A few years ago, it was pretty rare to see someone rocking sneakers with a dress. Now everywhere you look, people are wearing everything from prom dresses to mini dresses with sneakers! If you need some ideas on how to wear sneakers with a dress, stick around.
I’m going to share some different dress and sneaker outfit ideas with tips on how you can also pull it off. The dress and sneaker outfit formula is a very easy one to pull off, especially if you have some inspiration to get you started!
My one tip…choose the right sneaker! Now is the time to leave your running shoe and athletic footwear out of the mix. Pull out a classic white sneaker, high top sneakers in a neutral color, black sneakers, platform sneakers…basically any sneaker that you would wear out but not to exercise in. The point is to look cute, not to get your sweat on!
So pull out your favorite dress and those beloved sneakers and let’s get styling.
How to Wear Sneakers With a Dress
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1. Denim Jacket and New Balance Sneakers
Shop the Look: Chambray Dress | Sneakers
I love this simple denim dress. I recently got it for our family photos and was actually shocked at how stunning it looked in real life! It’s super easy to dress up (I wore it with heeled boots for our family photos) but also incredibly easy to dress down with casual snekaers.
These New Balance shoes might be my favorite sneakers. A chic pair of sneakers (and no show socks) are a great way to give your outfit some flair coupled with a dose of reality. Yes, you can look chic and be comfortable at the same time and this proves it!
2. Colorful Mini Dress
Shop the Look: Dress
I wore this chic look to a conference in LA where I knew I was going to be away from my hotel room for a full day and I wanted to be comfy! To be frank, I had actually packed dress shoes to wear with it but after being so tired from the first day of the conference I knew I needed something more comfortable. Enter in, some casual sneakers!
I love how these simple white sneakers immediately brings this dress down a notch. This dress could definitely be worn for more formal occasions but pairing it with sneakers gives it that cool girl vibe we all want!
3. Fitted Sweater Dress and Animal Print Sneakers
Shop the Look: Dress | Denim Jacket | Sneakers
When the weather gets a bit cooler, here’s a good look to try! I love this look for a post work – meet the girls for a drink kinda vibe. The fitted sweater dress could easily be worn in a professional environment.
All you need to do is swap the heels for sneakers and throw on a denim jacket to bring it down even more and you’re ready for the night!
*Find more sweater dress looks!
4. Dress with Sweatshirt
Shop the Look: Dress | Sweatshirt | Sneakers
If I could only choose one midi dress to be in my closet for the rest of my life I think this would be it! I love it so much I own it in 4 different colors.
To get this look, I put a sports bra over the top of the dress and tucked the hem of the sweatshirt into the bottom of the dress. It’s great way to layer something over a dress and nobody will know!
I love how the green in the sweatshirt ties in the green of the sneakers perfectly! Throw on a black crossbody bag to hold all your essentials and you’re good to go.
5. Tennis Dress and Nikes
Shop the Look: Tennis Dress | Tank Top | Nikes
I played tennis at a real tennis court exactly one time in the last year and naturally had to take a pic like I’m a pro. 😉 In all reality, I wore this tennis dress all summer long and loved it! It has built in shorts making it mom appropriate and is perfect for everything from coffee with girlfriends to the park with the kids.
I kept this look super sporty by pairing it with a sporty sneakers – a pair of Nikes in some bright colors. Underneath the dress I put on a cropped tank to give it a bit more dimension and also cover my chest a tad more!
6. Dress, Bandana and White Sneakers
Shop the Look: Dress | Bandana
Does this dress look familiar? It’s the same one as above! This is one of my go to laid-back look for summer time – a long dress with a bandana around my neck and a chic pair of sneakers on my feet. It’s casual yet chi and truly a perfect-for-all situations kinda look.
7. Summer Floral Dresses
Shop the Look: Dress Link (Same dress, different patterns)
My sis and I both got this summer dress last summer and loved it! It’s one of those dresses you can wear for most occasions from date night to Target. We both paired it with classic white sneakers and that was it! A simple, casual, look-like-you-tried outfit.
8. Dress and Cardigan
Shop the Look: Dress | Cardigan | Bag | Bag Strap
Yes….same black dress again! This time I added a grey cardigan on the top with a pair of white sneakers! This look gives it a bit more of an elevated vibe that is great for any situation where you need to look a bit more put together….but still a place where a sneaker style are ok.
9. Lace Mini Dress
Shop the Look: Dress is old | Bag | Bag Strap | Sneakers
I actually wore this dress and sneaker combo when I was heading out to an outdoor brewery with some friends on a super hot day. I knew I was going to be on my feet all afternoon so I wanted to wear something comfortable and it was also over 90 degrees that day and we were going to be in the sun so I wanted to wear something light and airy.
The shorter dress allowed me to not be too hot and deal with shorts sticking to my legs all afternoon and the chunky sneakers wear super comfortable to wear all afternoon.
10. Shift Dress and White Sneakers
Shop the Look: Shift Dress (original sold out, similar here)
A simple shift dress is one of the easiest dresses to wear as you’ll see in the next 3 photos. This is a great summer time look that can take you from work to a post-work hang in just a swap of the shoe! Wear high heels to work and change into some classic sneakers at the end of the day.
*Find additional shift dress outfit ideas!
11. Shift Dress and Denim Jacket
Shop the Look: Shift Dress (original sold out, similar here) | Denim Jacket
As the weather cools off, throw on a denim jacket! I always prefer a denim jacket over something a bit more upscale when I’m wearing sneakers. It helps tie in the two pieces to give it a cohesive look and feel.
*Find more ways to wear denim jackets.
12. Shift Dress with Layered Sweatshirt
Shop the Look: Shift Dress (original sold out, similar here)
Want something even more casual? Skip the denim jacket and put on a sweatshirt! I love the simple yet elevated look of this sweatshirt paired with the shift dress.
13. Low Top Converse & Denim Jacket
Shop the Look: | Denim Jacket
Last but note least, this sweatshirt dress! What more could you ask for then a dress made out of sweatshirt material! 😉 Keep it casual with a pair of Chuck Taylors shoes and a denim jacket.
Check out how to wash Chuck Taylors or any type of white sneakers here.
So there you have it! I hope these dress and sneaker outfits give you fresh new ideas on how to rock this look. The most important thing is to have fun with this look! With so many different styles of dresses and even more different sneakers out there, the options are endless on how to wear this look! Don’t take it too seriously – it’s just fashion!