The Hunt: Colorful Sheath Dresses for Work

Sure, we all know what wardrobe essentials for work professional women are supposed to have in their closets, but if you’re buying one for the first time or replacing one you’ve worn into the ground, it can be a pain to find exactly the right incarnation in stores. In “The Hunt,” we search the stores for a basic item that every woman should have.

We haven’t gone on a Hunt for colorful sheath dresses in forever, so I thought we’d do a quick roundup today. If you’re a fan of “one and done” dresses, do you like colorful sheath dresses (with sleeves? with pockets?), or do you prefer muted or neutral colors like gray, black, or navy? If you’re a fan of colors for your working wardrobe, do you find that you prefer specific colors that flatter you — or that there are “trendy” colors that come and go?

{related: how to add color to your work wardrobe}

Hunting for colorful sheath dresses for work? Great bets to check as of 2021 include some of the brands featured above: 1) green* 2) blue 3) purple 4) green* 5) burgundy* 6) cobalt 7) green* (*s come in regular & plus sizes)… also this dress, this dress, and this dress (not pictured)!

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This Amazon dress is great if you’re hunting for a very specific color (such as for a reunion or something). It’s $30 with Prime shipping, has 16,000+ positive ratings at work, and the buyer-submitted images totally sell it. It’s available in sizes S–3X in 17 colors.

A few of our other favorite colorful sheath dresses for work are also available at Amazon, including this stretchy Karen Kane option, this crepe Donna Morgan one, and this hugely popular starburst-themed Calvin Klein dress.

If you’re hunting for a smaller brand (maybe even made to measure clothing for work) there are a bunch of Etsy sellers and smaller brands that focus on that. Etsy seller HeartMyCloset, for example (pictured above) has categories including “celeb-inspired dress” (e.g., Meghan Markle, Kate Middleton), “modern & vintage styles” (rockabilly, 1950s A-line), and “TV-show inspired” (Agent Carter, Suits, Scandal), and pricing starts at around $105 — perfect!

Other brands with customizable options include eShakti and Igigi.

If you’re hunting for smaller brands that specialize in colorful sheath dresses for work, do check out Of Mercer, Michaela Jedinak, Gravitas New York, and Maven Women. (Also keep The Kit on your radar if you’re a fan of color — not all of the dresses are work-appropriate but the patterns and prints are really fun, saturated colors.)

Readers were JUST calling the Etsuko their “category ender” dress because it’s so perfect — so it’s great to see the huge variety of sizes and colors the dress comes in. And yes, it has pockets! M.M.LaFleur in general has great dresses in a variety of colors, and sizes, many of them machine-washable and with pockets. Yes please!

Boden is another standout brand with colorful sheath dresses for work, with pockets and easy care; around this price range also check J.Crew and Universal Standard.

The Etsuko is $70–$195 in about eight different colors right now.

The above dress is a MAJOR classic — I honestly think this exact style has been around for at least 10 years. Black Halo dresses are known for a super fitted, sleek look, and I like that they come in bold, generally solid colors like red and cobalt blue. You can find the Jackie dress (above) in both sleeved and sleeveless versions, and sometimes in jumpsuits as well.

There are a ton of colorful sheath dresses for work to be found at the splurge level for workwear, as well — an emerald Akris dress is pictured above (currently $1,900 at Saks), but there are a ton of dresses to be found at all levels. (I am forever drooling over Roland Mouret dresses.)

Readers, what are your favorite colorful sheath dresses for work?

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