How to wear sneakers with dresses is one of the things I’m always teaching my clients when creating casual outfits to sport on the daily. Even if you have some nice gams, if you wear the wrong sneakers with dresses, the combination can shorten the legs, widen the line of your body, and generally make you appear heavier — ack! But don’t go running for the hills in those sneakers just yet. With my tips below, you can wear sneakers with dresses and still create a lean silhouette.
If you’re looking for a fabulous dress to wear with your sneakers, check out my post on The Best Spring Dresses.
How To Wear Sneakers With Dresses: Use Slim Sneakers & No Socks
Wearing sneakers with dresses is a flattering look if you have a lean, low-cut sneaker with lots of ankle showing. This means wearing no socks, or no-show socks.
My hands-down, absolute favorite sneaker to wear with dresses is Rothy’s RS02 sneaker. The comfort is out of this world, the shape is fantastically flattering, they are machine washable, and they come in a variety of colors. The vast majority of the time when I wear sneakers with a dress (like in the photo at the top of the post), I’m wearing my Rothy’s sneakers and Sheec Active Midcut No Show Socks.
You can pair a lean sneaker with dresses of most lengths, as long as your ankle is showing, meaning any length from mini dresses to ankle-length dresses will work. The only dress you’ll want to avoid is a maxi dress, unless…
How To Wear Sneakers With Maxi Dresses: Pick A Printed, Flowy Frock
As I mentioned above, generally a dress with sneakers needs to show ankle, but if you want to wear a maxi dress with sneakers, pick a printed, flowy maxi dress. It’s so “fashion week.” Plus, it’s fun to wear and comfortable as all get-out. Pair your dress and sneakers with a denim jacket or skip outerwear.
How To Wear Sneakers With Dresses: The Bulkier The Sneaker, The Shorter The Dress
The bulkier the sneaker, the shorter (and tighter) the hemline of the dress needs to be. Generally, I recommend skipping bulky sneakers with dresses, but that doesn’t mean no high-tops. I like wearing a lean high-top sneaker with a bit of an almond toe with dresses. As for the dress, a slim-fitting t-shirt dress is perfect with high-top sneakers.
How To Wear Sneakers With Dresses: Socks Mean Shorter Hems
If you want to wear socks that show with your sneakers and dress, the same rule applies: you need a short dress with a leaner fit. The next question is, of course, what kind of socks should you wear? When wearing socks and sneakers with a dress, make sure your sock hits 1-2 inches above the thinnest part of your ankle. This will create a more proportional look.
2 Responses
I normally agree with your suggestions, but…. Traveling all over EU, 6 months a year. Sneakers with socks and dresses of any length are cool, and accepted everywhere (and are featured by respectable influencers). This hasn’t changed in last 5 years. The Hoff’s saleswomen wear sneakers with every dress outfit and look fabulous.
Ahhh! Janet! I am so honored that I usually resonate with you 🙂 🙂 🙂 My clients are most interested in the most flattering, aka elongating looks, and higher socks can add width with longer dresses. Lots of women are totally okay with that width and I have no doubt the Hoff sales women are pulling the look off beautifully! But most of my clients would not be comfortable with the added width. My blogs are always written with my clients in mind, and those seeking guidelines that are as straightforward as possible and hard to mess up. Hope that clarifies the POV of this post. Thanks so very much for following VSTYLE!