The Internet’s Best Winter Dresses, According To Warm & Happy Customers

Spooky season is almost over, and Thanksgiving is on the horizon. In wardrobe speak, this means that winter isn’t just coming. It’s pretty much here. Temperatures are dropping fast, and we’re layering up even faster, starting with the winter dress. The winter dress is not that much different from the fall dress; just add some extra weight and/or fabric, so it’ll stand the test of snow, sleet, or whatever else the season throws at you. Think sweater-like materials and yuletide prints, long sleeves, and high necks. 

But how do you know which frock fits you as you enter the chilliest period of the year, keeping you covered for office wear, holiday parties, and everything in between? To answer this question, we turned to shoppers for their star ratings and reviews on dresses from all our reliable retail faves, including Free People, Anthropologie, J.Crew, and more. Scroll onward to see which dresses are earning customers’ approval this winter.

Welcome to Hype Machine, our hit-list of the top reviewed products across the web — according to a crowd of die-hard shoppers. Call this your 4-star-and-up club, with entry granted by our devoted-to-the-goods shop editors.

Skims Soft Lounge Long Sleeve Dress, $88

The Best Winter Lounge Dress
The Hype: 4.7 out of 5 stars; 1,434 reviews on Skims

Live out your most luxurious holiday dreams at home in Skims’ best-selling lounge dress. Imagine resting on your couch in the drapey slip with a nice mug of hot cocoa and “Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire” cooing in the background. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, now you can bring it to life by prepping with the best winter lounge dress.

“I’ve been obsessed with Soft Lounge dresses for the past few months. The long-sleeved version of the slip dress is perfect for colder weather coming up. It can easily be dressed up or down and is just as comfortable as the spaghetti strap version. There are plenty of shades, and I chose Onyx, which is less sheer than the lighter colors,” writes a reviewer. “The only con I can think of is that it’s a bit challenging to wear a bra or bralette with this dress, so it may be too revealing. However, I don’t mind them and I wear them often. If you’re on the fence whether it’s worth it I wholeheartedly recommend buying it.”

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FP One Natasha Thermal Dress, $128

The Best Versatile Winter Dress
The Hype: 4.3 out of 5 stars; 97 reviews on FreePeople

This effortless maxi dress is laidback and cozy — the perfect blend for a lazy-day winter frock. You can run outside with a puffer coat and your UGG slippers, or style it with black pointy ankle booties, a thick black belt cinched at the waist, and a leather jacket to top it off. The side ruching and lettuce trim hem add subtle detail to the one-piece, allowing you to fashion it however you please.

“I can’t believe how many compliments I got the [first] day I wore it. Three different women came up to me to say they loved it! The fabric is much softer than it looks,” raves a reviewer. “The length was perfect for me, and it has a small string detail in the front if you want to raise it a tiny bit. It’s super-warm and very comfy. Also, I’m getting this in different colors for sure.”

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Alexia Admor Kim Slinky Long Sleeve Midi Dress, $225 $69.97

The Best Winter Dress For A Deal
The Hype: 4.5 of 5 stars; 17 reviews on NordstromRack.com

What could be better than a deep burgundy stretch-knit dress that effortlessly molds to your body? Maybe being more than 65% off and coming in three other colors? Yes, you’re looking at the best discounted winter dress from Nordstrom Rack.

“On the hanger, this dress does not seem like much. However, once you put it on, it hugs and ruches in all the right places without being revealed. It is lined and well-made [and] suitable for the cooler autumn and the winter months,” says a reviewer.

Shop Alexia Admor At Nordstrom Rack

H&M Rib-Knit Dress, $39.99

The Best Winter Date-Night Dress
The Hype: 4.7 out of 5 stars; 98 reviews on HM

From H&M, consider this bold, flirty rib-knit dress your winter date-night attire. The statement cherry red is enchanting, and the sweetheart neckline and lightly flared long sleeves exude femininity.

“I like this dress. The red shade is beautiful and rich, and the dress is lightweight. It stretches well and has nice bodice detailing, too. One thing, though, is that it does run very small, so you might want to size up. I had to return my usual extra small and get a small,” explains a reviewer.

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Daily Practice By Anthropologie Turtleneck Sweater Dress, $158

The Best Winter Sweater Dress
The Hype: 4.5 out of 5 stars; 22 reviews on Anthropologie

Oversized sweater dresses are the epitome of winter dressing, and if you add a turtleneck with a quirky yuletide print to it, you have it all. Reviewers have noted that the dress runs large and appears to be more of a warm light oatmeal rather than gray.

“Sweater dresses are typically not a good look on me. They tend to be too bulky for my frame. However, this dress is different. It’s incredible! The sweater dress is so warm and fits very loosely without swallowing you up,” exclaims a reviewer. “I noticed a temperature difference when I took it off after trying it on. I never have to crank my heat up when I wear this dress — no joke, I’m saving money from this thing. I’m writing this review to beg Anthropologie to make this an annual seller and to make it in more colors.”

Shop Daily Practice By Anthropologie At Anthropologie

Eloquii Petal Sleeve Midi Dress, $99.95 $59.97

The Best Pretty In Pink Winter Dress
The Hype: 4.6 out of 5 stars; 10 reviews on Eloquii

Just because it’s wintertime doesn’t mean figure-hugging dresses get tossed out the window and into the snow. Stay cute and adorable in this mid-weight dusty pink ribbed midi sweater dress that clings to your curves. The bell sleeves add the perfect amount of dainty flair.

“Omg, I love sweater dresses and maxis, and this is about as perfect as it can get. The dress feels so good on. It’s not lightweight, but not dramatically heavy, either,” raves a reviewer. “The scoop neck is kind of sexy. The dress hugs curves and the bell sleeves add much fun and drama. And this mauve-y color is really rich and wonderful.”

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J.Crew Contrast-Trim Sweater-Dress, $178

The Best Classy Winter Mini Dress
The Hype: 4.7 out of 5 stars; 9 reviews on J.Crew

This sophisticated, black-and-white mini dress says it all with its posh collar, contrasting trim, and black statement buttons. It’s the most chic work dress, and you’ll adore coordinating it with your knee-high boots and an oversized wool coat.

“This dress is a new closet staple for me. The fit is perfect, and the style will stand the test of time. I was worried that the length might be too short, but no worries. I plan to rock this dress with snakeskin knee-high boots. I chose the medium for a sleek look. For reference, I’m 5’6 and a 34G. More colors would be great, please,” shares a reviewer.

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Pact Fit & Flare Open-Back Dress, $98

The Best Winter Party Dress
The Hype: 4.5 out of 5 stars; 28 reviews on Pact

Keep it modest in the front with a boat neck and have a little party in the back with a peekaboo opening. Despite its minimal details, the stretchy jersey knit dress has a beautiful flare that is elevated enough for a dinner party or soirée. For a bit of sparkle, accessorize with a chunky cuff bangle. 

“I have broad shoulders and wide hips, and this dress is flattering and fitted in all the right places. It’s snug without being too tight and easy to move around in,” writes a reviewer. “I love that the top is fitted and the bottom is flared, which is a good balance. The cutout on the back spices it up just the right amount. And I love the pockets!”

Shop Pact

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From Fashion To Food, Peter Som Likes His Plate Full

In the 2010s, before fashion diplomacy became an everyday tool to signal values and send messages in politics, then-First Lady Michelle Obama understood the impact of clothing. Instead of constantly modeling the latest designs from the runways of Europe, in the years following the recession, Obama promoted independent American designers like Jason Wu, Tracy Reese, and Peter Som. The latter was responsible for some of Obama’s best looks of the time: a blue watercolor coat at the groundbreaking ceremony at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, a purple ombré dress on a trip to London, a yellow floral top while on the LIVE with Regis and Kelly show. Today, while Som is still designing clothing — his most recent Collective Rent The Runway collection dropped last month — he has also become known as a food personality, who is currently working on his first cookbook (which will be released in 2024). 

According to Som, there was a “myriad of reasons” that led him to stop his ready-to-wear business — “the landscape has changed a lot,” “I was pretty worn out,” etc. — following his last runway collection for Spring 2015. Even so, for the first time ever, Som found the future uncertain. “Fashion was something that was my dream from childhood… In fifth grade, I decided I wanted to be a fashion designer,” Som explains to Refinery29 over coffee in Manhattan’s West Village neighborhood, where he lives. “I had a bit of an identity crisis in terms of what I wanted to really do, where I really wanted to kind of go with my life, my career… Once you’re so singularly focused for so long, you really have to be able to open the blinders up a bit and really look at everything you love to do. And for me, it was cooking.” 

Som credits his love of food to his grandmother, mother, and sister whom he cooked alongside while growing up in California’s Bay Area. He took this practice to New York where he attended Parsons School of Design; worked for names like Bill Blass, Calvin Klein, and Michael Kors; and eventually started his namesake brand in 2001. “I had cooked all through my ‘runway collection years.’ For me, it was a way to keep my feet on the ground. Fashion can be a little bit of a crazy industry. So this was something where I could go home, make something delicious,” he says. “It was therapeutic.”

In 2019, he launched The Extra Taste, a food vertical on the Peter Som site that offers recipes ranging from heirloom tomato gazpacho to cherry brown butter skillet cake and creamy kimchi pasta. But if Som was mostly known for behind-the-scenes work on his designs that appeared on A-listers like Beyoncé and Rachel McAdams, in this new chapter of his career, he’s very much at the forefront. While scrolling Som’s Instagram, you’ll find an equal mix of recipe reels (which he films himself) and snapshots of the creative at his favorite New York restaurants, his home, and on travels that take him from Provincetown to Charlestown to  Florence. “It felt right to sort of expose a little bit more [of myself],” says Som. That said, despite giving more access to his life than ever before, he considers himself a “shy” and “private” person: “There’s a lot that nobody sees: my messy kitchen, me watching Jeopardy while I’m eating dinner…”

During a time when there is no shortage of online food personalities and viral TikTok recipes, Som stands out from the crowd for his pared-down approach to food. His cooking style is marked by the types of they-only-look-fancy dishes you turn to when having people over last minute for dinner: “I want you to be able to put down a plate in front of your guests, and I want them to be like, ‘Oh, that’s fabulous.’ But you weren’t in the kitchen freaking out, sweating, and getting concerned.” Or, the recipes you want to whip up after a trip to the farmers’ market: “[When cooking, I think:] What ingredients are at their best right now and how to highlight those.” I personally confirm this when a few months prior to this interview, I scroll through Som’s site to figure out what to do with a box of assorted mushrooms I bought on a whim; I settle on the Rustic Cream of Mushroom Soup with Pecorino Brioche Croutons, which Som says is one of the site’s most popular recipes.

“In my design philosophy, I’ve always wanted my clothing to be the things you reach for again and again. I look at my recipes and I want them to be that way, too,” he says. “I want the recipes to be simple — in ingredients and approach — but have a big impact in terms of flavor.” He likewise likens the way he gets inspiration for his culinary creations to the way he used to make runway collections. “I call it the Big Bang Theory, where it is maybe five or six kinds of ideas that come together and you kind of have that ‘aha’ moment.” While there’s no one thing that inspires him, he points to his Chinese-American heritage, the Cantonese cuisine he grew up with, and the Bay Area’s farm-to-table approach to food as a through line. “I think about recipes from my grandmother and my mom and [put] my take on them,” he says. “Being able to tell a piece of who you are, whether it’s through clothing or food, it’s powerful.”

While, today, you are more likely to find Som in his kitchen capturing dishes for his website and social media channels, recipe-testing his cookbook, and attending food events, than at a design studio or a fashion show, he says “it took a while to get footing” after stopping his ready-to-wear business. “You become so laser-focused on a goal that, when the universe has other plans for you, it takes you a while to see the whole world out there,” he says. Now that he has, he doesn’t feel the need to fit in one box: “Sometimes people ask me, ‘So what do you do?’ And I’m like, ‘You know, fashion designer, recipe developer, lifestyle-y person…’ What do I call myself? But I think in this world, we’re all multihyphenates now.”

Being able to tell a piece of who you are, whether it’s through clothing or food, it’s powerful.

Central to all his passions is creativity. “Obviously, there are mechanics and practicalities to everything, and fundamentals that you have to learn; designing a dress is technically different than cooking a dish. But if you look at it from the creative approach, what really sparks like that excitement, you can figure out all the levers you have to pull to get there,” he says. “Creativity should be whatever you want it to be.”  

While Som is currently finding a lot of purpose in his new career — “Food’s inherently nurturing. You’re feeding yourself, you’re feeding your soul, you’re feeding your family. That’s a pretty big deal,” he says — he isn’t closing the chapter on his runway days: “Never say never.” In the meantime, his partnership with Rent The Runway allows him to continue to flex his design muscles. “It’s a similar process [to what I did before], just shrunken down without the show. I still do mood boards and work on prints and design clothing,” he says. “I’ll always love fashion. I’ll always be a fashion designer in some way or another.” 

After all, it’s his time in fashion that granted him “the relationships and friendships I’ve had and continue to have.” This leaves him with this advice for any creatives considering a career switch: “So much of any industry is the people in it — and that’s what makes the experience all the better. Surrounding yourself with like-minded, kind, and talented people is the best thing you can do for yourself, be it fashion or food — or life really.” Call it Peter Som’s recipe for success.

At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by us. All product details reflect the price and availability at the time of publication. If you buy or click on something we link to on our site, we may earn a commission.

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R29 Readers Get A Discount On These Confident-Boosting Jumpsuits

Super Sale Alert: Get 15% off jumpsuits at Alex Mill using our promo code REFINERYJS15, now through October 29.

Raise your hand if you love a jumpsuit. Now raise your hand if love a jumpsuit that’s equally versatile, stylish, and comfortable. Oh, and would it be too much to ask that it also be built to last? Finding a flattering option that ticks all those boxes can feel nearly impossible, which probably helps explain the popularity of Alex Mill‘s jumpsuits. Here’s a quick rundown of the well-crafted essentials brand: It started up in New York City in 2012, with its shirts quickly growing a cult following, and gained more popularity in 2019 with the help of a new co-creator who you can thank for some of your favorite Madewell, Gap, and J.Crew clothing. The brand’s bestsellers include elevated basics and outerwear, like its Sherpa work jacket that always sells out. Selena Gomez was actually seen wearing an Alex Mill jacket in Only Murders In The Building along with the brand’s short-sleeve jumpsuit, which gives serious Rosie The Riveter bad-bitch vibes.

We’re personally fans of one-and-done jumpsuits over here, and Affiliate Fashion Writer Vivien Lee can attest to the “effortlessly cool” Alex Mill short jumpsuit style. So we figured you’d want in on a sweet 15% off deal to cart up your own jumpsuit. Whether you’re looking for a style to wear on Sunday farmers market outings, to the office, to lounge around the house in, or even pink options that’ll have you channeling Barbie overtaking the patriarchy, there’s a host of options ready to boost your confidence and style.  

Read on to learn more about the jumpsuit that started it all (which I was able to try!) as well as new fall jumpsuits that make for the ultimate cozy season essentials.

Standard Jumpsuit in Cotton Twill, $215 $182.75

Alex Mill’s “OG 15-second outfit” comes in the form of this vintage-inspired cotton jumpsuit. While I’d say it took me a little longer than 15 seconds to secure the seven hidden front buttons, it took me drastically less time than it normally does to put together an outfit. I immediately looked chic and cool (if I do say so myself) and felt confident to take on the day. I also appreciate the soft, lightweight fabric, which was a welcomed contrast to stiff jumpsuits I’ve worn in the past. Plus, it has four (I repeat, four!) pockets.

I opted for the classic deep black jumpsuit, but this style is also available in a creamy off-white shade as well as several blue and green hues. It also has one of the broader size ranges on-site, available in XXS through XXL. While I typically go for larges (10/12) in bottoms because of my wider hips, I opted for a medium in this jumpsuit because I could tell there was some stretch and it seemed to run slightly large. Apart from the hip measurements, the rest (chest, waist, etc.) were slightly larger than my own, so while I was nervous that it would be snug around my hips, it actually offered a relaxed fit throughout that wasn’t too tight or too baggy anywhere. And this jumpsuit got bonus points for the adjustable tabs at the waist. I wore it on the looser option, but I can make them one notch tighter when I want a super cinched waist. The 26″ inseam was also perfect for my 5’3″ frame, but would offer a cool cropped length if you’re taller.

But don’t just take my word (and adoration) for it. Alex Mill customers have made it a bestseller for a reason. “I don’t know how they’ve done it, but it’s perfect. Comfortable yet pulled together looking, and super flattering,” one reviewer commented. I’ve personally only worn this jumpsuit a couple of times, but another shopper shared that the wrinkle-free fabric “looks like new every time I wear it.” Some have also said they own several Alex Mill jumpsuits and haven’t looked back.

Standard Zip Jumpsuit in Drapey Cotton Twill, $225 $191.25

Onto a new arrival: An elevated version of the Standard Jumpsuit that can easily transition from a daytime to nighttime look. What’s the difference, you ask? This long-sleeve jumpsuit is made from even smoother and drapey-er cotton, has a hidden zipper rather than buttons, features a belt that you can cinch to your heart’s desire, and has a longer inseam perfect for heels and boots. And it’s already selling quickly, with low stock or waitlist statuses in the bright cobalt blue option.

Sweater Jumpsuit, $235 $199.75

If the classic jumpsuits above don’t tickle your fancy, then maybe a cotton-wool blend one will. Perfect for fall and winter festivities (or for lounging around the house), this sweater jumpsuit is the upscale version of a onesie you never knew you needed. The fabric, which one customer notes was “not light, yet not heavy,” exposed buttons, matching belt, and extra-deep pockets are all welcomed details. Another customer declared it the “perfect combo of chic and cozy.” It’s available in camel, black, and heather grey, and I’m a little bit obsessed with all of them.

But if you’re looking for something even more luxurious — that may give your favorite luxury sweater some competition —Alex Mill also just released a 100% cashmere sweater jumpsuit. That’s extra warmth and extra coziness that we can get behind.

More Alex Mill Jumpsuits

Shop all Alex Mill Jumpsuits

At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy or click on something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.

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