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A Classy Sweater Dress for Fall

And just like that, it’s Monday again! I’m moving a little slowly today, for some reason, but I’m excited to finally share a fall dress with you.

This may be the only dress of this series at the rate I’m going, so if you’re a dress person, soak it all in!

I just haven’t seen a lot of dresses I like this year, but I’m a sucker for a good sweater dress.

This one is on the more conservative, dressy side. It’s perfect for church or work or a business dinner out… is anyone doing those right now?

I found this dress at Talbots, and it’s currently 30% off as part of their Customer Appreciation Event.

It’s very good quality and remarkably flattering. Whereas some sweater dresses can be too clingy or too bulky or too short, this one is none of those things.

It has a sheath silhouette, with a nice shape through the waist area, but it’s not body-con or clingy at all, and it falls right above the knee on my 5’5″ frame.

While the silhouette is classic, the blouson sleeves give it a modern update, and the v-neckline is universally flattering. I also love the buttons on the cuffs and scalloped edges on the cuffs.

To keep it classy and elevated, I paired this black sweater dress with my snake print pumps.

These are the Sam Edelman Hazel, and I have them in multiple colors. They have such a gorgeous silhouette, and they’re about as comfortable as a 4″ pump gets.

Best of all, these pumps are currently marked down to $73.50 from $140! They also qualify for the Bloomingdale’s gift card offer.

This dress also comes in petite, plus, and plus petite sizes, so there’s a wide range available. And they have it in black, navy, grey, and a gorgeous shade of red they call Rich Russet.

I ordered the black I’m wearing here in a Misses Small, and I ordered the Rich Russet in a Petite Small to compare. I absolutely LOVE the Rich Russet color and wanted to style it for this post, but the petite cut didn’t fit me right. The sleeves were definitely too short, and the overall length was a little off as well.

The black is lovely, of course, but the Rich Russet is so unusual, I think I will have to order that one while it’s on sale.

I definitely wanted some silver in my jewelry since the buttons on the sleeves are silver, and I felt like the simplicity of the dress called for a statement piece.

This necklace fills the neckline without being overwhelming, and I also wore silvertone hammered hoops and carried a black leather foldover clutch.

Shop the Post:

sweater dress // snake print pumps // foldover clutch // earrings // necklace

Be sure to visit Cyndi and see the fall look she’s styling today!

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photos: Alison Cornell

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66 Responses

  1. With only this year left until I retire in May, and the situation being what it is, I can’t justify this dress, but I love it!
    Looks fantastic on you!

  2. Not a dress person but liking this.  Since you made me a Victoria Emerson converT is there a style you’d recommend? 

  3. This dress fits you beautifully! I’ve had my eye on this merino wool dress in the indigo.  Good to know about the sleeve length and fit of the petite length.  Please do show the Russet one when it comes in!! I may just have to order them both..

  4. Hi JoLynne Love the dress!!! Looks fabulous on you. You actually look better then the model for Talbots!!!
    Enjoy your blog always!!!

  5. Hi Jo-Lynne, lovely dress!
    Where is the sleeveless, rust colored top from that you are wearing in your coffee talk post? You are sitting with your laptop…thanks

  6. Hi Jolynne,
    First of all you look gorgeous in that dress! It looks great with the pumps. I wish I could wear heels but I’ve had foot issues and dressy shoes are always a problem for me. Do you have any suggestions for another shoe or shoe height that would look good with dresses?
    Thanks and have a great day!
    Marcis

    1. Hey Marcis, I think this would actually be cute with leopard or snake print ballet flats – pointy toe, ideally, but even the more traditional rounded toe. I would also wear this with knee-high boots.

  7. Beautiful dress! It’s classic, without being boring. The sleeve details are so pretty. And I like the way you’ve accessorized. Just perfect!

  8. What a lovely dress and it fits you perfectly! I’m loving the new, re invented Talbots.  I found some cute and updated pieces in their outlet mid summer. Thank you for featuring a dressier style that hopefully we can wear out soon 🦋

  9. Beautiful! It looks even better on you than the models in the catalogue. One of the reviewers at Talbots mentions the wool to be slightly itchy. What are your thoughts?

  10. Wow, you knocked this outfit out of the ballpark! Stunning! The navy is a better option for me (not a fan of black) and I find it interesting that on the website the model is wearing leopard print pumps with the dress. I would have never thought to wear leopard print with navy!

  11. Beautiful on you. I love a sweater dress and this one is classy. Excited to find it in petite.
    Could you add a color piece at the neck? I have some nice garnet or turquoise beads from travels. Too much? Thanks! 

  12. Wow! You look gorgeous! What a beautiful dress! Talbots is really upping their game. Sadly, the smoke and haze from west coast fires has rolled into Alberta…..it looks like heavy fog here and air quality not great. Hoping for wind to change and for rain on west coast.

  13. Love this dress on you JoLynne.  I hope it’s a keeper—it’s classic.  I always have a conundrum as far as what hose/tights/shoes to wear come winter.  I’m in a cold snowy climate similar to yours.  Any suggestions other than tall boots?  Maybe booties with black tights?  Give us some suggestions or better still maybe style it with a few different looks—dressed up, dressed down, etc.   Thank you.

  14. It’s a lovely, elegant sweater dress. It would be perfect for so many occasions – dinners, parties, even funerals. You could even wear it with tights and booties to dress it down or killer black strappy heels and dangling earrings to dress it up.  just wish it came in tall. At 5’8” it would be a little short. 

  15. What a great looking sweater dress and you look marvelous in it . I stay away from sweater dresses because I have never met one that didn’t look like a sack on or off. But this one is very becoming. Yay Talbots! 

  16. You look so pretty in this dress. It looks like it was made for you.  Hope you get a chance to wear it.  I’ll have to go online to look at the red color, but after reading it has wool in it, its out for me. I can’t do wool at all.  🙁  Enjoy your day and thanks for doing the Fall series. Its so nice to open your post up each morning to have some normalcy.  I really think the blogging world has been so good during these times of pandemic.   

  17. This is such a classy look and love those pumps!! sadly no where to wear a dress right now. I took all my spring and summer dresses out and only wore the T shirt ones a few times. Oh well time to pack them away, and I can’t say I will be bringing out the winter ones to just take up space in my closet…I guess I will just wait and see. Things staying casual for now anyway?

  18. I have a question totally unrelated to today’s post. With your Birks Mayari, did you get the 39? I know you wear an 8. I just got them in gold, size 38, I’m usually a 7 or 7 1/2. They just seem really long on me. Do you feel that way when you have them on? I know Birks should fit a little differently than other sandals. I ordered them, so I didn’t get the opportunity to try another size.

    1. So yeah. I have the 38 but I have the 39N in my other style – the Madrid. The Mayaribare a little short for my toes and I wish I’d tried the 39. Sorry, probably not helpful. 😬

  19. Jo-Lynne, 
    I just had to message you to tell you how great you look in this dress. Your persona is classy and sophisticated. Love, love, love this. 

  20. Lovely outfit. Sadly I can’t wear sweater dresses. I do have a question about the shoes. Do you find this style fits true to size? I have a pair of Sam Edelman pumps in a different style. I normally wear a 7, but found those fit small. I would love to have the snake print, but wonder about the fit.

  21. Wow. That dress is so nice and looks beautiful on you. I like the necklace and shoes you put with it. The sleeves and buttons add a little something special to what could otherwise be a plain black dress.
    Jo-Lynne, Will you please do a post when you get a chance on what can be worn with snakeskin pants. I bought a nice pair today that look like a legging, but have a thin seam down the front (dressy fabric) and can be worn to work, church or out to dinner.
    I’m trying to think of something a little more unexpected than gray and black. 
    Thank you! 🙂 

  22. After looking at the dress on Talbots website I really like the russet color. You can never go wrong with black, but that russet color is stunning and would really be a nice contrast with your hair. 

  23. I don’t comment much but I just have to say you look beautiful in that dress.  It fits you perfectly and is so flattering. 

  24. For once I actually bought something from your link….I hope you get credit from Talbots. Usually I scroll through the post for ideas but this dress was so perfect because of the versatility that I bought the Navy version…..looks like a classic that can be dressed up or down and go anywhere (hoping it is not see-through). Now to wait for it to get shipped and clear Customs and then hopefully it fits. The Sale price means that what I pay in CDN dollars is about what the regular price is in US dollars…..without the Sale it would be too expensive. BIG pain in the A$$ to return from Canada so fingers crossed.

  25. This dress is beautiful on you!  If you were to wear the Indigo, what shoes would you wear?  Also, how would you style the indigo in a colder climate?

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