect for playing with bright and fun color! Thanks so much for stopping by today, xo Kelly
Kelly,
I love all of your posts because you make the clothing look so good! I also love seeing your gorgeous garden and wish I had your green thumb!
Mary
Thanks so much, Mary! My thumb is getting greener with practice, it’s definitely a work in progress 🙂 xo Kelly
Wow! Everything is perfection in those pictures. I love the mint espadrilles, and the dress looks so good on you. This is the dress to ring in summer with, and you are lucky that you can wear it, because yellow doesn’t lend itself to every complexion. I speak from experience – the only thing worse than yellow on me is orange. Thanks for sharing the pictures; as always they are a treat.
Thanks Mari! Orange is a tough color – Just like yellow. I grew to love wearing orange, thanks to a vintage orange shift dress I just had to have, this was many years ago, but my love for orange has endured. Sometimes it just takes one cool piece of fashion to change your mind! xo Kelly
Kelly — So sunny! You do Yellow well! I agree: add color to your life and make it a party 😉
Who is that little black cutie at your feet?
I always enjoy your posts (as a petite too).
Have a great day ~
Love the yellow dress. It is the right shade for you. Anyone can wear yellow. It just has to be the right shade. I always get compliments when I wear yellow, but it has to be a lemon or daffodil shade. More golden tones make me look ill. My philosophy is why wear beige when there are so many pretty colors out there.
Hi MaryLynne, You are exactly right. There are so many shades of yellow that even if one thinks they can’t wear yellow, there’s a sunny shade out there for them! I love your color philosophy! xo Kelly
Hello Carolina Girl, Hooray for yellow! Thanks so much! That little black cutie is Dante. He’s a 12 pound chihuahua terrier, he’s 6 years old and he thinks he’s the boss. 😉 xo Kelly
Kelly, beautiful post! Love the dress on you. I’m petite as well and have been buying petite clothing from Banana Republic for years. I’ve never been disappointed.
Hello Nancy, I am so happy you have such good luck with Banana; I really love shopping their online petite shop – I always find something to put in my cart! Thank you for stopping by, xo Kelly
Oh Kelly, love your dress and your attitude. By the way, that yellow certainly doesn’t wash you out. I love yellow too, and it took me a while to realize that it really depends if it leans cool or warm, and in some cases, pastel or vibrant. I love the shoe colour, but personally, I think the tying feature, whilst really lovely on taller women, can cut our petite legs in half. You have fantastic legs, lady, highlight them!!!
Just as an added note, love your yard; especially the rose standards 🥂
Hi Andrea, You are so right, the tone of the yellow matters, especially if one is just dipping their toe into wearing yellow. That’s so funny; I never thought about the espadrille laces making my legs look shorter…I always feel like they work in the opposite way, especially if the wedge has some height to it. Aren’t those roses gorgeous….now I just have keep the black spot at bay…😊 xo Kelly
Kelly – you are adorable! I think you look great in yellow ( the dress is perfect!) and the aqua espadrille, though unexpected, look terrific! A great match!
By the way, keep smiling!
Hello Paulette, Thanks so much! I do love to mix things up a bit and pair unexpected colors and prints together. I am happy you like this combo! Thanks so much for stopping by, xo Kelly
Kelly, that yellow is gorgeous on you with your dark hair. I love the espadrille color you paired with this look. Your.little dog is soooo cute.
Hi Lynette, Thank you! And the little muchacho, Dante appreciates the compliment too! He is turning out to be quite the photo-bomber! Have a great weekend, xo Kelly
Pretty dresses but do you have suggestions for Petite styles for over 55 year women?
Hello Jan! Personally, I believe that age should not prevent you from wearing anything you like, feel comfortable in and want to wear. That said, If you prefer sleeves, or more length to your dress, I think Numbers 1 & 2 from the list above would be fabulous options.
In addition, check out my favorite petite online brands: Ann Taylor, Banana Republic and J.Crew for more options. Have a lovely weekend! xo Kelly