How to Wear a Baby Doll Dress and Look Cute

Judith March gifted me this lovely lavender baby doll dress. When I first saw it on their website, I knew I wanted to add it to my spring dress wardrobe. I absolutely love lavender and it’s such a perfect spring dress. When I first received this dress, I wasn’t sure about the fit. Honestly, babydoll dresses are not the most flattering on curvier girls. I personally prefer to wear a-line dresses or fit and flare dresses. A babydoll dress can actually add bulk to an already curvy figure. However, there are some things about this dress that differentiate it.

First, I love that this is a long sleeve babydoll dress. The sleeves have elastic in a few places giving it a Victorian style. When I tried it on in my IG stories, one of my friends actually commented that the dress was giving her Bridgerton vibes, which I can totally see. That broad ballet neckline and accentuating the chest feels very that era. The billowy sleeves also pay homage to that era of dress. The above-knee length is obviously more modern, as they didn’t show leg back in the day. I actually pushed up the sleeves too, as they just felt a little too overwhelming for my figure along with the very full body of the dress.

The thing about baby doll dresses for women is that they can make you look pregnant or pass as maternity clothes if you’re not careful. I’m wearing a size Large in this dress. I actually wish I had sized down in this one because the baby doll dress has so much width in the waist and hips. I think I could have gotten a smaller size for a bit more streamlined look.

{Stacey’s Look: dress; heels (similar; similar); bag; necklace}

I had actually considered adding a wide belt right under the bust to try to take down the width in the dress. I didn’t have a good belt option, but I do think that’s one way to style a baby doll dress so it’s more flattering on a fuller figure. As I mentioned, a babydoll dress can sometimes be challenging to wear when you’re fuller figured. I wear a size 12-14, depending on the brand. I often fall right between straight and plus sizes, so it can be difficult to find the right fit. If you’re looking for a plus size babydoll dress, and you wear up to an 18, I think this dress would work for you. Although I’m wearing a large, I actually think I could have worn a medium in this one. It is that roomy.

As for how I styled the dress, I just chose to keep it simple with pastel heels and a purse that go without being too matchy. At first, I actually wore lavender shoes with the dress that are the exact same color. However, they felt too chunky and the overall look was too matchy.

Given that it’s also jacaranda season in LA, I decided it would be the perfect backdrop for this dress. Although not that practical to wear heels in a park, the jacaranda carpet was too pretty to pass up. I love how the flowers match the dress. Jacaranda season is my favorite. I absolutely love the purple trees that line much of LA this time of year. Ironically, I actually talked about jacarandas in my very first blog post here.

If you’re looking for other spring dresses, click here. If you want to shop for your own baby doll dress for spring, check out some of my favorites below.