The Breton dress is hands down one of the top five staples in my closet. My love of stripes really reaches no bounds, but is perfected in dress form via the striped frock. Dresses are often coined as the go-to 60 second outfit, and the oh so versatile and relaxed Breton dress cuts it down to about 30 seconds flat. A wardrobe hero forever more as they never go out of style, are sinfully comfortable, and positively tres chic. In true French fashion, the classic and understatedly elegant Breton dress is a hero for day-to-night dressing.
Day-to-night dressing has been a concept I’ve really taken to recently in developing my personal style. Pre-babies I would describe my day and night dressing on very opposite spectrums. For day time I prefer ultra casual and breezy outfits but when the sun goes down I would often do a 180 opting for all the bells and whistles. Since becoming a mother and prioritizing functionality and usefulness in every aspect of my life, I find that I am much more keen on outfits lasting me from sun up to sun down. I’ve found that what I wear during the day time speaks more to my most natural sartorial inclinations, and whenever I carry that same vibe to the evening I’m always more comfortable and carefree.
I haven’t worn a majority of my dry-clean-only clothes for the past two years, and whenever I am getting ready to go out without the babies I try to convince myself to wear those pieces because I feel guilty about them hanging stagnant in the closet. But truth be told, whenever I wear those pieces from my past single/childless life I feel how uncomfortable they are compared to what I’m accustomed to wearing now. Even though my new brand of evening wear doesn’t have quite the same pizazz it did before, it feels more natural and authentic. On occasions that I previously would have opted for my go-to leather mini and heels duo, I more frequently find myself in Breton dresses and my favorite espadrilles (coincidentally the same thing I wore that afternoon to the market with my kids.)
I really believe that whatever you’re drawn to wearing for weekend errands and laid back activities is the aesthetic that you feel best in and what most closely reflects your individual style. Obviously things like work and social events with specific dress codes get in the way of wearing blue jeans and t-shirts everyday, so the key is identifying the elements of your natural style and transferring bits and pieces of that look to what you wear every day no matter where you’re going.
Take a hard look at whatever your weekend uniform is. You may not even know that you have one, but you most likely do. It might not be something as standard as jeans and a t-shirt, but maybe a certain set of colors, patterns, fabrics, sleeve/pant lengths, or skirt/dress styles, etc… look for any and every single component of your most favorite items and then get creative with how you can transform those pieces to work in the number of different settings you dress for on a regular basis. Now that I am taking a fine tooth comb at realizing my own personal style via this blog, I’m noticing that I would much rather be in something I can walk, sit, dance, eat, and sip comfortably in (no matter the time of day) instead of an outfit that would feel more restricted and confined, which is why a Breton dress has instinctively been a favorite piece of mine for as long as I can remember.
While the Breton dress excels in the spring and summer with espadrilles and straw bags, it can still function just as well with a few layers during the fall and winter. For breezy fall days I’ll add a light jacket and scarf over top. And on mild winter days I’ll often layer a button down shirt or a pair of leggings or black tights underneath and throw on some tall boots and a long wool coat.
As a versatile and functional all-season piece, I also find that some way or another a Breton dress always makes its way into my suitcase. The striped dress can withstand a multitude of social engagements and activities while traveling. You can wear it on its own, put some layers on top, dress it up, or dress it down. I recently took this same dress in a red stripe to a lake resort in Georgia, and I got a ton of wear out of this ivory/navy stripe number on a trip to London last August wearing it for sightseeing, bike riding, shopping, and pub crawling.
While Breton dresses come in all shapes and sizes, I prefer mine with a 3/4 length sleeve and slightly boxy shape. A short sleeve is very nice as well, but I just find that a longer sleeve gives a dress a touch more elegance. In full disclosure, I own this dress that I’m wearing here in three different colors: ivory/navy, ivory/ red, and navy/white. I bought the first two in my normal size, but when I got the third navy/white I decided on sizing up because I was planning on wearing the darker colored dress more often with my kids in tow and the slightly longer hem length and looser fit would better suit those outings. For sizing I would say to go with your usual size, but don’t be afraid to size up if you think you may prefer a boxier fit.
While this wardrobe hero would be a justifiable investment piece for all the mileage they get, you can get a really fantastic one for an even more fantastic price. I’ve done some shopping to give you some of my favorite Breton dresses available now. This exact dress that I’m wearing is no longer available in this color option, but the navy/white color is still on the website and is the first option I’ve linked below.
