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I receive gifted apparel from a range of brands and shop for my own apparel. Now that the world has reopened, I have resumed going to malls and stores to research for future content on Wardrobe Oxygen. I feel one needs to see and touch, understand textiles and trends, and understand the fit and practices of labels before they can tout that something is a "dupe" or a cheaper equivalent. (If you came for the Printfresh dress review, it's after my fashion discussion and it's worth your scrolling).
I don't believe in the look for less. I have had a $35 "dupe" of a $185 dress lying side by side. I have bought Amazon viral dresses and then seen the designer original and been able to compare fabric, design, and detail. Very, very rarely over my three decades of working in apparel or writing about it have I ever find something that truly gave the same effect and look for less.
But in the past few years, it hasn't been as easy to differentiate between the two. The brand known for great denim fits differently; that high-end label's linen dress is scratchy and see-through. And that new label that prides itself on creating the look for less made a garment that feels and fits better than the brand it's ripping off. It can feel hopeless to ever again experience quality apparel, but recently, a dress gave me hope.
The Feeling Of Losing Hope in Fashion
Back before the pandemic, I bought a white long-sleeved off-the-shoulder top from a popular label sold at retailers like Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, and Shopbop. I love it. Like, grab it if the house is on fire love it. It's made of this awesome heavy yet spongey fabric, and it's loose on the bottom and tunic length, so I can throw it on with leggings or denim shorts or wide-leg trousers or even sweatpants, and it looks and feels great.
I love this top so much and wore it so often that it began looking... overloved. Considering how much I wore it, I felt it made sense to buy another one. When I saw Nordstrom still carried the shirt and it also came in black, I ordered one. I had sized down to Medium, that wasn't in stock so I sized up to Large.
It was not the same shirt. At all. Sure, the white one had been worn and laundered quite a bit, but this new one was a completely different cut and fabric. It was this thin, rough fabric with almost no stretch, and it was much smaller than my original shirt. I went to my purchase history at Nordstrom to find my original purchase. I clicked the link to the garment and it was the same exact product page as the black one I had ordered. The same information was on the garment labels, except the original was a size smaller.
How can we shop with any success when the literal, same exact shirt from the same brand sold at the same permalink is a completely different cut, fit, weight, and texture of fabric? How can we know what is worth our money these days? We might as well buy the look for less, since it's all ill-fitting crap.
Which Leads Into my Printfresh Dress Review
Printfresh has been a favorite place for colorful, size-inclusive organic cotton sleepwear, but in recent years, the label has expanded to include accessories and apparel. The first season of dresses in 2022, I received one for free. I wore it once; it was the Friday of Labor Day, and I wore it to the town festival.
It was a cute dress, but the fabric was a bit stiff, and the style was a bit too cutesy for my personal style aesthetic. But that was a while ago, and Printfresh has a new collection of dresses and blouses, and it is far more refined.
So refined, it gave me hope. It reminded me of what quality used to be and why I never believed the look for less worked. There is no way to recreate most of these dresses in a cheaper way. And those details that add to the cost are the kind of details we all deserve and are rarely offered in such a nice range of sizes and styles.
Printfresh gifted me two of their dresses without any expectations. I was heading to New York City for a couple of days and the week after, heading to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Some pretty yet breathable cotton dresses would be great for both trips and gosh these dresses were pretty. And they didn't look as stiff as the ones I got years prior.
These dresses are not made of the same fabric as the pajamas. One is from organic cotton poplin, but it's light but crisp and doesn't easily crease. The other is organic cotton cambric (think the weight of cotton handkerchiefs). The colors are as bright as they looked on my monitor, and the details blew me away.
Printfresh Coast to Coast Dress
Recently I went to New York City, and for the day when we went to and it was over 90 degrees, I wore the Printfresh Coast to Coast dress in Oceana. Reading the reviews on the Printfresh site, I decided to go one size up from what I wear in the pajamas and I'm glad I did. But unlike many dresses, which, when going up a size causes gaping in the armholes or the waist in the wrong place, this fit great.
The dress buttons completely down, and between the buttons on the bodice are tiny hidden snaps to prevent gaping. The band collar is trimmed with the tiniest sweetest ruffle. The buttons are covered with the same print as the front placket. It has the threads with snaps to hold bra straps and prevent them from showing. There is a slim and not tight elastic band at the natural waist, so the skirt can have fullness, the bodice can have shape, and the wearer can remain comfortable even if she had seconds.
The pockets are deep but not bulky, the self-belt long enough to be creative. It's only lined at the bodice, so you get coverage and a breeze right where it's needed. The dress would look great without the self-belt, or with another belt in your closet. It is stylish but not trendy, it is classic but not boring, it is a dress I could see myself still wearing this well over a decade from now.
I own and have experienced other $228 cotton dresses, and few have felt as special as this one. It's really spectacular.
Printfresh Way Around Dress
The Printfresh Way Around Dress is also lovely. I also went with 1X for this dress and wish I sized down to XL. The back of the bodice is smocked so you really don't need to size up for a large bust. The straps are wide enough to hide a lot of bra straps, and can be adjusted for length and aesthetic with the ties (I personally love a big bow right at the top of the shoulder). It was perfect for a beach weekend; these photos were taken one evening in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
The cotton cambric is soft like rayon or viscose but feels so luxe and so... fluffy. Even though it's lined, it still is so breezy and light. The colors are rich, the pattern very clear and nicely matched up on seams. You can put your phone in a pocket and the dress won't hang weird. It is a very simple looking dress, but the details make it special. I may buy one in a different color in a smaller size, I think it's so nice.
On that same trip to NYC, my sister brought the Printfresh Elegant Escape Top, which she purchased with her own money without me even knowing she was also scoping out Printfresh apparel. This silk/cotton blouse looks even prettier in person. It's elegant, the fabric is refined, and the pattern mixing and placement were so well done. She brought it on our Rehoboth Beach trip as well and got so many compliments.
It feels good not just to wear a quality garment but one that also fits. The Coast to Coast dress and Elegant Escape top are only available up to 2X, but the Way Around dress, as well as several other dresses and skirts, are available up to 4X.
Quality is harder to find in larger clothing sizes. Retailers will offer six colors up to size 12 and anyone else gets black and maybe navy. Extended sizes are graded from a size 8 dress form so they end up with ridiculously long yet narrow sleeves or incredibly simplistic stretchy styles. And few brands are willing to invest time and money giving plus sizes a chance.
So yeah, a Printfresh dress gives me hope. Quality, style, and size. It's a really special combination. I hope to see it more often.
Printfresh Discount Code
Years ago, when I did my first Printfresh pajamas review, the company gave me a code for the Wardrobe Oxygen community to save 15%. this code still works, and works sitewide, including the apparel and accessories. Just use code WARDROBE_OXYGEN at checkout for 15% off your entire order.
