I Want This + Vanity + Wearables

Six dresses.

Summer Dresses - doorsixteen.com

Old Navy / Jacquard Shift Dress
Urban Outfitters / Gauze Cocoon Dress

I’ve been trying to wear dresses more often this summer, mainly because it’s been so humid. My favorite was a black one with white polka-dots I bought from the Old Navy clearance rack for $7, but I accidentally put it in the dryer…and now it’s a very tight shirt.

It’s Sunday night, it’s going to be 91°F and humid tomorrow, and I can’t really deal with the thought of going out into that wearing skinny jeans. I need to find a new dress or two.

Summer Dresses - doorsixteen.com

Kowtow / Twenty Times Dress
Lou & Grey / Alameda Dress

Summer Dresses - doorsixteen.com

Madewell / Hashtag Stripe Two-Piece Dress
Urban Outfitters / Linen Sack Dress

OK, I want them all. I’m going to play the “add to cart, remove from cart” game all evening…

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20 Comments

  • Reply laura August 2, 2015 at 8:41 pm

    i wanted the one from old navy to work so badly, but i wound up returning it. it would be cute in person if the stripes actually lined up on the sides, but they don’t. it was a bummer.

    • Anna @ D16 August 2, 2015 at 8:47 pm

      Oh, that’s such a bummer! I usually have good luck with Old Navy stuff. I’ll take a look in the store and see if I can find one that’s better matched.

    • laura August 2, 2015 at 9:01 pm

      i hope you find one! b&w sundresses are the best. they also have these, which are really airy & cute: http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=4341120120004

    • Anna @ D16 August 2, 2015 at 9:03 pm

      I don’t wear low-cut stuff, but that IS cute!

  • Reply Katherine H. August 2, 2015 at 9:44 pm

    As I type this, I’m wearing the Lou & Grey Alameda dress! I think I’ve worn it every other day since I bough it! The pattern is great, it’s lightweight, and flattering. Highly recommend. 🙂

    • Anna @ D16 August 2, 2015 at 10:35 pm

      Thanks for that review, Katherine! Amanda on Twitter said it’s a little tight on her in some areas, so fingers crossed. There’s a Loft in the same building as my office that sells select L&G pieces, so I’ll see if they have this one to try on!

  • Reply Christina W. August 2, 2015 at 9:54 pm

    Yeahhhh, that’s why I always order ON dresses in tall despite being 5’5″ haha.

    • Anna @ D16 August 2, 2015 at 10:13 pm

      It’s sort of comical how much it shrank. I still wear it (with jeans), but it’s such a bummer! This fit was PERFECT. And I’d been so good about washing it in cold water and air-drying. Sigh.

  • Reply annie g August 3, 2015 at 4:40 am

    I like that game and play it too. Makes you feel a. spendthrift and then b. virtuous. Doesn’t help with the dress problem though…

    • Anna @ D16 August 3, 2015 at 9:34 am

      Morning after update! I did not order any dresses last night. Hah!

  • Reply Sandra August 3, 2015 at 6:12 am

    Just received the Kowtow Twenty Times Dress (it’s on sale!). The style is great, but the quality of the cotton is really lightweight (as descripted) and a tiny little bit too transparent for my taste. Still, I’ll keep it and will wear it with leggins. The Alameda dress looks great!

    PS: I really like your blog and am a loyal reader since five or six years. I found a lot of inspiration and cool brands (like Kowtow) through your posts. Nevertheless, this is my first response 🙂 !

    • Anna @ D16 August 3, 2015 at 9:38 am

      Hi, Sandra! I’m glad you decided to comment at last. 🙂

      I still haven’t ordered anything from Kowtow despite admiring their clothes for several years now. I’m concerned about the VAT, which what usually stops me from ordering overseas. There are several online sites based in the US that carry their clothes, but they never seem to have the thing(s) I’m looking for.

      Did you order the dress directly from them? Are you in the US? I’m really curious to hear about your experience!

    • Sandra August 3, 2015 at 1:47 pm

      Anna – it was finally time to say something aloud, I liked the introduced dresses so much 🙂 !

      I am in Switzerland. Due to the lack of interesting shopping here (and I can’t travel to New York or London ALL the time…), I am used to order worldwide. For orders to Switzerland (a non-EU country), VAT is often erased – but postal charges, Fedex fees and swiss customs are a nightmare. Therefore, I usually order only when a shop has its items on sale and offers ‘free worldwide shipping’-days. This was recently the case with Kowtow, and I have ordered for the second time then. Since I want to see the whole collection and not only some single, selected pieces, I always prefer ordering directly at the source and not at a (european based) reseller.
      I like the Kowtow style – but I think that one or two of my ordered pieces would fit even better in another material texture (heavier, lighter etc.). And I realized that I have to iron their pieces (which I never!!! do with all my other clothes) after washing. Overall, I find their collection shows unique but wearable cuts, easy to combine and comfortable. In terms of material and pricing, they could improve a bit.

      PS: Thanks for mentioning the Madewell High Riser Skinny Jeans in April. I always have trouble finding jeans, but I gave them a try and they fit like a glove!

  • Reply Ita Darling August 3, 2015 at 11:02 am

    I love that UO Cocoon dress- I pretty much only wear black, but the copper version on the site kind of enchanted me- kind of Hare Krishna vibes- wearing lots of turquoise and wooden meditation beads. Sigh! But knowing me if I was playing “fill up my cart and empty it again” I would cave and go black.. 😉

  • Reply Stephanie August 3, 2015 at 2:21 pm

    I saw a woman on the subway last week wearing the Lou & Grey one and it looked SO GREAT. (The pictures actually aren’t really doing anything for me, but I loved it in person. The fabric is gorgeous.) I nearly asked her where it was from, but it’s not a shape that really suits me and I knew I wouldn’t actually buy it. That cocoon dress, on the other hand, is awfully tempting…

  • Reply Jess August 3, 2015 at 4:20 pm

    I cannot say enough about the first Old Navy dress. I feel like Gap, Old Navy, and Lou & Grey on fire right now and it is my little secret….

    • Anna @ D16 August 3, 2015 at 4:23 pm

      Every now and then, these places get it right. I think of Gap and LOFT as being total snooze-fests most of the time, but when they hit the mark, I have to give them credit! I’ve always been an Old Navy advocate, though. You really have to look at everything in order to find the gems, but they have good stuff—and it’s well-made, too.

  • Reply Amy August 4, 2015 at 2:32 pm

    My dresses inevitably always turn into long shirts as well! Also a fan of the Old Navy sales rack – I love finding pieces I love for a steal!

  • Reply Name August 4, 2015 at 9:27 pm

    The NZ dollar is very low against the US dollar at the moment so good time to purchase Kowtow!

  • Reply Danielle August 6, 2015 at 7:01 pm

    I gotta admit, I’m lazy and don’t comment as much as I should so I need to apologize for that – and promise to do better!

    That being said, thanks for sharing all these great dresses! I’ve found good stuff at ON in the past, but it seems every time I decide to give them another shot and check out the site (or store), it’s snoozeville. But thanks to you, I went into my local ON and picked up that cute dress – and I don’t even care that the sides/pattern doesn’t match. Of course it was cheaper online (which annoys me, but eh, it’s all pretty cheap to begin with), but I knew if I ordered it, I would have to try multiples to make sure the fit was right. I almost bought the navy version of that dress in the store – until I tried on the black and realized it fit me so much better (same size, too). Ah yes – all the reasons I regularly give up on ON! Anyway, thanks again for the tip!

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