You can never go wrong with a shift dress—full stop. Their straight silhouettes, effortless style, and endless versatility makes them a wardrobe must-have—in absolutely any season. Plus-size shift dresses take you from the office to a cocktail hour with ease. Or, allow you to glide seamlessly from brunch with your BFFs to a weekend date night. The possibilities are never-ending—and that’s the shift dress’s magic. If your closet isn’t already bursting with them, it’s high-time you correct that.
Of course, like most general dress styles, the shift dress comes in myriad forms. There’s the classic short-sleeve shift—a work-ready frock that pairs perfectly with heeled sandals and layered gold necklaces. Or, you can opt for an off-the-shoulder shift dress worn with chunky booties and statement earrings. Some shift dresses are designed in cozy T-shirt fabric—a can’t-miss casual look when you add sneakers and a bucket hat. Frankly, there’s a plus-size shift dress for everyone (and every style). We really do love to see it.
So few articles of clothing are this well-rounded—but plus-size shift dresses manage to remain chic, classic, and versatile every single year. These are the types of pieces that you’ll wear over and over again (without worrying whether or not they’re going out of style). The shift dress remains a wardrobe staple in a sea of ever-changing trends—making it worth stocking up on every time.
This season, bless your closet with a few (or 10) plus-size shift dresses. Once you uncover the hundreds of ways to style them, you may never go back to fleeting dress trends. Classics remain in the zeitgeist for a reason, folks.
Here at Unruly, we’re committed to featuring plus-size pieces we genuinely love and want to share with you. We’re connected to an affiliate revenue program, which means we might make a small commission when you buy products through our shopping guides. This in no way affects pieces we choose to feature, and it never will. (Confused? We’d love to answer any questions you have about this. Email us at beunrulyinfo@gmail.com!)
1. Plus-Size Palm Print Shift Dress
shop the look — $16 from Boohoo
2. Checked Dress
shop the look — $29.99 from H&M
3. Up With the Fun Shift Dress
shop the look — $79 from ModCloth
4. Plus-Size Denim Shift Style Dress
shop the look — $31 from PrettyLittleThing
5. Plus-Size Dobby Chiffon Oversized Shift Dress
shop the look — $17.60 from Boohoo
6. Puff Sleeve Tee Dress
shop the look — $99.95 from ELOQUII
7. Madison Denim Shift Dress
shop the look — $54.95 from Fashion to Figure
8. Plus-Size Ornate Floral Shift Dress
shop the look — $26 from Forever 21
9. Valley of the Tennessee Dolls Shift Dress
shop the look — $69 from ModCloth
10. Simply Be Shift Dress With Balloon Sleeves
shop the look — $32.30 from ASOS
11. Plus-Size Dobby Chiffon Oversized Shift Dress
shop the look — $17.60 from Boohoo
12. V-Neck Dress
shop the look — $24.99 from H&M
13. Plus-Size Ditsy Floral Frill Shift Dress
shop the look — $17 from PrettyLittleThing
14. Only Curve Jersey Mini Dress
shop the look — $22.50 from ASOS
15. Plus-Size Occasion Ruffle Shift Dress
shop the look — $20 from Boohoo
16. Plus-Size Puff Sleeve Shift Dress
shop the look — $31 from PrettyLittleThing
17. Puff Sleeve Shift Dress
shop the look — $99.95 from ELOQUII
18. A New Day Elbow Sleeve Knit T-Shirt Dress
shop the look — $12 from Target
19. ModCloth x Princess Highway Floral Shift Dress
shop the look — $79 from ModCloth
20. Orange Wash Challis Trapeze Dress
shop the look — $69.50 from Torrid
21. Ava & Viv Plus-Size Sleeveless Knit Swing Dress
shop the look — $12 from Target
22. Lyocell Denim Dress
shop the look — $79.99 from Mango
23. Plus-Size Denim Frill Hem Shift Dress
shop the look — $35 from PrettyLittleThing
24. Girly Touch Mini Dress
shop the look — $39.99 from FashionNova
25. AX Paris Plus-Size Shift Dress
shop the look — $29.70 from ASOS
26. BP. Print Square Neck Shift Dress
shop the look — $55 from Nordstrom
27. Fashion Union Plus-Size Mini Shift Dress
shop the look — $56 from ASOS
28. Plus-Size Leopard Print Dress
shop the look — $16 from Forever 21
29. ASOS DESIGN Linen Mini Dress
shop the look — $18.40 from ASOS
30. Plus-Size T-Shirt Mini Dress
shop the look — $24.99 from Forever 21
31. ELOQUII Ruffle Puff Sleeve Shift Dress
shop the look — $71.98 from Nordstrom
32. Kiyonna Manhattan Shift Dress
shop the look — $98 from CoEdition
33. CeCe Flutter Sleeve Denim Shift Dress
shop the look — $119 from Nordstrom
34. Plus-Size Floral Print Mini Dress
shop the look — $14.99 from Forever 21
35. Eileen Fisher Organic Cotton Jersey Shift Dress
shop the look — $168 from Nordstrom
36. Standards & Practices Tanya Charcoal Gray Shift Dress
shop the look — $94 from CoEdition
37. Eileen Fisher Organic Cotton Jersey Shift Dress
shop the look — $168 from Nordstrom
38. Plus-Size Shirred Shift Mini Dress
shop the look — $16 from Forever 21
39. Plus-Size Slit Tank Dress
