The Shirt Dress Obsession!

Once upon a time when I worked in an office, I almost exclusively wore dresses.  This was for many reasons: they're much more comfortable to sit in all day, it's one piece easy dressing, and I always felt cute and feminine in a male dominated field during a time when I was young and flirtatious!  Haha, well since joining a medical profession where I sit on the floor, work in a lab, and am on my feet all day, dresses have become a professional mirage.

I've been very blessed with a new opportunity to work for our local VA hospital in a more administrative capacity and my desire for dresses is certain returning!  While I won't be prancing about in sky-high heels, like in my younger days, the thought of a nice, easy, and comfy dress with professional flats sounds magical after years of slacks and Danskos.  For those who are unfamiliar, Danskos are the ungliest but greatest shoes ever created.  Walk around a hospital and every person not wearing sneakers will be wearing the distinctive clogs.  They are the ultimate in comfort and foot support and I often wear them with jeans because I can't bear to be without these spectacular shoes.  That said, you can't wear them with a dress without looking like Mother Superior.

The Salme Raglan Sleeve dress has really inspired my desire for buttonless shirt dresses.  The first version I made was a blouse (review still to be posted), and the second as a large floral print dress (yup, gotta blog that one too).   I would love an arsenal of solid colored shirt dresses that I just throw on with a great necklace and be out the door.

After obsessively stalking pattern sites, I'm at a bit of a loss.  There are far fewer options than an I would have anticipated and I'm hoping to avoid buttons and zippers.  It's not that I'm lazy, I can just never find the buttons I'm looking for and I would love the dress to be all about the fabric color and jewelry.  Please post some of your favorites, even if they're discontinued!  If you're looking to purge your stash, let me know because I may be willing to help :D  I would prefer patterns catered to wovens, that are not wrap dresses, and I really look forward to your suggestions and great results!