Bringing in Spring with Lane Bryant Dresses

This post is sponsored by Lane Bryant. All thoughts and opinions my own, as always! Springtime is pretty much synonymous with dresses for me at this point. After bundling up all winter and warding off the chill of March in jeans, I am always so ready to get my legs out once true spring rolls around.

This year, I am crushing hard on shirt dresses, button front details, and pretty spring florals, so narrowing it down to one dress for this post was no easy feat – there are so many cute styles this season at Lane Bryant! Since I already have a fun floral jumpsuit that I’ve been wearing all the time, in the end I decided to go with this crisp poplin shirt dress and a button front off the shoulder number (keep an eye on my Instagram – you’ll definitely be seeing it there soon!)

I was initially drawn to the classic tie front of this on-trend shirt dress, but since I ordered it online before I tried it on, I have to admit I was a little worried about the fit. Button down shirts and dresses have always been a shopping pain point for me since I have a fuller chest. It sometimes feels nigh impossible to find one that doesn’t gap at the bust, but Lane Bryant tends to be pretty true to size for me in general, so I went ahead and ordered it with cautious optimism.

Once I got this dress and put it on, I was thrilled to discover my fit fears were unfounded. The proportions of the dress worked for me in the 18 (my usual size for non-stretch items), but the interior button detailing was the true hero. Hidden under the placket between the main buttons in the bust area are multiple tiny buttons that prevent any gapping, even if there is a some pulling there as you move throughout the day (how many times have you worn a button down thinking it’ll work and then it ends up gapping the minute you stretch your arm to the side?)

I put this shirt dress to the test, frolicking around the beautiful Fort Tryon park and enjoying the blooms last Sunday. Through all that, I was never in danger of any wardrobe malfunctions, and I felt happy and comfortable in the dress – no tugging required!

The problem-solving details didn’t stop with the hidden buttons either. One of my other pet peeves about white shirts and dresses is figuring out what bra to wear underneath – even “nude” bras often show through thin cotton poplin. So I was pleasantly surprised to see this dress has a lightweight stretch lining throughout the bodice and skirt. With that crucial addition, I was able to wear one of my favorite patterned bras underneath with no show-through. Thoughtful details like this and the hidden buttons are usually only found at pricey specialty shirting companies (which often don’t offer plus sizes at all), so to be able to get it for less than $100 at a plus store with brick and mortar locations is pretty excellent. This would actually be an amazing dress for Easter weekend festivities if you are still looking for something!

And it has pockets!

The beauty of a crisp white poplin dress like this is that it can really be dressed up or down depending on the occasion and mood. You could easily take this to the office with a closed toe pump and a sharp bag, or to a casual summer brunch date with wedges and a wide brim straw hat. I wanted this look to be a celebration of spring, so I took my color palette cue from all the daffodils I’ve seen blooming, and added fun yellow accessories to the look.

Both these cheery sunglasses and my ankle strap heels are from Lane Bryant too, and I’ll definitely be wearing both pieces regularly (yellow is one of the biggest color trends this year BTW!). This is probably my 5th pair of this same style of LB block heel sandal – I honestly want them in every color! The low block heel and wide width makes them actually walkable, even for long treks through the park or busy days running around NYC. Don’t be surprised if you see me in this full look again – I am a shameless outfit repeater, especially when I like an outfit this much!