I love getting your requests. We all have our own guardrails for what we feel comfortable wearing and won’t we don’t feel comfortable wearing. For some, it’s a no to high-rise pants, while others don’t feel comfortable in shorts and sleeveless tops. My personal guardrail is cropped tops, overly puffy sleeves, and things that are too revealing in general. In my last batch of IG requests, a few of you asked me for comfortable summer dresses, that don’t require a strapless bra.
I don’t think it matters what size you are up top, small or large chested – strapless bras just aren’t comfortable. They slide down and lack support. I’m glad they exist for the outfits that need them, but I’m with you on avoiding them if you can! So, today I’ve rounded up a few petite-friendly dresses that don’t require a strapless bra.
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Summer Dresses That Don’t Require a Strapless Bra
Sizing: I’m 4’10” and around 105lbs. I’m typically a size Petite 00/XXS/24. I will share my sizing beside each item to help you compare when shopping online.
Gibsonlook
The first dress is a dress from Gibsonlook. It doesn’t come in petite, but it fits me well in regular xxs. The armholes fit great, no draping or showing your bra and the v-neck isn’t too low and revealing. It’s a really light and breezy dress that I most recently wore to work this week. It is unlined, and a little sheer when the light hits it, I personally wear a nude slip under it, but that’s really personal preference. The shoes are a little bit narrow and bordering on being 1/2 size too small, if you’re in between sizes I would size up.
Dress XXS | Sandals | Earrings | Necklace | Bracelet | Bag
LOFT
LOFT’s latest collection is full of vibrant magenta and purples – I love it! This dress is lined and I love the beautiful mix of prints. It has a v in the front and back, but still works well with a comfortable regular bra! I’m wearing it in Petite 00, and it is slightly oversized. If you’re in between sizes you can possibly size down.
Dress Petite 00 | Shoes | Earrings | Necklace | Bracelet
J.Crew Factory
I first styled this dress in another summer dress post – in the pink version. I loved it so much in that color, I went back and ordered the chambray version. This dress runs true to size, for me that’s Petite 00 at J.Crew Factory. It’s unlined, but not see-through.
Dress Petite 00 | Shoes TTS | Bag | Necklace | Earrings | Bracelet
Old Navy
If you’re looking for a t-shirt dress, Old Navy has the best petite ones! I have several Old Navy t-shirt dresses in different styles. The only downfall is they tend to sell out quickly, so by the time I can post them, they’re often low in stock. However, they are always putting out something new and restocking, so keep an eye out if you’re on the hunt for a petite t-shirt dress. This one, in particular, is cotton and comes in several colors. It’s true to size (I’m Petite XS at Old Navy). It also washes well and doesn’t shrink. If you love a longer dress, this one looks very similar to it with more length.
Dress Petite XS | Earrings | Shoes TTS | Bag | Necklace | Bracelet
Although none of these dresses require a strapless bra, while we’re on the topic I do have a couple of recommendations. First, Soma has a great one I love. A reader also recommended the Spanx strapless bra. I haven’t tried it, but that may be a great one to check out.
-Brooke
