I’m not a huge Chicos fan, but this dress works for me. I bought it off the sale rack when shopping at Chico’s with my mother this summer.
Now that I’ve been reading all the comments re Chico’s demographics here, expect I won’t be able to help trying it on again tonight to make sure I still feel great in it. 
@deb922, I’m glad I’m not the only one with the black denim problem. When I’ve asked others about this, they say it’s because it’s dark so everything shows. But even the deepest rinse of blue denim does not pick up lint and pet hair the way black denim does. So I’m glad to know I’m not crazy.
I’m in my late 50’s, small on top, and have only bought one item at Chico’s (I needed a white tee that wasn’t see through). Their clothes don’t fit me at all, same with J.Jill - their smallest tops make me look pregnant.
Most of my clothes are from Loft and Nordstrom. I’d prefer purchasing fewer, higher quality items rather than things that seem disposable after one or two years. But I haven’t yet found an easy source for such things, so in the meantime I stick with what’s convenient. Maybe I’ll make it a goal for the new year.
Marlene, your dress is very pretty. I do not think that looks matronly in any way…to me it’s a basic. Again, I think the basics are the same…but the jackets, and many tops…outfits…are.
My 87 yo mother wears chicos, so other than a couple of tshirts, it is a no-go for me. I have a very long torso and short (by proportion) legs as well as a curvy body. The pant legs would drag on the ground and seemed to be designed for a woman with no shape. I always figured someone from Texas was wearing the bling-y clothes as they aren’t a great fit in the PNW.
Since only my legs are short, petites don’t quite work. Length-wise they’re fine, but my rise is normal so there are usually fit issues. Regular misses sizes fit, but it isn’t a simple shortening, the legs need full tailoring so the knees are in the right spot. Unfortunately, stress-related weight gain has made it difficult to go up sizes in petites to get the hips reasonably accommodated.
Dresses are almost worse.
I have reasonable luck with JJill, but their sizing is all over the place. Their knit pants work well as do some tops. I dislike boxy fits and pockets and shirring in odd locations.
Nik and Zoe has some nice things. I’m wearing a gray and black open cardigan today that is a go-to. Good shape and length and can be dressed up or down with most shirt colors.
My mom is 73 and dresses much more stylishly than I do. She has a young and hip style that suits her perfectly – leggings or skinny jeans, boots, moto jackets, layered tops. She lets my 20-year-old daughter borrow her black leather deconstructed moto jacket from time to time. The fact that my mom wears a brand would be an endorsement in my mind, not a reason to stay away. She looks fabulous – not just good for her age, but great for any age. I think the trick is that she wouldn’t buy anything that didn’t flatter her figure, no matter how much she liked it, how in-style the object was, or what a good deal it was.
Nottelling, I like your mom’s shopping philosophy. I stick to the same rule when I shop online. Even if an item a fabulous deal but if it brings no excitement when I put it on, I try to protect myself from keeping it. I immediately put it back in the box and tape it for return. If it is not flattering, it will be collecting dust in my closet, and I hate that. It just crossed my mind that with the exception of a couple of recently purchased items, I wore every single thing I own at least 2X! 
I guess I don’t really know any older women wearing pastel knit pull on pants and matching tops. My 90 year old friend dresses in dark, just beneath the knee skirts, with pretty, feminine blouses and dark stockings matched to the skirts. She has a fabulous collection of cardigan sweaters and short jackets. She does wear lace up shoes, probably because she is navigating with a walker these days. Except for the shoes, I imagine she is dressing as she has always dressed. Her younger (88?) sister wears blue jeans with tailored button up shirts. The younger sister’s daughter (60) dresses the same way, except she wears khaki trousers sometimes instead of jeans. Classic is classic, though in my mind classic covers a really wide range of looks.
marlene: I like your dress.
One of my favorite skirts is an old (10 yrs?) Chicos denim skirt. At one point I had a bunch of their tank tops–brightly colored knits, several dresses, and even some capris. But when lower rise pants became more fashionable, Chicos stuck with tops that were too boxy and too short. I didn’t like their newer fabrics and the move to all elastic waist bands in their bottoms just felt so dated. I gave up on them, as evidently did many others because our local store closed not too long after opening.
MoWC, I love the madewell shirt-dress! Because I followed the link, this one came up on my FB page. https://www.madewell.com/madewell_category/DRESSES/casualdresses/PRDOVR~E5987/E5987.jsp
I like that one!
@Kajon: “I have noticed that many of the women who shop at my local store look like a Chicosadd from top to bottom. For some reason this brings a smile to my face.”
I read this three times before I realized that you had not written ChicosDAD.
After the OP’s comment about the model with the short haircut, I put a picture together in my mind of a bunch of Judi Dench-meets-Vanessa Redgrave-in-mucks shoppers. I am drawn to such looks, which my husband would probably characterize as Chicosdad.
That made me smile.
It’s the leopard jacket look in that commercial that is precisely the look that I think is aging to women.
That was from 2010. I liked it. Guess I am showing my age because except for the shirts with an abundance if sequins, I like Chicos.
I agree about the leopard. Animal prints can be very fashionable if done correctly. I personally like the outfit she has on in the last shot when she’s walking out. They are very pretty jackets, but it seems to me the skinny pants and cool shoes are what gives them a youthful look.
I can’t stand animal prints.
I’ve always thought that the whole Chico’s “outfit” look with the costume jewelry, metallics, bling, patterns, etc looks like something a Long Island matron with a year-round tan and frosted hair would wear. Which is totally not me.
Nevertheless, I have found it possible to find some great stuff there. They have crisp, shaped cotton blouses with a little something else in them, for example. I’ve gotten some really nice jackets and tops, t shirts, etc.
Frankly, I don’t care who shops in a store. If I like their stuff, I like it. Everyone else in the place can be 16 or 90. What matters is how YOU look in it, not how someone else does.
BTW, my oft-mentioned 92 yr old mother bought her jeans at Banana Republic throughout her 60s, 70s, and 80s, and is still wearing them. I guess everyone had better flee the place lest their self-image be shattered. B-)
I guess you won’t like these that are due on my doorstep today, then.
http://www.dsw.com/shoe/bcbgeneration+gaminkha+leopard+pump?prodId=338128
^^love your shoes…
I adore the Long Island matron look. I love all the looks. Last weekend I was out with a friend wearing a mink vest over black leggings, carrying a Vuitton bag, statement diamonds and she looked wonderful. It isn’t my look, which the young woman at my co-op identified for me as “pretty goth.” Variety is good.
I think conmama can rock those shoes! B-)
Animal prints are great in small doses. I like those shoes. They’d look great with slim black trousers and a camel coat. Or really any simple outfit in blacks, white, beiges, denim.
Our version of the Long Island matron is the arty Laguna Beach or Pasdena matron who comes to museum openings in tons of ethnic jewelry and some jacket picked up on their last trip to Bhutan. They always look fabulous! Probably misappropriating cultures all over the place.