Uniqlo Sleeveless Knit Dress: Review and Ways to Wear

Uniqlo knit sleeveless dress in black (xs) AUD $59.90 - now on sale $49.90

Hi friends! Welcome back to another blog post. Or technically I'd like to welcome myself back!! It has been a long while since I've last published a post. What might have been the reason, you ask? Looking back, it was a combination of factors: work, wedding planning, maybe even possibly unrecognised long Covid (poor self recognition rather than missed medical diagnosis) followed by taking time out to recuperate. I honestly just felt like I was running low on battery. Not only low, but literally drained. So I decided that the past six months was my time to focus on restoring myself. I'm still on this journey of restoration and am happy to report that things are better. I would eventually love to reflect on what were the things that I found helped and best way to rediscover your energy, in case anyone else is also going through the same thing. 

With energy being low, it meant that I needed to prioritise things that I needed to do over things I wanted to do. While I will always be a fashion lover, I definitely noticed I didn't have as much energy to browse what's new in store and online and daily outfits were streamlined to no-brainer combinations. My bank account wasn't complaining about the lack of shopping though! 

However, this Uniqlo Cotton Blend Knit Sleeveless Dress caught my eye a couple of months ago when I was my local shopping centre. You know it's a good fashion buy if it breaks your shopping dry spell. It has quite a few positive reviews on the Uniqlo website with 4.5 stars out of 5. 

So here are the reasons why I bought this dress (after pondering at home whether it was a good buy or not for a couple of weeks): 

A simple black dress with lots of versatility

Lots of stretch in the knit material - could be a bump friendly dress for mama's to be?

Firstly, the dress is super versatile, can be worn in different ways and the medium thick material of mixed cotton means it would suit variety of seasons from Spring to Autumn depending on how you layer up. I bought it at the end of our Australian summer and wore it for work and on weekends. It might be a little too hot for super warm days over 30 degC, particularly in this black colour and the beige version here might be better option for summer. 

I took my usual size (xs). Features a round scoop neckline. 

The dress is true to its name, a knit midi dress. On me the length comes to my ankles, so more of a maxi dress than midi (my height is 150cm or 5 foot exact). I like the extra maxi length nowadays as it also means I don't need to bother with sunblock for my legs ;) I took my usual size in XS. If you want to shorten it without any sewing involved, simply wear a belt and gently pull up at the waist to your desired shortened length and let the belt cinch it in.

Mixed cotton/modal/nylon composition. Medium thickness - probably not suit extreme hot summer days but perfect for transitional Autumn weather and suitable for layering

The material is a mixed composition of 40% cotton, 40% modal and 12% nylon. It's a medium thick ribbed knit and has plenty stretch. It's a relaxed fit and hugs the body without being overly tight. If you do find it too fitting, I would suggest to take one size up from your usual. The skirt has a slight flare outwards without being too A-line. I like how it has a round high collar, great protection from sun (I don't like to expose this area which is prone to sun burn). The dress is sleeveless, and the tank top section is widely cut so nicely covers any bit of armpit flab that you might be conscious about. We've all tried those racer back style tank tops that are cut too narrow at the front, haven't we!

Down below are a few ways I have worn to work and on weekends. Clickable links are highlighted in pink if you're interested in a particular item. 

Outfit for work: Cropped blazer, Celine belt, Jane Debster heels, Balenciaga Paris tote bag (small vs large; in white), Kmart layered necklace (old)

Another workwear style: H&M oversized striped shirt (sz 6), Celine belt 2.5 cm(70cm), Pink Inc flats,
Mulberry Mini Zipped Bayswater in oak

Weekend casual: Target Girls denim jacket, Valentino 20mm reversible skinny belt, Coach Studio 19 bag in canyon (similar here), Veja Esplar sneakers

Layering up: H&M straw hat, denim jacket, old Witchery floral scarf, Loewe small basket tote, old Wittner tan sandals

Autumn browns: Forever New Kate blazer from last winter (sz 6), Witchery Ivy 85mm suede pumps (old), Celine Teen Triomphe in bronze

 

Autumn layers: Sportsgirl hat, old Kmart jumper and pendant necklace, Witchery floral scarf,
Chanel 19 small (medium) in caramel brown, Sandler ankle boots

Recent sale find for under AUD $10: Forever New Paris translucent stone necklace in peach - such a pretty pastel pink stone. Matching earrings or necklace in lavender on sale here
(use code TAF30 at checkout for extra 30% off sale items).

Three of my go-go necklaces great for accessorising plain tops:
Kmart pendant coin necklace, Forever New, Kmart layered coin necklace

The dress also comes in a neutral taupe colour, for you beige lovers out there (I'm super tempted to get this version) and a subdued cherry red, which I think can be almost as versatile as the black and beige, and a potential Christmas and festive season outfit. 

Uniqlo Cotton Blend Knit Sleeveless Dress in 3 colours: beige, black and red. 
Which would you prefer?

Shopping tips: I bought my dress at full price as I thought it was fairly priced for the quality and let's face it, it had been a while since I've come across a simple black casual dress that I could get so many wears out of. But if you are happy to wait, Uniqlo occasionally do 20% off store wide, usually with the major sales throughout the year. You can also use the Shopback App to earn extra cashback on your online purchases. If you're new to Shopback, you can sign up using this promo link (referral code: 8RWIDn) to get additional $10 cash back from your first eligible online purchase. Do check the details as not all purchases via Shopback are eligible for cashback. And of course, if you're a nifty thrifter, you can always try secondhand platforms like Facebook Marketplace, eBay or Depop. If you're unsure what size to go for if unable to try on, I would say Uniqlo generally runs true to size. I am usually AU 6, and wear Uniqlo size XS which has some extra room in the jumpers. 

NOTE 10/04/2024: Looks like the dress has now gone on sale with $10 off original price, now down to AUD $49.90 in all three colours.  

And of course, many other brands do a similar black knit midi dress style similar to this, so if you discover any similar options that might be better in style, quality or price, or if you have other ways to wear a similar dress, feel free to let me know! You can simply leave a comment down below or DM me on my Instagram account @choco_petitestyle. p.s. A few months ago, my original account @choco_petitestylediary was deleted by Instagram and I was unable to recover it. So if you are a return reader, please do follow me on my new account and let's reconnect!

I've been doing some reading as part of my fatigue/burnout recovery process and am practising some strategies to stay productive and efficient. This means I will be aiming to post regularly, with the target goal of posting once a fortnight to start here on the blog as well as working on monthly vlog videos for Youtube. Stay tuned!

Hope you guys have a great week!

Choco