The Best Brands For Petite Dresses

I don’t know about you but I love to wear a dress. There is just something about them that makes you feel a little bit more ladylike. They can be casual, mini, midi, or even maxi dresses. Thanks to online shopping we have many more options for petite dresses. Have you tried to find a petite dress in the store lately? It’s like finding a needle in a haystack if you ask me.

Wearing petite dresses is something that I do year-round; however, I find myself reaching for them much more often in the spring and summer. So today I am doing a round-up of some of my favorite brands of petite dresses.

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Best Brands For Petite Dresses

The best place to find dresses for petite women is online. Luckily, more brands are now making more of them, and it is easy to search for them. It is so nice to order something and know that the armholes aren’t too big, the waist hits you at the right spot, and the length is spot-on for our smaller frames. I don’t understand why more brands aren’t doing this; there are a lot of women out there who are 5’4″ and under.

I have found that once you find a few brands that work for your petite frame, then they can become your go-tos when you need something. You just pray that they don’t change their patterns and the fit model. So let’s look at where I can always find petite dresses that fit my lifestyle.

The Brands I Turn To Season After Season

Some brands just fit your petite body and lifestyle better than others. I have always been a lover of classic styles. I also like my dresses to be comfortable. If you were to peek into my closet, you would always find a mix of mini, midi, and, in recent years, maxi dresses. Check out my tips on wearing a maxi dress when petite. Some are sheath dresses, some are fit and flares, and others have full skirts that make you want to twirl like a little girl.

Boden

Boden always has a great selection of petite dresses. I can always count on them for some of my favorite knit dresses. You know those dresses that wash beautifully and you don’t have to iron them. Win, win in my book for summer days.

They always have such fun colors and patterns year-round. All of their clothing is about classic styles, not fads in fashion. I find that all my things from them stay in my closet for many years and don’t feel dated. Yes, my love for Boden runs pretty deep in my closet.

In the summer, they always have a few styles of linen dresses that are timeless classics. If you are looking for a short-sleeved dress, this one is simple, yet has nice details. If you want a simple sleeveless fit and flare, this style is perfect.

Here are some dresses from the current season that have caught my eye.

Ann Taylor

Ann Taylor is known for its workwear options and classic styles, but don’t count them out for your more casual needs, too. They always have petite dresses appropriate for the office and the weekend. Another good thing is that they are always running sales.

I find their dresses to run true to size regardless of the style. The sheath dress in the photo above is a 2P and I didn’t make one alteration to it. You could easily wear it in a business casual setting or on the weekend if this is a style that you like to wear.

Here are some petite dresses from their current collection that caught my eye.

Anthropologie

Anthropologie always has a great selection of petite dresses. I find their petite dresses to be more casual. One thing that I do like about their selection is that their best-selling styles are usually made in multiple fabric options and are restocked throughout the season. My favorites are the Somerset maxi (you can see me in it here), the Somerset mini, and the Tommie Cap sleeve midi dress.

J.Crew

J.Crew is known for its classy, preppy clothing. They always have a good selection of petite dresses for work and play. Most of the styles are also available in multiple colors or patterns, which is nice. Sometimes a dress works so well for you that you can easily justify having it in more than one color/fabric.

I know I can always rely on them for a great shirt dress. In the summer, they always have good linen options as well. The shirt dress that I am wearing above is an easy one to dress up or down for any summer soiree. This linen sheath dress in linen blend is a classic you will have for many seasons.

Lands’ End

Lands’ End is one of my favorite brands for affordable wardrobe staples. I know that I can count on them to have great casual dresses, t-shirts, sweaters, swim, and more in petite sizing season after season. The quality for the price point is fantastic.

Case in point is the knit dress that I am wearing. When I tell people that it is a Lands’ End dress, they are surprised. It looks like a much more expensive dress than it is. Plus, the comfort level is off the charts. The other favorite of mine from this summer is this eyelet dress. Again, it is the cutest style and of great quality.

Here are may favorite dresses from this brand for the season.

Department Store Brands

Sometimes you can have the best of luck by doing a good search at a department store. Macy’s , Dillards, and Bloomingdale’s have the best selection of petite dresses, in my opinion. Each season, they carry the same brands, so you can always count on them having several to choose from. Here are my go to department store brands when I am looking for dresses.

Donna Karan

The Donna Karan line has been around for over 40 years. The designs represent a sophisticated, sensual, and elevated style for the modern woman. I always love the way the designers drape the fabrics and many the designs help to draw the eye upward which a petite woman’s dream come true.

Here are some of my favorite dresses for petite women for the season.

Tommy Hilfiger

Tommy Hilfiger is a name that we have known since the 1970s. That is when Thomas Hilfinger started this preppy line of jeans. Since then the company has evolved to include something for everyone in the family. You can always find petite dresses from this brand that have classic lines and tend to be a bit preppy. They are always a nice price point as well.

Petite Friendly Brands I Turn To Season After Season

There are a few brands that I know I can count on that will fit my petite frame even though they don’t make petite sizing. If you like their designs and styles, I would suggest that you give them a try.

Tommy Bahama

Tommy Bahama and fun in the sun. This brand is known for its luxury lifestyle designs. Hands down one of my first stops when I am getting ready for a trip to the beach. They make great casual dresses that I love to wear when I am in a warm weather destination, but I also wear their dresses all summer long. One of their classic designs I love is this dress (you can see it on me here). They make this dress every season in staple colors like white, natural, and black and then add in other colors that are trending. It is a dress that needs to be in every woman’s closet.

I find their dresses to run true to size. I usually wear an XXS in all of their dresses. Here are some of the dresses that I find to be petite-friendly.

Draper James

Draper James is a new favorite brand of mine. For some reason, this brand fell off my radar screen and then I recently saw one of their dresses and had to try the styles again. Every dress that I have tried on from this brand has fit my 5′ petite frame perfectly.

Reece Witherspoon founded this line about 10 years ago. Her goal was to make clothes for women of all ages who want fun, feminine, confidence-inspiring pieces in their wardrobe. I think the reason that Draper James pieces fit petites so well is that Reece is 5’1″. So she is going to make clothes that fit her body as well as the bodies of many other women.

You will see some of the same designs season after season, just in different fabrics. The Mae Love Circle dress I am wearing above was the first dress pattern. It comes in short-sleeved, sleeveless, and different lengths. In my opinion, it is fit-and-flare dress perfection. Another theme you will find in her line is chambray and denim. Those fabrics are such an integral part of every woman’s wardrobe. A good denim dress will take you oh so many places.

Here are my favorite styles for petites from Draper James.

Tuckernuck

Tuckernuck is another favorite online source for classic styles, preppy looks, and true Americana style. This woman-owned and run business is a great online resource. Not only do they have their inhouse brand, Tuckernuck, but they carry so many other brands that you will go down a search “rabbit hole” any time you go to their site. I have to watch myself or I lose track of time and want to put way too much in my cart.

The tweed dress that I am wearing above, the Jackie, gives off such Jackie O vibes. It is available in over 10 colors in this short-sleeved version. In the winter, they make a long-sleeved version of this silhouette, and in the summer, there is now a sleeveless version. It is a dress that belongs in any woman’s closet who loves a classic, easy-to-wear style of dress. They have several styles that you see season after season that work for petites and they are usually available in multiple colors. I do find that the Tuckernuck brand runs a little large. I am usually a size XXS in their dresses.

Thanks, Let’s Keep In Touch

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Let’s make it a thing to feel ladylike and wear our petite dresses more often this season. They are such an easy one and done to feel put together. So whether you are going to meet friends for lunch, grocery shopping, or to dinner pull out a dress and make yourself feel great.

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Updated May 2025.