Over these past few months, you couldn’t go a whole five minutes without seeing the words “nap dress” everywhere, from shopping articles to TikTok videos to Instagram captions far and wide. The relaxed-yet-charming silhouette seemed virtually inescapable.
The OG dress—made famous by the brand Hill House Home—is a sleeveless cotton midi dress with ruching throughout the bust and a cult-like following. As I’ve re-emerged from my Manhattan apartment over the last few months, I’ve found myself complimenting many women in chic, breezy dresses, only to be told every time that they come from the same brand: Hill House Home.
This confirmed to me that I needed one to run around in, but I couldn’t justify the price point. Personally, I need a dress I’m not scared to spill my Dunkin’ cold brew on! That’s why I was super thrilled when I found a great dupe for the brand’s Nesli Nap Dress on Amazon for just $26.
My time working in fashion has taught me the beauty of a term called “bucolic dressing.” Effortless and care-free warm-weather attire that still looks polished is the goal, and I admit that the allure of feeling dressed-up without having to actually make effort was more than I could resist.
Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.
Courtesy of Belle Bakst.
After receiving my R. Vivimos dress from Amazon in the mail, I immediately tossed it on and was delighted that it was just as lightweight as I had hoped. It even had an adorable bow detailing in the back! More importantly, this sweet summer dress beat my one tough rule: It couldn’t be see-through. I can’t think of anything more annoying than throwing on a summer dress, only to need to add a slip underneath—or worse, to look for another pair of underwear to avoid the dreaded VPL.
Unfortunately for me, in the first week of owning this cotton dress, I got the flu for the first time in my life. On my begrudging walk to urgent care, this stretchy lightweight number was the only thing I could bare to have on my body. Everything ached! It was a huge relief to have something so simple to slip on and off and not look as sick as I felt.
After washing this baby a few times, it still retained its soft, stretchy bust. My only note here is that I let mine hang dry on the rack rather than tumble it in the dryer to conserve the elastic; however it only took a few hours to dry completely because it’s so lightweight.
Courtesy of Belle Bakst.
During this past weekend in New York, the dress was once again put to the test. I was worried that the sweltering temps would feel worse in a balloon-sleeved, fitted-bust dress, but it in fact was yet again a joy to wear.
As the temperature reached a boiling 91 degrees, my nap dress kept me dry all over and looking cute. That sticky feeling that usually accompanies hot summer days in New York City was nonexistent, even on my crowded subway ride home.
Overall, this nap dress dupe is the throw-around dress I never knew I needed. I’ve already added two additional colors to my Amazon cart, so if you love the look but hate the HHH price tag, I can’t recommend this piece enough.
0 Commentaires