About our Shifts
Construction and fit
The shift is a dress with no defined waistline, designed to fit close and comfy through your shoulders and bust, then glide down over your hips. You can wear it as is, or add a belt to define your waist.
Every Wear the Shift dress has:
- pockets
- a side zipper
- cute contrasting facings
- serge-finished seams
- stretch lace finish on facing edges
Shifts are available in 2 lengths: mid-thigh and just-above-the-knee. Read more about our length choices here.
Our process
Once you choose a fabric, submit payment, and enter your measurements, we generate a pattern for you using the algorithm we've developed.
From there, we cut out the pieces of your dress and choose your facing and finishing materials.
Then our dresses are sewn by us or by one of our experienced freelance craftspersons right here in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Why we love shifts
- Because they are comfortable Your shift is built to your measurements. This means that the dress will fit your particular body – no squished shoulders, no need to suck anything in. The A-line shape of the dress skims over your curves without clinging to them, so if you are feeling bloated, or if you lose or gain a couple of pounds, it's no big deal – your shift will still fit and be cute. You will never feel like 10 pounds of sausage stuffed into a 5 pound sack!
- Because they are versatile
You can do anything in a shift – work, drive, dance, garden, nap, shop, go to church, play drums in a rock band, take a trans-Atlantic flight, anything.
And you can style it in lots of ways. Add a cardigan, tights, and flats for the office. Or vamp it up with a wide belt, lots of eyeliner, and high heels for the club. Or pull on a pair of Wellies and some cut-offs and go spend some quality time in your strawberry patch. Whatever you get up to in a day, your shift can handle it. - Because they are super flattering
The shift works its magic differently on different body types. It's built specifically for you, so the shape of the dress depends upon and highlights the shape of your figure.
- Apple shaped folks: Ever been asked when you are due while following the standard, terrible advice to wear a wrap dress or empire waist top? Never again with the shift! Because it has no defined waist built into it, it focuses attention on your shoulders, bust, and legs. Pick a nice sturdy fabric and dare to go with the shorter length to show off those gams.
- Hourglass-y and pear shaped folks: The shift skims over your hips and thighs, smoothing you out and highlighting your feminine shape. You may choose to define your waistline with a belt or a nipped in jacket, or both. If you plan to belt the dress, choose a fabric described as drapey.
- Because they are green as can be
Our shifts are eco-friendly on a few levels.
- On the most basic level, we use vintage fabrics whose production became a sunk cost long ago, and eco-friendly textiles produced in more sustainable and less harmful ways. And we minimize the waste in our process, recycling as much as we can.
- Beyond that, our shifts represent a shift in attitude toward consumption. Sci-fi writer and visionary green thinker Bruce Sterling says:
"It's not bad to own fine things that you like. What you need are things that you GENUINELY like... The items that you use incessantly, the items you employ every day ... these are the critical ones. They are truly central. The everyday object is the monarch of all objects."
Our dresses are built to be durable, beautiful garments that you will love and wear for years. They are built to be the monarch of all dresses – so lovely and comfy that they will replace dozens of other garments (that you never wear). - Lastly, we run our company ethically, paying those who work with us well and promptly, and behaving with as much kindness, honesty, and transparency as possible. Anything less just wouldn't be fun for us.
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