Free People’s Eleanor Sweatshirt Dress Is Way Better In Real Life

It’s rare that I find a dress I want to live in.

I’m a shorts-and-baggy-tee girl by nature, and my proclivity towards casual clothing doesn’t usually leave a lot of space for dresses. They can feel stuffy and uncomfortable and, uh, elegant (bleh), and the odds of them having a fussy neckline (which requires a fussy bra solution)? Better than I’d like them to be.

So imagine my surprise when I finally took a chance on this dress, one that so heavily rebelled against all of my dress woes above that it could have skewed “Hi I’m wearing a burlap sack!” and it was…perfect, actually. 

dress (M) | shoes | bag | earrings

Free People’s Eleanor Sweatshirt Dress Is Comfy, Easy To Wear, And Way Better In Real Life

I have stared at online photos of Free People’s Eleanor Sweatshirt Dress more times than I can count, always clicking over to it out of curiosity anytime it showed up somewhere on my screen. 

While it looked like something that would be in my closet, I was pretty sure it would be too short to actually wear (and I wasn’t about to throw jeans on underneath it circa Y2K). Free People is arguably my favorite brand of all time, but even they can swing a little too dramatic for my liking. 

dress (M) | shoes | bag | earrings

But this summer I’ve been determined to find a few dresses that I might actually enjoy wearing. The near mythical-like pieces I could easily throw on, much like my fave shorts-and-baggy-tee combos, not giving too much fussy thought or feeling like I’m cosplaying someone I’m not. So I ordered a bunch of dresses from Nordstrom (you can watch the whole try-on!) and finally gave the Eleanor Sweatshirt Dress the try it deserved. 

dress (M) | bag

The dress, as a whole, feels like wearing my favorite worn-in vintage tee. It’s 100% cotton and very lightweight, much like a soft well worn tee is, and drapes easily all over the body. I don’t live in sticky city heat, but the dress is light enough that I’m incredibly comfortable in the 70+ Southern California sunshine (the light color I chose helps, I’m sure). 

The whole concept of this dress looking as if I tossed a cropped crewneck over my summer dress is just the kind of unique element I’m always trying to search for in clothing. It feels cool and out of the typical norm while not actually being loud. 

dress (M) | shoes | bag | earrings

I grabbed a size medium, my usual go-to at Free People, and it fits just as I would have hoped: oversized, breezy, while still holding character. There is a lot of material that I feel works for my height, but if you’re shorter than me you may want to size down from your normal Free People size (which already runs bigger than many brands).  

I was beyond shocked (and excited!) to find the dress plenty long enough on my 5’10” frame to wear alone, and the back of it actually falls slightly longer than the front. The flouncy skirt does love the wind, so I pull on a pair of these anytime the day has some good breeze (which, on the ocean, is almost always). 

dress (M) | boots | similar bag | hat | earrings

Styling the Eleanor Sweatshirt Dress has been easy – it’s flirty, feminine twirl works great with boots, but the sweatshirt style is laid back enough to wear as a beachy day dress. 

dress (M) | boots | similar bag | hat | earrings

I have a feeling this one will be well-transitioned into the autumn months (a total bonus)…but for now, I’m soaking up summer in it!

Xx,
Amy

Let’s be friends on Instagram! Sharing life from a California beach town, daily style & beauty faves, and never-ending Taylor Swift dance-athons…all with a good dose of adorable toddler content, too.