Kid's Play Dress

Judge a play dress by what it does after the party ends. Cotton jersey or interlock, a neck that pulls over the head, no zip and no lining. The construction is a T-shirt that keeps going past the waist.

Shape carries the movement. Most are cut as an A-line, wider at the hem than at the chest, so the skirt swings clear of the knees and a child can run, sit and climb without the dress binding at the thigh. Interlock, a double knit, is worth paying for over single jersey because it is thicker, holds the neck shape and does not curl at the hem. Toddler sizes often add attached bloomers underneath, which turns the dress into a one-piece outfit and ends the daily argument about what goes under it.

Sundresses are woven, lighter and cut for airflow, so they wrinkle more and stretch not at all. Sweater dresses are knitted at a much coarser gauge and belong to cold months. Occasion dresses carry linings, netting and a back zip, none of which survive a slide. Among the four, a play dress is the only one a three-year-old can pull on unassisted.

Daycare, park mornings, travel days and hot classrooms all suit it, and it is the dress to buy in twos if a child wants to wear a dress every day. Weddings and formal photographs are not its ground, since jersey drapes soft and photographs slumped. Cold floors call for leggings underneath, which the A-line shape takes without pulling.

Printed jersey where the pattern sits on the surface as a coating cracks like a screen print, while dyed-in patterns fade evenly instead. An inch or more of fabric folded into the hem can be let down for another few months of length, so check the depth before you buy. Cold water and low heat keep the neck rib tight, and that neck decides whether the dress is handed down or thrown out.