How should a shirt dress fit?

Point by point

Put the dress on, button it fully and stand in front of a mirror with your arms relaxed.

• Shoulder: the seam crosses the outer bony point of the shoulder. Hanging over the upper arm means too wide; sitting on the slope towards the neck means too narrow.
• Collar: buttoned at the top, you can slide one or two fingers inside it. Tighter than that and it pulls the whole front up.
• Bust: the buttons lie in a straight line and the placket stays flat. Any oval gap between buttons means too little room or a badly placed button; see why buttons gape at the bust.
• Waist: worn loose, a straight cut skims past the waist with several centimetres to spare. It should not cling or pull sideways.
• Hip: the side seams hang straight down. If they pull towards the front, or the buttons below the waist strain, the hips need more room.
• Sleeves: full sleeves end at the wrist bone with your arm hanging, and still cover it when you reach forward.
• Length: wherever you like it, measured in the shoes you will wear, with slits or an open lower button so you can walk freely.

Loose or belted: what changes

Worn loose, the dress relies on its shoulders and hip room to hang well, so a straight, relaxed cut with straight side seams looks best. Too much shaping at the waist works against a loose look.

Worn belted, the bodice needs a little extra length so it can blouse softly over the belt without pulling the collar down or the hem up. The waist needs enough room to gather neatly, but not so much that a thick fabric bunches. If you plan to belt it most of the time, say so when you order, because it changes how much body length to allow. The styling ideas are in how to style a shirt dress.

The sit-down test

Sitting is where most shirt dresses fail. Sit on an ordinary chair, then look down. The buttons over your lap and hips should stay closed with no strain, and the front should not slide open above the knee. Reach forward as if to a keyboard: the back should give a little without the buttons at the bust pulling.

If the buttons below the waist strain only when you sit, the hips are too tight. Side slits or a lower button left open give the legs room, but the hip itself still needs enough width.

Ordering one to your measurements

Our button-front shirt dress has a pointed collar, buttons from top to hem, long sleeves that roll up and fasten with a tab, and a straight, relaxed cut with side slits. It comes in standard sizes or made to measure; choose made to measure if your bust and hips sit in different sizes. Changes such as a knee-length version or three-quarter sleeves can be asked for with a customisation quote, and we confirm what is possible.

Our guide to measuring for a made-to-measure dress covers the numbers, and the custom stitching page explains how they are agreed in writing before cutting.