Layering Must Have // Mock Neck Sweater Dress

The short sweater dress has been such a KEY foundation piece in my fall wardrobe. In past years I couldn’t find ones short enough to pull off the looks I had in mind, so as soon as I saw this one in petites, I purchased it in both black and cream with no regrets. Compared to my Steve Madden sweater dress, these are simpler ribbed mock neck dresses great for layering, while the SM one is more of a thicker, chunky knit dress that I wear by itself. See this outfit in motion in my latest IG reel!

Abercrombie is currently running a promo with 15% off almost everything (ends 10/31) including all of the pieces shown here as well as my tailored wide leg trousers from this post.

Mock neck Sweater Dress

In petite, regular & tall sizes

I love how petite-friendly and versatile this is as an outfit base. I sized up to XS petite as I prefer my knit dresses to not be too fitted at the tummy. It’s a mid weight rib knit, not too thin. It has a relaxed fit with drop shoulders, and small skirt slits on each side. I read a review about this running big and really did not find that to be the case unless you’re looking for a snug fitting dress. It feels very TTS, and after sizing up it’s a figure-skimming fit on me. The mid-thigh length is short enough to wear with flat boots and shoes for me, and also looks great with taller boots. This sweater dress looks like a slightly more fitted style but comes in a very similar color to my taupe dress.

For pairing ideas, I’ve already worn this sweater dress with:

• a shirt jacket, sneakers and crossbody bag
• a trench coat, black tights and my combat boots (or Chelsea boots)
• my Allsaints moto jacket and booties
• a looser cut boyfriend blazer and tall black boots

Abercrombie sweater dress xs petite, Schutz boots 5.5 (I prefer & kept these boots in Nubuck; see my review)

Blazer Mini Dress

Speaking of the Schutz boots, I’ve gotten a lot of requests for a “look for less” of this gorgeous Alice + Olivia blazer romper (just went on sale) – see it on me in this blog post with the boots. I’ve been on the blazer mini dress hunt for years, so trust me when I say that this style is VERY hard to come by in petite-friendly sizing.

I recently tried on this option at A&F, and found the xxs petite to be a pretty good fit. It’s not as sharply tailored and the fabric isn’t as luxe as the Alice and Olivia, but it is a quarter of the price plus is a dress instead of a romper for those who’d prefer that. One review mentions the inside buttons pulling on the dress, but I’m trying it on again as I type this and don’t have that issue. If the dress fits too snug on the wearer across the hips, then I can see how it might pull at the buttons.

Trying on Abercrombie Wool-Blend Double Cloth coat xxs petite

Wool-Blend Blanket Coats

In petite, regular & tall sizes.

I tried on both the wrap style and the button-front styles in these blanket coats. True to the reviews and the “blanket” name, the wrap coat runs big and is really leaning into the oversized-cut styles. I would recommend sizing down if you’re able to, unless you’re looking for a truly oversized piece.

I also tried their button-front Wool-Blend Double Cloth Coat coat (pictured above) which is the same exact color as the wrap coat and fits a little better without being as oversized. After trying on both, I still opted for the wrap style as I like to have that tie waist option and the additional coverage across the front for more warmth. I picked it up during a small sale a while back, and would suggest waiting for another promo if interested in these coats!