The Best Travel Dresses for Easy, Pretty Glamour: Leota

Ever notice that people treat you better when you’re dressed nicely? As an experiment, what I packed for our week-long Ireland trip was… a suitcase full of cute dresses.

“How,” you may ask, “could you be so irresponsible? Dresses aren’t comfortable, nor are they durable.” Nope! If you say such things, you just haven’t yet been introduced to my favorite new dress brand: Leota.

This fashion revelation came the day I learned that my friend from college, Sarah, had started a dress company, Leota.

Once I heard that Leota was featured in magazines across the country, on New York City taxi infomercials, and even by the “Millionaire Matchmaker,” I knew I had to check it out. Upon opening the website, all I could do was clutch my heart. The beauty! The cuteness!

Not only are the cuts and patterns of Leota dresses brilliant and unique, but their promise of “Effortless Glamour” is wildly true. Each day during our Ireland trip, I ended up wearing my Leota dress for twelve to sixteen hours: hiking the Cliffs of Moher, exploring Bunratty castle, sitting for long car rides, being thrown up on by the baby, going to fancy dinners, and so on.

Through all these hours, I remained as comfortable in the Leota dresses as if I were wearing pajamas. (Yay for stretch fabrics!) However, unlike wearing pajamas, I was treated like a queen by everyone I encountered. “Ah hah!” I finally realized the one day I wore jeans and noticed people were a little less warm. “When people see me as fancy, they treat me fancy!”

Another key element of Leota is the fabric choice. Most of the dresses are machine washable (air dry), which proved a mighty fine trait when I was vomited upon by the baby.

They also don’t wrinkle, which I appreciate, given my incompetence with folding. Paired with black leggings and comfy flats or black sneakers, Leota has become my go-to travel dress brand.

Allow me to talk now about four of the hallmark styles of Leota dresses, because I’ve become obsessed with each — not to mention every new style that is unveiled. The red dress shown above and in the second photo is called the “Sweetheart” cut.

It has a meticulously stitched bodice that looks high-class, even if you haven’t showered in days. There is no belt, because the seams pull in the waist for definition, and the slightly poofed cap sleeves and flowing skirt give the coveted hourglass look.

The black dress above, also shown in the third and the second-to-last photo, is the famous Leota “Perfect Wrap.” It is a faux wrap, which means it’s sewn closed and won’t suddenly fly open and flash your goodies to the world.

It comes with a slim belt that matches the dress pattern, but I’ve seen people pair it with big, chunky belts, too. The Perfect Wrap is so classy that I wore it the White House when I was invited to a conference there!

The bright blue dress above and in the first and middle photo is the Ilana cut: a twirly skirt with a thin matching belt, and a reversible neckline (what?!) that is high-neck as I’ve worn it here, or a scoop neck.

You will see this dress over and over in my Ireland articles because it’s my favorite right now! Its clean lines make every photo look good.

The blue and white patterned dress above and in the fourth photo is the Nouveau Sheath cut. It is a more casual dress with a looser fit, a wider belt, and reversible neckline that goes between V-neck (as I’ve worn it here) and high-neck.

I wear this dress often to my job as a teacher, because, like all Leota dresses, it transitions well from work to play, so I don’t have to go home to change after work if I want to look snazzy while heading downtown to meet friends.

What excites me about Leota — beyond the comfort, beauty, and durability of its dresses — is how innovative the company is. I’m on their mailing list, and eagerly await each email unveiling new patterns and cuts.

Though the signature cuts like the Perfect Wrap always remain, Leota is constantly adding new versions (ex: a longer or shorter skirt or sleeve), or introducing totally new styles. (I’m currently drooling over the new Lizzie cut, which features heavenly pleating to flatter all females.)

Further, each Leota color pattern is a collector’s item because they change with each new collection. This Leota geek is on the edge of her seat to see how the next collection will look!

Let’s close this outpouring of true love with some comic relief. Remember my suave photos with the blue building in the second photo above? Well, whoops! Look what happened…

So what about you? Do Leota dresses intrigue you? Do you agree that you’re treated better when you’re dressed well? Do share! To see an affiliate link to discount Leota frocks on Amazon, click here. Enjoy!

Leota was kind enough to provide the dresses, but all utter, total, and complete obsessions with Leota’s colors, cuts, and coolness are my own.