Everlane Beach Dress (gift for review from Everlane*) | large
Birkenstock Birko-Flor sandals
Everlane’s beach “capsule” collection launched yesterday and in advance of it, I received this dress, and the canvas backpack to review for you. Overall, I can’t say I was terribly interested in this collection, but then again, I’m not THAT into stripes. I was sort of intrigued by this dress, because I always appreciate good, easy dresses, and I thought you guys would like to see how it fits.
The dress is very good. Especially for $35. Better than the Gap or Old Navy, for sure, and competitively priced. I asked for a large, because I was anticipating having to size up like I usually do in Everlane dresses/pants. It JUST fits. Of course, the dress is 100% cotton, so it stretches with wear, and gave enough so that it’s not tight on my hips, but you might notice in the picture that it’s “sticking” there a little on my left hip. (I took this picture my second day of wearing it)
I appreciate that it tapers in a bit at the hips/knees so it’s not a-line, or oversized, but that’s where the fit problem comes in for me. I also wish the neckline was more open; I prefer that look on myself. If you’re a more straight body type, I think your “regular” size would work well, otherwise, I’d recommend sizing up. It’s opaque, and a mid-weight cotton, so you really don’t have to worry about what you wear underneath.
And, I like the vertical “break” down the front of the dress because I feel like it helps draw the eyes up and down, as opposed to side to side. Overall, a very good, easy, striped dress for summer. If you can fit into it, that is….
I also got the natural/white canvas backpack to review. I haven’t used it yet, and I’m not sure how or when I will, honestly. It would be ideal for the beach (haha) since it’s super-easy to throw a towel in, shoes, snacks, extras, and simple to carry. Or maybe a picnic? It’s very well designed to get into and things out of, with external pockets for things you want to keep separate, and a cinched drawstring to keep the inside secure.
What did you think of Everlane’s beach collection? Did you / will you order anything?
What about the bridge sandals, did anyone get a pair of those? I thought they looked very well made.
Also, FYI, Everlane day heel pre-orders start on June 19th, this allows you to buy the shoes before they restock in July. Pre-orders will ship in July. I haven’t worn mine much – I seriously DO NOT wear heels if I can help it, and haven’t had an occasion to – but I do recommend them as a great, comfortable, chic pair of heels.
*Periodically Everlane sends me new items to review for you. I am not paid for these reviews, only in so far as I receive the products at no charge. Everlane has no expectation of a positive review or that I mention anything specific at all. Thank you for supporting partners of Grechen’s Closet ?
I wish Everlane would do a better job incorporating customer feedback into their designs. Your reviews have always been thoughtful , detailed and balanced, and other bloggers have also provided free constructive criticism to them over the years. I’ve yet to see it implemented in their designs.
In particular, it troubles me that as a brand aiming to be accessible to average people their designs are consistently made for a straight body type. I’m not just talking about lack of tailoring in their tee shirts (ok in a $15 t shirt) or lack of a defined waist in dresses (ES, EF and Black Crane do sheaths and tents and a-lines in interesting and flattering and comfortable ways) but the fact that their silhouettes both involve little design and tailoring (which lowers their costs) and are also in my experience unforgiving and unflattering. Details like a wider neckline or just another couple of inches of fabric in the hips on a dress meant to be loose and comfortable would make me think that they care what this dress looks like on a real person. Closed shoes made on a wider, remotely human foot-shaped last would help convince me that they are, as they say on their website, “constantly challeng[ing] the status quo.”
Sorry so ranty! But I feel like your reviews are so fair and thorough and I would like to see the company respond.
Cute! But too short for me. Everlane dresses seem to be either long sleeveless or short with sleeves. Sigh. I want sleeves and long. I am eyeing the beach backpack. I could definitely use either for beach or for cottage.
Edit: sorry, just realized I was a bit unclear – did not at all mean to imply that people with straight bodies aren’t “real people,” but that straighter bodies are rarer, which makes me think that Everlane doesn’t care whether people like their stuff but only whether they’ll buy it. What I was really feeling after reading the post was frustration that Everlane’s brand identity is in conflict with its design, which deserves to be called out, because that is the kind of thing women are socialized to internalize. In other words, it can create bad feelings in customers who may feel like, What is wrong with me that this easy, comfortable dress doesn’t fit me even when I size up? (Not saying you felt that way Grechen – I felt that way reading the post.) And honestly I feel like Grechen has been doing this so long with so much integrity and such a positive attitude that it annoys me that Everlane enjoys a kind of social responsibility cred while remaining retrograde in design.
I thought the same thing – that’s a LARGE on Grechen (who I think is 5’4″ or so? I am, and I seem to recall you’re around my height) and it’s above the knee. Sorry, it’s cute but too short for me. And apparently too narrow. Telling me yet again I am *not* Everlane’s demographic 😉 I love the ways the stripes split at the front seam – very interesting detail! And the width of the stripe itself looks really great too. Oh well. (I ordered 2 Eileen Fisher pieces from the NM sale yesterday – bone linen sweater and a red silk tunic tank – we’ll see how they fit – sometimes the EF tunics are too long/overwhelming on me – but because of my bust, the petites don’t fit me well either)
A lot of their recent stuff has been meh for me, but I do like the mismatched stripe thing on this and the shirt version. I agree with Claire that their very straight silhouettes are starting to feel monotonous and exclusive.
Okay the misaligned stripes are really freaking me out! I ordered the striped hoodie…
I am “meh” about the beach collection. I wish Everlane would become more consistent with their sizing. They are ALL over the place. I have to send back 50% of what I order. I have several of their shirt dresses. Why am I an 8 in some and 10 in others? Plus it irks me that they don’t have consistent size guides for their items. The low hip measurement is a very important data point for me when ordering a dress. Why would they include that measurement on one shirt dress, but not another???
I ordered the Bridge Sandal but haven’t received them yet. I’ll let you know what I think.
Hi Gretchen,
I won’t be ordering Everlane for a while…maybe not ever. Twice now I’ve reordered a well loved, worn out product (first the street shoes, then the crew neck tee), and the second time ordering the products were different. So frustrating. The exact same size in the street shoes did not fit at all, and the crew neck tee that came only a month after I ordered the firsts one was significantly different in fit…same size again. I can’t handle the inconsistency. I wrote them and explained I’d rather spend double at Cuyana for a Pima crew neck tee if I know what I’ll be getting every time.
And speaking of Cuyana, I mentioned last week that I ordered their new Pima dress and I’m happy to report that it is wonderful! They add a few interesting details to their pieces, and the construction and fabric quality of this dress are wonderful. I’m very pleased. I may even order a second one.
Thanks for providing HONEST feedback about pieces you get for review. There are other bloggers I quit reading because every stinking review is glowing, and it just seems ridiculous after awhile. Very fake and almost like a commercial. Love your blog!
Ohhhhhh this. I got the oxford shirt dress and the linen dress, and while I love them both and the 8 in both fit, they have ever so slightly different measurements. Whyyyyyyy??? The sleeves on the oxford dress are perfectly loose and oversized and I really enjoy them, but the linen, which should be better for warmer weather when you’d want loose, are … NOT? I will never understand.
Am very tempted by the bridge sandals, but the white are sold out already! Their extremely limited runs are also getting on my last nerve. I’ve been debating getting the linen square shirt, but white is my only option left in a 6, I think! No restock.
Grechen, can you comment on the sizing of the Day Heel relative to the sizing of the Form Sandals? I have a wide-ish foot and the Form slide (not the cross-strap) is a great fit for me in a 9 — both length and width are flattering, unheard of in a sandal, because usually my forefoot kind of spills over the sides (I wear a “regular” 39 in Birks, not a “narrow”). Will I be able to make the Day Heel work in a 9, or should I forget about it? I need a pair of interview shoes, but I really don’t need any more Everlane credit…
Hi Claire,
I loved Everlane but find myself increasingly frustrated by their unrealistic designs…and don’t get me started on how difficult it is to tell how things will fit when you’re looking at the clothes literally hanging on their stick thin model’s bodies. Ugh.
Grechen! My silly phone autocorrected your name. I know how to spell it! ?
oh man… hard question! i thought the day heel was less narrow than the loafers/oxfords, but still narrow-ish. i mean, i have a “regular” foot i think, and i found the loafer and oxfords to be too narrow, and the cross strap form sandals also too narrow, but the slide form sandals are great.
have you tried any of their other shoes? i honestly feel like they’ll be too narrow for you if your foot is wide at all…but i wonder if anyone else has any input??
I find myself persistently frustrated by Everlane’s insistence that they can’t possibly manufacture anything larger than a size 12. It’s sending a clear message about who they think “deserves” to wear their clothing and it certainly reinforces the notion that ethical shopping is only for the slim.
The message is clear: Size 14 and up are already immoral by virtue of taking up more space than women should — let them compound their sins by not being able to find reasonably-priced, transparently-made basics!
And Everlane is an eager evangelist for this perspective.
i got it 🙂
i had an opportunity lately to give the company quite a lot of input, and that was one of the problems i brought up – that dresses/pants seem to fit one body type best – along with their lack of movement on the transparency issue. but that is another story…
i do think they hear the complaints and feedback about the sizing though, although i was more impressed in the beginning with their taking feedback and incorporating that into their garments, or discontinuing things that didn’t fit/wear consistently, than i have been lately. i have no idea why they haven’t shifted much in terms of fit. i do know from speaking to other designers about extending sizes that it is not as simple as it seems. it’s not that hard either, but at it’s best, when you want to extend sizes beyond size 12-14, you should re-imagine the garment ALTOGETHER, because a size 16 body is NOT JUST a larger size 6 body, if that makes sense.
patterns can’t/shouldn’t just be extended by a couple of inches, they should start new, and incorporate subtle differences in bodies as they get larger, which costs more than you would think. but that’s extended sizes, not fitting different body types, although i’d imagine it’s somewhat similar, and maybe even harder.
as to that, i am frustrated by it, but generally just consider everlane the way i would any other brand. i just know that their pants/dresses fit straight body types better and i need to size up if i want to try them. i do the same thing with eileen fisher except the other way around. and it’s the reason i stick with james perse so consistently, i just know that nearly every piece i try will fit my small waist/large hips perfectly.
but yeah, i understand the accessibility issue and agree with it. i just think it’s way more complicated to address it effectively than it seems. i still have hope…and did express in my own feedback that i wish they’d make more of an effort to focus on a smaller number of designs and tweak them over time with customer input rather than continue to try so many new things…
but that’s what i said to starbucks too when they started with the frappucinos way back a million years ago, and look how that turned out for them LOL
I’m kind of feeling the same way, Zanna! I thought it was just me.
Cute dress on you, Grechen, but there’s that Everlane sizing problem again.
Yes!!! Thank you, Claire, for putting in words what I’ve been thinking …and feeling very frustrated with Everlane over it. I’m the “average” American woman at size 14 (ok, taller) but I looked at the striped beach tee dress on their website and it’s SHORT! They rarely have my size, and when they do, it’s not like it’s CUT for a size 14, but just has added material. I’ve had high hopes, but it doesn’t seem too be getting better.
Grechen, all of that makes so much sense. I love that you’re unfailingly positive and reasonable and you give others the benefit of the doubt. Sorry if I overreacted in my criticism of Everlane, but it came from a place of having read your blog for years and feeling like, man, Everlane doesn’t deserve Grechen! 😉
That’s both good and bad to hear! I probably won’t even bother, then. The Form Slides have a really nice glove-like fit. If they were any narrower, they wouldn’t work. But I like the snugness, because it keeps them on my feet without having to do too much toe-gripping. The only pumps I’ve ever found that fit me are from traditional “comfort” brands like Clarks and Naturalizer, which offer some wide-widths. I’d love a pair that is more ethical and, dare I say it, stylish — but that’s a lot to ask for if one has C-width feet, apparently. 😛
haha. i don’t think you overreacted – the frustration is understandable, and warranted for the most part; shared by many other people.
Amen!
You read my mind! I need a little sleeve and at Everlane that comes with a mid thigh length. So frustrating. There are so many things I’d buy from them if there were a way to make minor edits. Mainly I’d make things longer. Or offer them in tall sizes like many retailers do. In general though I don’t buy much Everlane because it’s all too short, too boxy and there are too many crew necks. Like Grechen, I like a more open neckline. I did try the day heel and I must say I love them. I’m an experienced heel wearer and these are the most comfortable ones I own. I debated buying another color but truly don’t need more shoes so I’m passing for now.
Stephenie, I’m so intrigued by Cuyana but the only thing I’ve ordered in over 3 years is the alpaca cape. I have the same issue there that I do with Everlane – the dresses are SOOOO short. I’m tall and I can’t wear something that is already mid thigh standing, imagine where it will land when I sit. They’ve got some gorgeous dresses on the site right now and I can’t wear any of them. I’d love the shirtdress for work, but several inches above knee is a no-go for the office.
I recently stopped by the NYC showroom and tried on so many thing, including that super cute striped dress. I found that it ran very small – the large just barely fit me. As a point of reference, I wear a size 4 in the go weave sleeveless v-neck dress and the silk v-neck dress. The inconstancy in sizing left me totally exhausted. I left without ordering anything.
whoa. that is shocking! I haven’t tried any of the go weave pieces…
exhausting indeed.
I visited the SF showroom and totally gave up on the bottoms – I am short, and thin but I am pear-shaped (small waist! and big everywhere else below…) and none of the pants looked good on me (add “short legs” and you can guess why it was such a disaster…). None. I also became disappointed with the t-shirts after one of them developed a hole much too soon. I am thinking on ordering a sweater and the striped tank, but for now the one thing about them that I love is their box cut short sleeve shirts…I would have never thought they were so flattering on such a small person!