Navy blue casual dresses in rib knit and soft velvet

Monday to Sunday, a navy blue casual dress does the work black usually gets, only softer. Ours are mostly rib knit with long sleeves, in mini and midi lengths, plus a few in velvet and one summer wrap. Navy looks just as serious as black at a desk, and friendlier everywhere else.

Rib knit navy for workdays and weekends

The two turtleneck midis are where we’d start. Both are dark navy rib with full sleeves, and they end below the knee. Under a fall coat one of them replaces a sweater and skirt, and you can forget the scarf because the collar does that job. For a meeting, add a light blazer and loafers. Saturday? White sneakers.

Not a turtleneck person? There’s a fitted rib midi with a shallow V-neck that shows a bit of neck, which suits a desk and a dinner table alike. A gray blazer by day, a thin chain in the V by night.

Shorter styles come in rib too. One is a wrap mini in a ribbed fabric we call mustang, warm and springy, with a flared skirt that doesn’t press on your hips and sleeves that widen toward the wrist. The other is a close-fitting mini with a keyhole at the chest. It’s stretchy, so plain smooth underwear is the thing to wear beneath. On a weekend we’d throw a denim jacket over it.

What to wear with a casual navy dress

Gray, white and camel. Those three colors sit calmly next to navy, and you probably own a coat in one of them already. Silver is the metal we’d choose, since gold looks heavier against this blue.

Shoes decide the mood. Loafers or flat ankle boots keep a casual navy dress in daytime, and heeled boots take the same dress to dinner. Do you need a second outfit for the evening? Not really. Change the shoes, add silver earrings, go.

Velvet minis and a polka dot wrap for looser days

Velvet isn’t everyone’s idea of casual, but a dark blue velvet mini, round-necked and covered to the wrist, is easier than it sounds. Wear it with thick black tights and tall boots, then put a leather jacket on top. There’s a velvet midi too, slit at the leg under a stand-up collar, though we’d save that one for a restaurant.

Summer has its own navy. It’s a knee-length wrap in classic polka dots, with short sleeves and ruffles, cut from our silk-look satin, which is polyester with a little elastane. White sneakers and a straw bag are all it needs in town. As a summer style, it returns to the catalog with warm weather.

We make every navy blue casual dress in XS through XL. Rib knit stretches, so your usual size tends to be right, and for the wrap styles your bust measurement matters most. Dry rib flat after washing, and it won’t grow longer. Next, see the full range of navy dresses, the rib knit collection in other colors, or more dresses for everyday.