$25 Kmart cotton shirt dress

Kmart shirt dress sz 6, belt (old), Mulberry mini zipped Bayswater, Jane Debster Chapter heels sz 6

I had been eyeing this AUD $25 cotton shirt dress from Kmart for several weeks before eventually deciding that it was a must have item for my spring/summer wardrobe this year. I could see that it could be worn for both work as well as casual looks. When it arrived in the mail, it did not disappoint and now I virtually want to wear it everyday, except for not wanting to be guilty of being a serial outfit repeater! I've shared this dress in my Instagram stories last week, but thought I'd also share the details here in this blog post including a few different ways you could co-ordinate the outfit. 

I have owned a couple of different shirt dresses over the years but I think I eventually gave them away as they weren't quite the perfect fit. I have an inkling that I thought I had 'outgrown' the style. One of the shirt dresses had a frilly front and was a thin material and another one I felt was on the shorter side particularly when I reached up so was no longer work appropriate.  I'm still on the hunt for the perfect white shirt dress - something like the one Audrey Hepburn worn in that morning scene in Breakfast at Tiffany's - oversized and crisp white, like you had just borrowed your boyfriend's shirt and casually belt it up. 

Anyway, back to this Kmart dress. It's officially called the Long Sleeve Shift Shirt Dress on their website (what a tongue twister!) and comes in blue as well as black. I've included the original photo from the website to show what it looks like on their models:

Kmart long sleeve shift shirt dress in blue and in black

The material is 100% cotton and is medium thickness so feels like good quality that holds a bit of stiffness. I think that is one of the reasons that I think this could be worn to the office as it carries a bit of structure from the medium thick material and when worn with right accessories can give a professional vibe. Starting from the top, there is a collar and a row of front buttons that can all be undone, but I tend to only undo half of them so I can easily slip into the dress and save time doing up less buttons when getting dressed. There are no side pockets, but you have the two pockets at the front of the chest that are big enough to fit your phone. The hem ends just below my knees (I'm 150 cm tall) and has a slight curve on the sides as you might have noticed in the photos. 

Kmart shirt dress un-styled

I'm wearing my usual size (AU size 6) and the dress is a good fit. The dress does seem a little shapeless to me when worn on its own, but simply adding a belt would add definition to the waist. The sleeves are also too long, so I will wear this with the sleeves rolled up and secured with the special button tab at the elbows. One thing to be aware of is that the shoulder seam is not exactly at the shoulder, so can give the shoulder the illusion of being broader than they are. 

1. Look one: Dressed for work

Kmart shirt dress, Zara coat, Jane Debster heels, belt (old)

I wore this outfit to work the other day and got some nice compliments. I love this colour scheme: blue, camel, black. These Jane Debster heels are quickly becoming my daily work shoes and surprisingly go well with any outfit. You can read my review on these shoes in my post here.

2. Look two: With black accessories

Loewe 3cm reversible belt, Marc Jacobs The Stam bag, Jane Debster Chapter heels

Camel is one of my favourite colours to wear but black is just as versatile. Here I've switched the camel/tan accessories to black with the belt and bag. Because the shoes have both black and camel, it works well with the black accessories. 

3. Look three: Blue with white and tan

Loewe reversible belt, Kmart bag, Jimmy Choo Romy 85 in patent white

Blue and white is another colour combination that screams spring/summer to me! Another option would be to change the tan belt to a white one. 

4. Look four: Blue with tan and pop of red accent

Loewe reversible belt, Coach bag, Witchery Morgan knee high boots

5. Look five: Blue with spring/summer accessories

Kmart straw tote bag, Kmart navy espadrille (both from last summer)

6. Look six: Casual sneakers

Longchamp Le pliage bag, Witchery sneakers

So there you have it. Are you a fan of shirt dresses? Which was your favourite look that you? Are there any other ways you would style this dress? Let me know in comments down below, and if you also have a favourite shirt dress that you own I would love to know!

For more outfit inspirations and stories, follow me on my Instagram @choco_petitestyle. 

*Jane Debster heels were kindly gifted as an Instagram collaboration.