about spirit dress
We like to call our style Modern Folk — a celebration of sewing traditions, heritage textiles, and the art of dressing with meaning. At Spirit Dress, we draw inspiration from classic western wear, combined with a modern twist on the smocking of the Deep South (once reserved for children) and the delicate ruffles of French peasant dress. All of our pieces ultimately nod to a distinctly Texas aesthetic — where dressing up is both a ritual and a joy.
We work exclusively in 100% cotton, favoring heirloom textiles like gingham, seersucker, and ticking stripe. These are the fabrics of everyday American history — humble, hardy, and timeless. But we don’t stop at nostalgia. At Spirit Dress, we stitch in a modern spirit: playful, polished, and just a little bit rebellious. Looking for a deep V-cut? We’ve got you covered. Or rather… not so covered. Wink.
And yes — around here, we do dress up for college football. In the South, game day is a runway, and our girls show up in school colors, full skirts, ruffled collars, and cowboy boots. Hoodies and T-shirts? Bless your heart. Dressing to the nines isn’t optional — it’s tradition.
But don’t think we stop there. Spirit Dress is not just a gameday brand. We offer year-round seasonal collections and specialty pieces for all your favorite American holidays — from Valentine’s Day to Easter, St. Patrick’s Day to the Fourth of July, and yes ma’am, Christmas too. Whether you're tailgating, toasting, or trimming the tree, Spirit Dress has you looking festive and fabulous every step of the way.
Mercer Black
FOUNDER / HEAD MOMCHO
The Spirit Dress story is the classic tale of a "side gig" gone wild. When Mercer started the company in 2016, she was just trying to earn little extra money while in grad school FINALLY pursuing her lifelong dream of becoming a children's writer. The plan was to make one batch of dresses for Longhorn fans and be done with it - hence the name Spirit Dress. But demand pushed her to add more schools and more options, and now, over ten years later, Spirit Dress has sold over 50,000 dresses and blouses. The name remains, however - an homage to that first spirit dress that started it all.
In addition to being a graduate of the University of Texas where she studied Political Communications, Mercer has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. In her almost non-existent "spare time", she writes fantasy novels for young people.
"Never quit dreaming. Never quit exploring. Never quit." These are the words she lives by as a woman and a mother, and she brings that same curiosity, courage, and commitment to her work at Spirit Dress every day.
