What I Think of the Daydress Dakota Dress

Hello readers, and welcome back after the frenzy of the first round of holidays this wonderful season! I hope you did some considered Black Friday shopping and had a little help from my gift guides to keep you from going mad from all the sales happening all at once. Having a birthday that falls just after Thanksgiving, I was able to treat myself to a birthday gift that I’d been wanting all year from a brand I’ve been hoping to buy from for even longer! The brand is called Daydress and they’re a slow-fashion, women-owned company based in England with production done by artisans in India. I love following along in their Instagram stories to see behind the scenes looks at new products, prints, and the few times over the last year that they’ve been able to tour their factory in India! I love knowing where my sartorial items are coming from and it’s extremely important to me that the people making them are treated better than fairly. With Daydress, my mind is at ease with this aspect, and I’m happy to put my dollars in the hands of people who value people.

Shop my outfit: Dress | Jacket | Bag | Boots

Now for the fun bit, this dress! I first noticed this style – the Dakota – at the beginning of the year for it’s full skirt, high ruffle collar, and overall modest look. By late-summer they had debuted the silhouette in this “Ottoman” print, which is in my opinion the perfect fall dress; a category my closet is severely lacking. Dusty blues compliment rich eggplant purples, berry pinks, and earthy reds all set against an off-white base. It’s just gorgeous, and as a life-long fan of block printing, this is a beautiful minimalist approach to the timeless print.

The full skirt has plenty of fabric so that I feel perfectly warm wearing this over tights and high boots in the winter, and will wear it with brown suede loafers or Mary Janes in a tonal color on warmer fall days. Not to mention all that volume makes this the perfect twirling dress! It really is such an elegant dress; I feel like an Edwardian lady in it with it’s high collar and fitted bodice, and love the modern practicality of hidden pockets buried within the skirt.

If you’re new to slow-fashion, check out this brand. If you’re new to prints, this dress is a great place to start. If you have been wanting to spice up your fall wardrobe with a unique piece that you won’t find just anywhere, this silhouette is phenomenal. When you make the transition from mass-produced, off-the-rack fast fashion you’ll immediately notice a difference in quality of design, construction, and materials, and the habit of buying less but better, comes naturally. Everything is more thoughtfully considered, timeless in nature, and a much much better value for your money as you won’t need to throw it out and replace it at the end of the season.

xo, Mia