A summer shirtdress at 76: how I’m styling today

The summer shirtdress is a staple of many women’s wardrobes. This year it’s popular with everyone from 18 to 80 (+)! But there’s no need just to wear it as you would another summer frock. You can style it several ways to make new outfits.

I looked through my closet to find some dresses I already had from previous summers to illustrate how I can style these to make various looks.

Here I’m wearing a simple lightweight drawstring shirtdress made of polyester and cotton mix. I bought it several years ago quite cheaply. I’ve worn it a lot. At first I always wore it as here, simply buttoned. Occasionally I would put a thin sleeveless top underneath and unbutton it to the waist. Let’s be honest, it’s a bit shapeless on me and a bit boring. So I often take this orange bag with me as it livens up the whole look.

In previous years I have occasionally worn a belt (not the drawstring one attached to the dress.) But this year I thought that made the dress too short. Not only the silhouette looked outdated, but the buttons, as on almost all shirtdresses, only reach about three-quarters of the way to the hem. The belt hoisted the skirt up a bit so there was a whole lotta leg showing when I sat down. Of course, this is exactly what appeals to younger women (or those of us with shapely legs) as you will see when you look for shirtdresses online.

These days I wear it as the young trendy French girls do. The shirtdress is now the longer version of the oversized boyfriend shirt we’ve come to rely on winter and summer. With this more interesting outfit I can choose a less vibrant colored bag.

My try-on video:

If the shirtdress has a pattern then most women will look best teaming it with a top and pants of one color. You could choose to a neutral such as white or a color that is in the shirtdress pattern.

I’ve echoed the navy from the shirtdress in my bag here. So I feel I need to add a bit of bling to bring the outfit together. There’s a little gold on my sandals and on the bag handle so I’ve chosen a navy belt with a gold buckle and my usual gold chain at the neck. Hopefully this line of eye-catching points in the outfit draws the eye up and down rather than across my hips!

The overshirt is always a godsend for covering hips and the open summer shirtdress is even better.

Here I’m wearing my newest linen pants in olive – a color that’s trending this season. I like the tonal mix of dark olive and the lighter almost-olive green of the shirtdress. It’s one I bought at a supermarket in France many years ago.

I can (for once) tuck my linen sleeveless top in ‘all round’. This reduces any bulk that would push out the back of this lightweight shirtdress. Of course, I want the back to slip straight and sure from collar to hem! Without the dress obscuring the sides of my waist and my hips I would only usually tuck in just above the front belt buckle.

This shirtdress buttons almost to the hem so I can wear it sitting down! Sometimes I wear it with a loose narrow belt – I don’t want to scrunch the middle too much so it flounces out over my hips. So mainly I wear it just straight down if the weather is very warm.

This shirtdress is the only one I paid much for – and even then not that much! It’s cotton and by Phase Eight. It’s also the only summer shirtdress I own that has a defined waist. It comes with a self belt but I usually team it with a woven canvas belt.

Here I’m wearing a fine white sleeveless vest so I can unbutton to the waist. This easy vacation vibe means I can sling a cardigan round the middle instead of a belt if I want a relaxed outfit.

However, I often wear this shirtdress with a smart belt and button it to the neck – an austere look that works well on cooler days. Over the past couple of years you will have noticed that women often wear leather belts with dresses even in summer. I’ve tried that in the past but I still feel brown leather looks too heavy for cotton.

I think this striped cotton dress works quite well open. The waist styling adds a bit of interest to the way it hangs, mainly at the back. And the pockets…well if you follow these try-ons you’ll have noticed I LOVE putting my hands in my pockets!

The belt here is the woven cotton belt I mentioned above. Apart from the ivory sandals I bought from Marks and Spencer’s in Spring, everything is older – last years very wide linen pants, a clingy ribbed top I’ve had for many years (you will never see me wearing this top without a cover-up!) and the belt I bought in a sale back in 2020 I think.

As always this try-on is to give ideas to older women who no longer have the perfect dimensions of their youth, yet intend to look fabulous even so!

To see styles of shirtdresses that are popular this year, take a look at my post: Flattering Summer Shirtdresses at Over 50