My Favorite Places to Buy Dresses for Girls
There is nothing more fun than a closet full of cute dresses for girls. Over the years, we’ve tried dozens of dress shops and these are all my favorite places to buy dresses, from toddlers to teens!Â
There aren’t a lot of things I’m an expert at, but with four daughters?
Dresses for girls is definitely a place I’ve had a lot of experience!
We’ve owned a lot of dresses over the years and I think it’s not too challenging when they’re little but does get tricky as they move into tween and teen years!
Here are my favorite places to buy dresses for girls:
Best places to buy dresses for girls
Alice + Ames
This is probably one of the most popular small shops for cute dresses for girls – I see them all over the place on Instagram and in real life.
Alice + Ames is best known for their ballet-style twirl dresses, but they’ve branched into woven dresses plus some skirt and top and short separates. My girls have loved their Alice + Ames dresses (we used black ones one year for witch dresses for Halloween) and they’ve gotten tons and tons of wear over many years! Use my referral link for 15% off your first purchase.
Old Navy
I’m an Old Navy lover through and through and I especially think they kill it when it comes to cute dresses for girls. We’ve owned many Old Navy toddler and baby dresses and they’ve held up beautifully through four girls. I feel like their dresses hit the perfect mark between trendy and classic, and they tend to be impressively well-made (although I always stick to the woven dresses, rather than the stretchy cotton ones).
Carter’s
I’ve loved Carter’s since before Ella was born and they have so many darling dress options. I especially love their shirt-dresses and their other classic cute dresses for girls. The prices are hard to beat and they hold up beautifully. I got a hand-me-down Carter’s dress for Ella in 2010 and it lasted through all four of my girls!
Dresses for Older Girls (Ages 11-16)
J. Crew / J. Crew Factory
I’ve found some great dresses at J.Crew and J.Crew Factory. They have great sales and you can often find things for 70% off clearance- that makes the clothes less than Walmart prices. If you’re looking for coordinating family outfits Easter, Christmas, or family pictures this is a great choice because their girls dresses come in sizes 2-16 and they have coordinating pieces for the whole family. I’ve also had great luck with XXS sizes in the women’s section for my 13 and 15 year olds!
Block Print, Puff Sleeve Dress
Sizes 2T-16
The print and color on this dress is so much fun! Plus, I really can’t say no to a puff sleeve on a girls dress.
Block Print, Smocked Dress
Sizes 2T-12
I feel like smocked dresses are really big for babies and toddlers, but I love the idea of a smocked dress for older girls.
Girl’s Celebration Dress
Sizes 2-14
If you have a special event to go to – wedding, graduation, fancy party, or even church this dress is so stunning! I love all the little details and I know my girls would feel so beautiful in this.
Maurices
This store has been a big hit for teen dresses at our house – I feel like their sizing can be a little all over the place, so definitely check the reviews for specific items to see how sizing runs!
Called to Surf
Called to Surf is a Provo local store, but they also have a website and they ship all over the U.S. They have a really great selection of dresses for women and girls. And they even have a few fun mommy and me options. I love this blue floral print dress!
Citrus Primavera Girl’s dressÂ
Size XXS-XL
I would absolutely love to wear this dress myself. It looks so breezy and flowy for the spring and summer months ahead. Plus, the dainty blue floral is so sweet.
Citrus Kali Embroidered DressÂ
Sizes XS-XL
The floral embroidery on this one is so gorgeous! I also love that this one comes in a Mommy & Me style – if you like matching your daughters.
Rylee and Cru
Rylee and Cru recently came out with a teen line. The dresses are so cute!Â
Teen Ivy Dress
Sizes 12-16
Rylee and Cru makes such comfortable dresses, they feel great but still look polished and timeless.
Zara
Zara can sometimes be hit and miss for me, but they its worth a look- especially during their sales. Most of their girls dresses go up to size 13-14.
Polka Dot Panel Dress
sizes 6-14
I really love when an article of clothing can take you through all seasons, and this one does just that. I could see my girls wearing this in fall, winter, spring, and summer!
Mini Boden
I love the bright colors and fun patterns that Boden dresses often have. The quality is top notch and great to pass down if you have multiple girls in your family. This is another site to watch for sales.
Shirred Bodice Jersey Dress
Sizes 2-12
There is nothing cozier than a jersey dress. It might feel like wearing sweats, but looks far more dressed up. I know my girls would wear this in a heartbeat.
Quince
Quince has great clothes for the whole family. My daughters loved their sweaters they got for Christmas from Quince. No surprise they have great dresses too!
Organic Cotton Long Sleeve Skater Dress
Sizes 6-12
Abercrombie Kids
Lace Trim Midi Dress
Sizes 5-18
Twofer Mini Dress
Sizes 5-18
Any great places to buy dresses for girls that I’ve left off? I’m always willing to try out a new dress and I have some very eager testers who are more than happy to try out a new dress.
We love Primary! Super soft material, simple, and a great price point!
My girls are too old for this any more- but I loved Boden. I like their adult clothes, too, but I first fell in love with their kids clothes.
I always think your girls look so darling! I need to check these shops out and get some for Em!
Tea Collection dresses are my favorite- they run good sales and their dresses hold up like no other. Hanna Anderson is running a huge sale today and I just stocked up on a ton of play dresses for school- I hope they’re as awesome as everyone says!
Do you have your girls wear anything under thier dresses? My daughter wants to wear skirts or dresses everyday, but I feel like we (and everyone else) are constantly seeing panties. She is very active and playing on the playground, reading on the couch … anything panties all the time. I teach her to sit nice and such, but I want her to play! I have her wear little shorts, but they don’t always look good. They are either too long or to thick of a waist band under the dress. Any suggestions? 🙂
They wear leggings sometimes, and sometimes they wear shorts under their dresses, but I admit that I just don’t worry about it too much!
My daughter wears jersey stretch shorts from old navy under all skirts/dresses, they often go on sale for around $4. They’re short so don’t show and have lasted a long time for us.
so do mine! They don’t ever go with undies only and all the schools they’ve attended required shorts or leggings under dresses. The old navy ones are great, carters are also good!
I didn’t worry about it until around age 5…then I figured they should stop showing their underwear. ? I buy the little shorts from Carter’s; I think they’re called playground shorts. They are basically leggings but super short. An alternative is to just cut up some leggings you already have that have holes in the knees. I do that all the time!
I love Tea collection. Cute prints and interesting designs!
I love Tea dresses. They often have sales on their sale prices and I stock up. I never spend more then $15 or so cuz I’m cheap (and since I have a daughter and son so only one kid is wearing them). I second old navy, I’ve found their quality to be just as good as Gap and crewcuts (J.crew) at a fraction of the cost. Mini Boden is gorgeous but out of my price range.
Primary and mini Boden are two of my favorites.
Great post! I’ve bookmarked a lot of these sites. 🙂
I really like the Jumping Bean brand at Kohls. Their dresses are cute, fit well, and last a while. (And that brand has great tops and leggings, too.)
I love Eleanor Rose dresses for special occasions or events. They release collections about once a month. It’s all in themes. I have my girls wear the dresses as often as they want though but they’re definitely on the pricier side.
My three girls are in dresses most of the time too. We love Tea Collection, Hanna Andersson, Mitz Kids and Swedish brand Duns.
Hannah Andersson, great dresses and imaginative leggings – watch for the 40% off sale. In buying for the triplets I can avoid matchy but get the outfits in coordinating colors.
i have an almost 8 month old girl and I can’t love this post enough! Thanks for all of the recommendations! I love Old Navy but am so excited about these cute boutique options.
Great post! Thanks for sharing this. I’ve bookmarked a lot of these sites.
We love ShelleyBee Originals! They are amazingly soft and perfect twirl dresses.
Princess Awesome!
Love this post! Thank you for sharing! I bet your girls would love sweet honey dresses!