Certain things are timeless, both in terms of their ability to look put together and polished despite the decade, and in terms of their ability to be worn year round without looking out of place. This Hysteria dress is just that–no matter the time of day, event, or season, depending entirely upon styling, this dress will find a way to be there for you. Also, it has pockets, so beat that!

Dress: Blue Floral Hysteria dress gifted by Joanie Clothing
Cardigan: Sage cropped cardigan by MAK Sweater [Affiliate code yemak-amymay for 40% off]
Belt: From another dress
Brooch: eBay
Bag: Red vintage inspired purse by Lola Von Rose

Off the top of my head I bet this dress will be a real winner for 3 unexpected types of people: people who don’t realise they like vintage styles, people who don’t like the excessive volume in the skirts of some vintage styles, and petite people. It’s somewhat of a no-nonsense cut–the simple V neckline, the wide pleats of the skirt, the fact that it’s sleeveless–which means it can be styled in a million different ways with ease.

You can layer it with any number of cardigans, jackets or (especially underneath it) blouses to double its versatility. The colour and demure nature of the print make it inoffensive in basically any possible circumstance or event–work, wedding, conference, grocery trip, meeting your partner’s parents, going to the cinema, shopping trip, hanging out with your grandma, anything. You can’t fit a petticoat underneath, so the subtle fit and flare shape makes it an easier choice when getting dressed, erasing the possibility of dithering over whether it looks better with or without a petticoat, and if with, which one?

The print has enough colour in it that you can have fun with creating contrasting accessory pairings, yet those colours are gentle enough that you can almost treat this print as a neutral. If you want to play it safe with the colours already in the print that alone gives you 5 or more shades to pair it with. It’s a dress for folks who find putting together an outfit stressful, and it’s an easy throw-on option for those of us who love outfit creation but sometimes just need to wear something chill so we don’t leave the house with 5 belts, 4 bangle sets and 6 pairs of shoes discarded on our bed. 

I can either be an 18 or a 20 in Joanie Clothing, depending upon style cut and fabric type, so I asked for this in a 20 for my bust, as guided by the individual product size chart. The waist flat measures 40 inches with stretch to 43, while the bust flat measures 45 with stretch to 47, putting this piece as true to the size chart. The skirt is 25 inches long and the cotton sateen fabric is comfortable for all day wear. It closes with a back zip.

The Hysteria Blue Floral print is available in UK sizes 8-22 and Joanie Clothing ship internationally.

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Disclaimer: The dress featured in this review was gifted to me by Joanie Clothing in exchange for writing an honest review. I bought the bag but it’s made by a company, Lola Von Rose, that have previously gifted me other items for review. Use of my Mak Sweater affiliate code will earn me a small commission from your order. All opinions expressed are truthful and my own, with no input from any of the companies listed or any other individuals.