Prologue/My Previous Dress Reviews:
This is my fifth post of a series in which I am doing in-depth reviews on specific garments made by slow fashion brands, or in some cases iconic older dresses.
If you'd like to see my first review of the Son Deflor Classic Dress, that can be found here. My Son Deflor Review will also explain to you in detail the difference between "slow fashion" and "fast fashion" if you would like to understand that better. It also explains why I decided to make this series.
If you'd like to see my review of another linen dress: the Linennaive Glory Dress, that one can be found here.
I also did a review of a Lelasilk Cotton Apron Dress which can be found here.
Lastly, the post before this one was a bit different. It was a review of a Circa 2008 All Saints Parachute Dress which can be found here.
In most cases I will be reviewing one individual product per review in exquisite (or exhausting depending on your outlook) detail.
Introduction:
In this blog post I will be reviewing an Of Her Own Kind dress which I purchased new with tags, but secondhand. I will also be discussing them a bit as a company and providing pretty detailed fit and construction information on this particular garment. If any part of this interests you, keep reading or feel free to skip to the bolded portions that do appeal to your interests. This post is not sponsored.
What I Ordered & Why I Chose It:
I found out about the brand because of an ad on Instagram. For all its flaws, Instagram truly knows how to target their ads. The first dress that I ever saw by the brand was this specific one which is honestly one of the most beautiful day dresses I've ever seen. At $348 it was out of the price range that I was ready to pay, though.
Fast forward to a few months later when this beauty came up on Poshmark for $100 less than retail. The specific dress I ordered was the Of Her Own Kind Mirabelle Dress in the color "Dark Floral Mist" in a size Large. This dress retails at $368 on the Of Her Own Kind website.
I'll be honest and say that the floral version I ordered in a size large wouldn't have been my first choice but I loved the design of the dress so much that I ended up purchasing it off Poshmark after thinking about it overnight. I had been looking for a ditsy floral dress anyway and I could see it working well in my wardrobe.
Here is how the dress looks on.
About the Brand:
Of Her Own Kind is a shop based out of New York in the United States that creates timeless, sustainable clothing with a focus on quality. The designer, Kathryn Alex, previously worked as a designer at Prabal Gurung before starting her own brand.
Of Her Own Kind's dresses range in price from $248 to $368 and they sell more than just dresses. Their dress sizes range from XS to XXL. The majority of their items appear to be made of either silk, linen blends, or hemp depending on the clothing item.
The general aesthetic of this brand definitely leans classic or ethereal and look like they came straight out of of a fairytale. Most of the items fit into my own girly, vintage inspired but classic style that I lean towards, so if this is the kind of thing you like as well you will probably love their clothes. To quote Of Her Own Kind's "About" page, Kathryn's designs are "inspired by her passion for beautifully made clothing, summers spent at her grandparents 200 year old farmhouse in rural Maine, and the natural beauty of upstate New York."
My Order Experience:
Since I purchased this dress secondhand, I can't speak in regards to my order experience with the company directly.
The Packaging:
I can't speak to the packaging directly from the company either but, according to their website, their packaging is 100% plastic free and recyclable.
Quality of the dress:
Dress Physical Features:
This dress features a midi length skirt with thick black tie ribbon straps, grey and black floral linen blend fabric with a fitted bodice which has a hidden side zipper, low scoop front and back, scooped waistline, boning channels at bodice front, side, and back, a midi length gathered skirt with scooped flounce detail and ruffle at the bottom hem. This dress also has good sized skirt pockets that would be able to hold most (if not all) phones.
One thing to note is that if you do order the "Dark Floral Mist" colorway, expect it to be darker than the stock photos show on their website. When I opened the package and saw that it was a mid-toned grey I honestly thought that I'd been sent the wrong dress until I unfolded it. The photos on Of Her Own Kind's website make it look like a light grey-almost white, and it definitely isn't. That said, I do still really like it.
Fabric Information:
The dress that I personally ordered is described as a "Japanese Linen Blend". Specifically it is 55% cotton, 23% linen, and 23% ramie.
The fabric is mid-weight with a slightly coarse texture but not scratchy. It's similar to other linens. Looking close at the fabric you can see the weave and it has just a bit of texture. The dress drapes nicely on the body and has a nice "swish".
The skirt portion is single lined, but the bodice is double lined so I feel comfortable going without a bra. None of it is see-through in the color that I got, but I'm not sure whether or not the same can be said about the lighter toned silk version. I personally love the weight of this particular fabric. It's perfect to wear everyday.
Best Seasons to Wear:
In warm climates, this dress works in Summer and Spring without any need for layering. When it starts getting chilly, I think it would also layer well. With how lightweight the skirt portion is, you may also need to layer it with tights in order to carry it into Autumn and Winter. With layering, it can definitely be worn year-round if you want to.
Overall Construction:
This dress is really high quality with French seams on the load-baring side seams. The bodice is fully lined so all of the seams are completely concealed even when viewed from the inside of the dress. The flounce and details are double stitched so that even if one set of stitches were to break the other set would be there to keep the garment together.
The photo below shows the construction on the inside and was taken on the inside of the skirt where you can see the pocket. In this photo you can all the different type of stitching and construction methods. The side seams and curves of the pockets are finished with French seams and you can see the hand cut edges where the pocket was attached. The flounce of the skirt (where the fabric is gathered) is double stitched.
The hidden side zipper is neatly installed using a plastic zipper that seems to be of good quality.
This dress is thoughtfully made in such a way that it can be kept for a long time and won't need mending for a while even when worn regularly. It is made to withstand way more than a few "seasons".
Possible future repairs:
NOTE: before you read this next part, please keep in mind that there are currently no issues at all with my dress since it's not been worn heavily, so please don't take this as an issue with the garment. Signs of wear will eventually occur, though, and I want to discuss the potential future repairs that you may need to make on this dress. If you plan on wearing it a bunch and having it for many years as a long-term addition to your wardrobe, I think it's important to consider what types of repairs you might need to make to a garment eventually. Some repairs are skills you can learn - Others take a bit more skill and might require a professional.
The seams and stitching are well constructed and will likely hold up for a while. You may eventually need to replace the zipper, especially if you get the dress tighter fitting and it gradually wears out. Zippers can be replaced by yourself, but I generally like to have these done by a tailor since they are a bit of a pain to replace neatly - especially hidden zippers like this one. I could also potentially see the boning wanting to poke out of the top and bottom of the bodice over time. This wouldn't be a major repair under most circumstances and may just require reinforcing with a few stitches or adding a very small patch to reinforce the fabric.
As with any garment, you may eventually get some splitting seams as a result of broken threads, but those are easy to repair with a needle and thread.
Overall I believe this dress will last a long time with proper care.
How It Fits:
Before discussing how the dress fits here are my measurements so that you can get a good reference:
Height: 5'5'
Bust (no bra): 37" or 34C
Waist measurement: 28"
I purchased this dress in a size Large because it is what I was able to found secondhand. Due to my bust measurement I fell between a Medium and a Large based on what the size chart recommended.
The sleeves are adjustable since they are true tie straps so this function can be used to adjust the size of the armhole, how low cut it is in the front and back and will also let you adjust the waistline a bit. There is not much give in terms of the chest or waist so make sure that you order based on your measurements.
Since this dress size is made for somebody with a larger waist than me, I did find that the waist was a bit loose but I think it still looks nice. As a 34C I felt like the bust fit just a bit looser than I usually prefer and that there is also still a bit of room at the bust. The skirt is gathered so under nearly all circumstances, hip measurement should not matter for this particular style of dress.
The size chart on Of Her Own Kind's website seems to be accurate - at least for this dress. That said if I could've had the choice I would've ordered this dress in a Medium for a closer fit. When you order, I'd advise you to order based on your waist size and bust size. Also consider whether or not you plan on wearing bulky clothes underneath if you are between sizes Also if you are between sizes and want it to fit a bit loose (like it does on me), go with the larger size. If your want a slimmer fit, go with the smaller size.
Below are measurements of this size Large garment laid flat:
Bust (armpit to armpit): 18.5" w/~1-2" additional bust structure
Bodice Waist (at smallest measurement): 16"
Length (depending on how tight the sleeves are tied): ~50"
Bodice side seam from armpit to Waistband: 7.5"
Styling options:
This dress looks cute worn as-is with nothing underneath as a sundress but is equally cute with a top underneath.
This dress is pretty versatile and easy to style with different clothing items - especially if you purchase it in a color that compliments your other layering items.
Here are a few combinations that I tried together:
With an ivory toned short sleeved tee: this is nice if you want to be more covered up, but it still works for summer. It is a laid back look that I think would work well everyday. Here I paired it with doc martens but I feel like tennis shoes would also look good with it.
With a floofy blouse underneath: a bit more of a dressy, romantic option. Below I tried it with a ruffled ocean blue blouse and also a long sleeved white blouse.
In the fall or a mild winter it can be worn with a cardigan over it, like this fluffy sage green cardigan.
With a linen duster: this option is nice if the weather is a bit cooler.
Do I recommend this product or brand?
I definitely recommend this brand. Of Her Own Kind's dresses are beautifully made with heirloom quality and are classic designs that will look good for years. As a company, Of Her Own Kind has a focus on sustainably and seems to truly care about creating their dresses in a way that is less harmful to the environment.
I hope to purchase from this brand again, and am even more excited about potentially owning this same dress in Wild Silk. It is just gorgeous.
If you would like to order the dress from this review, it can be purchased here.
Closing:
I know that this was a really long post, but I hope that it was helpful or at least a bit entertaining or educational even if you aren't interested in purchasing this dress in particular. If there is anything that I didn't cover that you think I should have, let me know. I made a long list of the questions that I would've wanted answered before I made this fairly large investment in the brand, and I know that everybody looks for different things. I always want to be inclusive and cover basically everything.
If you have tried anything by this brand, let me know what you thought about it! Also let me know if you have any questions about this dress that I didn't cover and I'll do my best to answer them.
Anyway, I'll close this blog post with a final picture. My neighbor's cat dropped by to visit while I was taking photos so I had to stop to pet her. 🙂
