A few years ago, I discovered the joy of “the Thanksgiving dress.” What is a Thanksgiving dress, you may ask?? It’s a perfectly plaid/fall-patterned dress that’s extremely flowy and comfortable but still makes you feel cute (even when you’re sweaty from cooking all day and full from eating all day). I found an amazing one at J.Crew that a ton of you bought and loved a few years ago (it’s not available anymore, but here’s one on Poshmark for a lucky buyer). I still wear it almost every year, and I’m sure a lot of you do too! Also, it turns out that shockingly, most of the EHD have never truly dabbled in the Thanksgiving dress arts. So this year we thought – why not, follow my rules and see what Thanksgiving dresses are on the market this year that each of us likes?? Spoiler: we all found some good ones. Here are our rules for finding the perfect dress:
- Flowy & comfy (ideally it’s breathable enough to cook in all day or to just stand around in your grandma’s 90-degree home)
- Plaid/Fall Print/Fall colors (prints are generally more forgiving and fun to wear)
- Bonus points if it has pockets!! (so you don’t have to lose your phone or whatnot while you’re walking around the kitchen! Not a “must have” but always a nice to have.)
Okay, let’s see the dress line up!
Mallory
Dress | Shoes (similar)
Dress | Shoes (similar)
Height: 5’7″
Dress Size: Medium (Blue) + Small (Pink)
I found these two dresses right when I started my search and gasped THOSE ARE SO CUTE! They’re super comfy and are smocked, so no need to wear a bra (for the small-chested ladies like me, at least), and the plaid is just adorable. I got a medium and a small, and both fit really great. The blue is a medium and the pink is the small – I actually think I prefer the medium and I’m usually a small, so don’t be afraid to size up!
Dress | Shoes (similar)
Height: 5’7″
Dress Size: Small
I fell in love with this dress when I saw it in-store, so I had to snag it too! It’s super flowy (check), has the cutest pattern (check), and sadly, no pockets, but the style of it was so perfect that I said we’re getting it. The sleeves are long but stay up, so you can actually cook, which is great. Absolutely LOVE the neckline with the little tie – very festive, breathable, and stylish. Also, I need a spray tan lol
Emily
Dress | Shoes
Height: 5’4″
Dress Size: Small
I love Emerson Fry’s clothes a lot – very easy to wear, very well made, and the patterns are always excellent (cheaper versions try, but they really nail it). This one (I bought from Evereve) has covered buttons all the way down, a loose tie at the waist, slightly puffed sleeves, and a big chocolate brown floral pattern. All those together create a very flattering, comfy, drapey dress that is specifically great for Thanksgiving (but also just great for fall/winter wear). This is lightweight and just so drapey (it’s cotton). I also want to shout out THIS dress by them, which I have a summer version of, and still wear it all the time. It also drapes so well, is so flattering, while not being tight. I don’t need both, but I kinda want it, too, just because they are so dang easy to wear and feel cute in. I’m wearing a small in the brown, but if you are in between, size up. I have the medium in the Frances dress, and it still fits nicely (because it drapes so well).
Caitlin
Dress
Height: 5’8″
Dress Size: Large
Hello from my childhood home! Like Gretch, I come from an ultra-small family – just my mom and me! – So the concept of “Thanksgiving attire” is a bit foreign to me. But my boyfriend’s family is enormous, and I’m excited to have nabbed a $98 dress to wear to all of their celebrations this holiday season! I wasn’t familiar with Tuckernuck’s sizing – my 36F bust measurement, in particular, seemed better suited for the XL – but I found the Large to be a perfect fit. She’s roomy and spacious (read: you will be able to put away a massive meal), but the cut isn’t overwhelming or overpowering – they did a really nice job on draping the fabric to show a bit of your shape! It isn’t a total shapeless sack. I’m also partial to the Black Watch tartan pattern over a more traditional fall-toned plaid, because it feels like it has a bit more staying power throughout the winter months. I do wish that this one had pockets, but I have no complaints otherwise – I think it’s a steal for the price. (PS. If plaid isn’t your thing, this dress comes in 18 other colors and patterns!)
Jess
Dress | Belt (Size 85) | Shoes (more colors!)
Height: 5’4″
Dress Size: 36/4
Historically, I am not really a girl Thanksgiving outfit gal. DON’T TELL MALLORY! It’s nothing against the medium, but I usually throw on a fall sweater and jeans and call it a day. I also didn’t (the past tense here is important) ever really feel like the classic Thanksgiving dresses were my style. So when the idea for this post came up, I thought, “I probably won’t find anything I actually love, but I’ll see.” Well, turns out when you take an innocent peek inside the Sezane pop-up shop at the Grove, the most non-Thanksgiving dress person will have a change of heart. My plan was to pop in, get something I would likely return (because I knew it wouldn’t be cheap), but I really loved to honestly recommend, and call it a day. Well, the day was not called in the way I planned, and I walked out with this incredible dress AND a belt that I will not be returning.
Dress | Shoes (more colors!)
This little number is so comfortable and lightweight! Perfect for a filling meal:) Plus, those sleeves are so dreamy and my favorite part. On the site, the model is wearing this dress sans belt and with slouchy boots. It’s incredibly cute on her, but I just felt for my 5’4″ frame, I wanted some shape…which is how I ended up with my newest favorite accessory…this patent leather mahogany belt. The styling is totally up to you, and obviously, the dress is a good amount longer when it hasn’t been belted and pulled up a little. I went for a size bigger on the belt than I’d ideally want for a waist belt because I also wanted to wear it with jeans. Buying a not cheap belt for one dress was not something I was going to do. I also half jokingly asked the very cool sales rep gal if belting dresses was super millennial, and she assured me that the look was back. I’ll just be sure to stay away from the super tight, wide elastic ones, and everything should be fine:) Oh, but I did go to my local shoe repair place to get a few more holes put in the belt so that I could have it tighter around my waist and bigger for my hips. It took 2 seconds for them to do. What I also love about this dress is that it feels fall but isn’t decidedly fall. The plums and pinks make it more than appropriate for winter and spring, too! For colder weather, just add tights and boots. I tried it on with my favorite plum colored flats, and now, I plan to be very happy and stylish for my California Thanksgiving dinner in this whole look.
Gretchen
Dress | Boots (vintage Zara)
Height: 5’9″
Dress Size: Large/Regular
I am not a huge Thanksgiving celebrator. I come from a Three Musketeer family, meaning it’s just me and my parents, and it’s pretty rare that we spend all day prepping a grandiose meal just for us. Our extended family lives too far away, none of us really like to cook, and it’s one of those holidays we historically don’t care much about dressing up for. Sorry ’bout it! The Raguses are about as casual as they come, making it an interesting challenge to find a dress that would (mostly) cross off Mal’s list while still feeling close enough to our family’s usual attire, which is sweatpants. The one I found ain’t fancy (but it ain’t sweatpants either) and I know I’ll wear it more for everyday. It’s this pretty mini shirt dress from Banana Republic Factory in Dark Oak. I like that it’s corduroy and collared, giving me that “Wait, is this just a flannel shirt with a skirt attached?” comfort feeling. I like the longer sleeves and where they hit on my arm. Also, how the skirt kicks out a bit lower on the body. It can be cinched in at the waist with the (dinky) tiebacks or can be worn totally loose to make room for seconds. But be warned, it might be giving “Cardboard Box”. It’s pretty darn comfy, easy to wear, and fairly inexpensive! And I think it looks cute enough to keep. The regular large fits me great. My one huge letdown? No pockets.
Marlee
Dress | Black V Neck Sweater | Cardigan (other colors) | Shoes (vintage)
Height: 5’8″
Dress Size: Small
When I heard about Mallory’s Thanksgiving dress rules, I thought, “I’m not sure if that’s not happening for me.” Flowy and comfy – easy enough. Plaid or fall print? Maybe… I find that I have a slight aversion to most “fall” prints (or anything that’s not a stripe). And even if I found something that hit two of those requirements? No way it has pockets… Well, I saw this dress on the Free People site that I was super drawn to. A nice flowy shape with a little leg slit, a cute velvet detail/bow moment on the collar, and I was even having a hard time deciding between the two plaid color ways. So I popped by the FP store in Portland, and they had it in this red color. I would probably wear it to a family dinner as a “skirt” with an oversized sweater on top (see left photo), but I would also totally show off the velvet detail at a dinner party with friends or on a date and wear to with a cardigan (right). Also… you can imagine how proud I was when I discovered it has pockets! 3 for 3!
So happy all my ladies found perfect Thanksgiving dresses that they look amazing in! Hope this was helpful for you and a good little reminder that we’re only about a month away from Turkey day:) Happy shopping!