The moment I saw this dress I fell a little bit in love. It’s not unusual for me to admire a floral print, nor embroidery, but it’s not often we’re treated to repro dresses featuring the two. Even when we are, it’s not a guarantee I’ll like the specific embroidery design itself, or perhaps the colour scheme, or the dress cut. Thus, when I find one I like I get a little bit excited. This Dolly & Dotty dress offers up both simplicity and contrast, in colours and a dress shape that are easy for anyone to wear.

Dress: Embroidered Amanda dress C/O Dolly & Dotty
Cardigan: Mustard cropped cardigan by Zenna Outfitters
Hat: Ali Express
Bag: Vintage inspired purse C/O Lola Von Rose
Bangles: Gold Rita Diamante bangle by Bow & Crossbones, Old gold bangles

My first instinct was to pair this dress with blocks of white and pops of red, but I love that it has styling possibilities far beyond what you may first think. The embroidery alone means you can style it for an evening events if you’d like, in addition to this being a stand-out piece for day wear.

The rounded neckline isn’t revealing and the thick shoulder straps won’t leave you struggling to hide your bra straps, something I really hate battling against. It has hidden side pockets, my forever favourite feature in any dress, because who doesn’t love the freedom to store your essentials when you just can’t be bothered to lug around a bag.

The box pleats and the generous size of each embroidery patch gives the skirt a structure that allows it to hang beautifully without a petticoat–I deliberately forewent one for these pictures to show you just how nicely it hangs without the added volume of a petti. That means this will be a great summer dress for those days when you just can’t bear to add extra layers, even if it breaks your heart a little bit to give up that small puffy detail of your aesthetic. Finally, it closes with a hidden center back zip, another hallelujah for me, as I hate fighting with side zips.

I asked for this dress in my standard Dolly & Dotty size 18 and it falls in line with their usual sizing chart. The bust flat measures 43 inches with stretch to 46 while the waist flat measures 38 inches with stretch to 40. The skirt is 25.5 inches long. While the skirt does lay nicely without the help of a petticoat, it can accommodate a medium-full one with ease to achieve a lovely full shape.

The Embroidered Amanda dress comes in 3 colourways, navy with white embroidery, black with red, and red with black, all available in UK sizes 8-20.

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Disclaimer: The dress featured in this review was gifted to me by Dolly & Dotty in exchange for writing an honest review. The bag was previously gifted to me by Lola Von Rose also for review. All opinions expressed are truthful and my own, with no input from any of the companies listed or any other individuals.