Could you survive with a dress-only wardrobe?

[movinghomeadvice]

I’m moving back to my home country in 2026, and the new year has me thinking about the clothes I’m going to bring back with me. I realise that I actually hate most of my clothes, especially my professional wardrobe, and I really only like the dresses and skirts I have.

It got me thinking: Could I only ever wear dresses/skirts for the rest of my life? Jessica Diner, who works at Vogue I think, only wears dresses and she always looks amazing. I love how she describes a dress:
‘It's foolproof. A dress asks so little of you in the morning: it's one piece, pulled from a hanger, then out the door, looking pulled together.’

So, am I crazy to think that I could pull this off? And never wear jeans again!? (Obviously I would still wear active wear to workout and bathing suits to swim etc.)

Unfortunately I'm much smaller and wider than average, so am something like a non-existant 1.5 K (can't get in to H, too narrow) and don't want childish bows on them, need them to cope with the weight of a grown woman not a 9 year old who'll grow out of them in months, and want to get my leg muscles into boots. No VAT on children's shoes is a false economy because they're not designed to last even if they were wide enough so need replacing frequently.

I generally slop around in wide fitting 4s or 5s which are at least an inch too long, and greatly restricts style options due to where they have to be fastened on, and grate my skin off. There's also proportion issues, spare space at the end is fine, but the mid-foot needs to be appropriately placed against my foot.

Finding something that looks nice with a dress and is comfortable for more than 5 minutes of standing or walking is a nighmare, and it's got worse in the last 30 years as 3s gradually get demoted out of women's ranges as sizing increases upwards (which it does need to do)

Trousers are easier as less of the shoe is on display.

That sounds difficult. Is there no source for specially fitted footwear that the NHS might pay for? It doesn’t seem okay that a person genuinely cannot buy or otherwise access properly fitting shoes.

Where are the 8 different colour dresses from @k1233 ?
Mumsnetters are great for knowing so many different fashion retailers that I would never have heard of but for them.

@deeahgwitch They don't make them anymore :( It's a lovely flattering style for me with a ballet style bodice, 4" fitted waistband and floaty skirt and sleeves. Plus I'm in Australia, so we've got different stores over here.

No, I need my skinnies for tucking into my boots ormy walking trousers when I'm walking the dog off the beaten track. If I didn't do that then possibly.

Thank you for replying @k1233

Yes. I basically do live in dresses, except when doing sports. There’s not really a situation I’ve been in where a dress isn’t appropriate. There are plenty of casual style dresses and I just wear my older ones for things like painting, gardening etc (just like I’d wear older trousers etc). I just make sure I wear something underneath so I’m not flashing my underwear.

erm 🤔
‘It's foolproof. A dress asks so little of you in the morning: it's one piece, pulled from a hanger, then out the door, looking pulled together.’

you haven’t seen some of my stretched out summer dresses love! I don’t look any more “pulled together” what does that even mean? in them than I would in shorts and t shirt 😂
but if you want to experiment with all dresses then knock yourself out 🤷🏽‍♀️ have a good move back home x

Can anyone link to any of these magical dresses that make you feel instantly pulled together? I'd love some more for work - am 49 and working in a relaxed office (creative industry.) Recently joined and feeling ancient compared to some of the bright young things there!

I used to work in a similar environment. Cos was my friend for simple dresses. I also used to have some Jigsaw ones ( in the sale!)

Out of interest, have you tried any of the barefoot brands? I’m thinking mostly about Livie and Luca. Proper leather shoes, not just in ‘childish’ styles, and they seemed well made. We had some that had been worn for 6 months by a friend’s DD, then a solid year of wear from mine, then got passed on again as were still holding up well despite the hammering they were getting from extremely active children. You can often get them cheap(er) in sales from places like Happy Little Soles. Vivo barefoot are also good. I only discovered them since DD got bigger feet so don’t know how they are below a size 3, but she and I both wear them now and they are brilliant. Might be worth a try?

I meant to say, they are nice and wide, too!

Sort of… not for exercising, no.

dresses would be a bit of a hassle for certain parts of my professional life, tbh. Too short and I‘d have issue with „decorum“. Too long and I end up looking matronly. And I’d have to wear tights in summer for some professional events, which I absolutely hate…

So yes, I could survive. But I wouldn’t want to…