In the 2001 song Short Skirt/Long Jacket, Cake front man John McCrea sang, “I want a girl with a short skirt and a long jacket.” But what about a girl in a blazer dress? If McCrea was more tuned into fashion, it’s no doubt the anthem would have featured slightly different lyrics.
The hybrid style borrows its shape from classic outerwear and is the type of staple that fits the needs of do-it-all women. “[The blazer dress] deftly blends sharpness with sensuality in a way that always feels modern and unfussy,” Andrea Lieberman, the founder of A.L.C., says. The brand’s goal, she says, is to reimagine wardrobe essentials through “the lens of power and confidence.” And indeed, the best blazer dresses are those that are simultaneously sharp, and seriously sexy.
Related article: 14 Best Power Blazers Chic Enough For Work And Play
The effortlessness of the blazer dress is what Lieberman loves most. For work, that could mean styling it with trousers or a silk midi skirt. For night, Lieberman says, “it’s all about the plunging neckline, a smudge of liner, and a lofty heel—simple and striking.” The only downside to a blazer dress is that you’re dealing with a V-neck and short hemline. So you may want to move around a bit in yours before removing the tag, just to confirm you won’t be dealing with any wardrobe malfunctions down the line.
If you’re not sure where to look first, find 22 of our current favorites below—all of which will definitely make a band front man somewhere want to write a song about you. The girl with a short skirt and long jacket, who? In 2022, it’s clearly all about the girl in the blazer dress.