The Essential Shirt Dress with Universal Standard

This post is in collaboration with Universal Standard. To save 20% on your entire Universal Standard order through September 17, 2019, use code wholeheartedwardrobe-xusp.

Ah, shirt dresses. Done well, and they are beautiful, timeless and enable you to get dressed with ease.

I had yet to find a shirt dress that would work this magic for me until I had the opportunity to try the Universal Standard Michelle Shirt Dress in Cupro.

Cupro is regenerated cellulose fabric made from cotton waste. It is billed as a cruelty-free and eco-friendly alternative to silk, as it is 100% plant-based. In my opinion, cupro is even better than silk. It has a similar handfeel yet is also slightly velvety, is machine washable and is, of course, vegan. It drapes beautifully and looks even more luxurious in person than these photos could capture!

Beyond the absolute beauty and high-quality of this dress, I am so excited to have recently been introduced to Universal Standard. While I was gifted this item, I recently also purchased their new vegan leather camisole (Whoops! Did I need that? Not really. But did I see it and think it would be an awesome way to promote more vegan fashion? Yes.). I do my best to only showcase brands I purchase from myself, and Universal Standard is no exception.

About Universal Standard

Founders Polina and Alex explain, “Universal Standard started with the two of us, but we actually wanted to do it for all of us. We lived in a world in which access was limited. We couldn’t shop together; one of us could hardly shop at all.”

With a focus on inclusivity, Universal Standard is creating a place where we can ALL shop, together. Just a peek at their Instagram shows what a breath of fresh air they are in the fashion community. Their values include:

Revolutionary Inclusivity. Universal Standard offers unprecedented access to fashion. In fact, you might call them the most-inclusive fashion brand in the world, with sizes 00-40 available in every piece of their collection. They also use diverse models from all walks of life – different bodies types, abilities and skin tones.
Quality Defined. High-quality, responsibly-sourced materials.
Advance Engineering. Universal Standard doesn’t grade their sizes up or down using formulas. They use fit models, to ensure that the fit is the right one.
Fit Liberty. Sizes can change. Any piece in the Universal Standard Fit Liberty Collection is automatically eligible for a one-year size swap if your size changes.
Do Good, Give Back. Universal Standard supports programs like denim recycling and Dress for Success.
Customer-Centric, Always. The brand encourages its customers to reach out with any needs or questions they may have.

Why I Love US

I love Universal Standard’s vegan clothing options (hard to find done in a modern, minimalist way), and their approach to inclusivity.

Vegan fashion has a reputation for being potato-sack garments in shades of brown and nubby fabrics. As I increasingly focus on having a kind wardrobe, there is nothing more exciting than finding elegant, cruelty-free choices.

The Fit Liberty program is also especially inspiring and compelling to me. As someone whose weight fluctuates a lot due to medication I take, there is something so comforting about knowing there is a brand out there who doesn’t mind.

Universal Standard is not only changing how we shop, but how we think about the clothes we wear. We should have expectations for how our clothes fit – they shouldn’t have expectations of us!

How I Styled the Universal Standard Michelle Shirt Dress

I recently wore this dress to lunch on a drizzly day. I thought about showing you a bunch of ways to style it (open as a duster and with more fabric gathered under the belt to make it shorter, specifically.) But ultimately, it’s unlikely that I would really wear it any of those various ways, if I’m honest with myself. I tend to keep things pretty simple when it comes to my styling these days, and wanted to stay true to that.

Outfit details: Dress, Universal Standard Michelle Shirt Dress in Cupro; Hat, Cuyana, secondhand; Necklace, Windblown Jewelry; Shoes, Vince Camuto, old; Bag, Walk With Me.