When I love a dress I’ve been known to get it in more than one colour. It’s a practise I heartily recommend, because if an item of clothing makes you feel good you’ll wear it over and over again, and having it in additional colours means you’ll wear them all the time too. So, it probably shouldn’t surprise you to see that today we’re looking at the Scarlette dress…again. I reviewed it in black a couple months back and fell completely in love with it. I’ve since worn it to my sister’s long-delayed bachelorette party because I wanted to feel chic and pretty that night, and that’s how Scarlette makes me feel. When I first saw it on Dolly & Dotty’s website I had been equally as tempted by the navy as the black, making it a tough decision as to which colour to choose for that first review, but when I loved the black as much as I did, owning the navy sort of…became a bit inevitable. Behold, it is now also mine! But to mix things up for you, today I really wanted to emphasise that this dress can be worn casually too, and not just dressed to the nines for special occasions.

Dress: Navy Scarlette dress gifted by Dolly & Dotty
Belt: Old
Bag: Collapsible bamboo bag from eBay
Bangles: Old assorted
Shoes: Old New Look

It’s obvious that with a dress as chic as this, of course it looks amazing fully dressed up. With sparkly jewellery, seamed stockings, long gloves, vintage hats, killer heels, clearly it will stun. That’s where my brain goes immediately with a dress as classy and timeless as Scarlette–the cuffs on those sleeves, the gently sweeping full skirt, the subtle sweetheart neckline, I die, I die! And it’s fun to wear a glamorous dress in a glamorous way, with faux fur and vintage accessories that could tell you a lifetime or two of stories. But this dress can absolutely be worn in a daily fashion, a casual way, and I think we owe it that space to thrive.

Since it’s spring and has been mostly sunny, it felt very natural to lean into pairing Scarlette with wooden accessories and matching brown leatherette tones for this easy-going look, one of my favourite ways to style outfits in the warmer months. When you layer natural textures into an outfit pairing, whether that be by way of wooden, wicker, straw or bamboo accessories, you immediately ground the look and settle it into a more casual vibe. The natural accessories trick works beautifully for sunny weather wear, but this dress will dress-down just as well in cool weather–in fact, possibly more so, as the heavy weight of the Ponte Di Roma fabric makes it great for wear in the colder months. You can have fun with your layers, adding in thick tights and a cropped leather (or faux) jacket with boots for a snuggly outfit that can read modern as well as vintage.

Speaking of footwear, opting for pretty much any footwear choice except heels is also a quick way to style this dress down–cute summer flats, sandals, wedges, boots (whether ankle or knee high,) even stylish trainers will all remove the glam factor that a pair of heels would add to this dress, instead making it more mellow for daytime wear. Then there’s the subject of hair to consider–when I want to dress up, I set my hair to achieve a 50s brush out. To style down this dress, foregoing my preferred coiffeur in favour of a bouncy ponytail, a messy bun, or milkmaid braids pinned across my crown all lower the glam level without sacrificing cuteness or polish.

The point is, while this dress is chic and lovely, it’s a solid coloured, flattering piece, and there will always be ways to get creative with such a dress. Saying that, Scarlette does also come in 10 patterned and printed options, in addition to the 6 available solid colourways, so if you love novelty prints there afre plenty of options that automatically exude casual fun.

I’m wearing Scarlette in a size 20, as I did for my black version. The 18 would fit but would be much tighter and more pronounced through my bust, which I personally didn’t fancy, so I stayed with the 20 despite the ample stretch provided by the fabric. Said stretch means the bust stretches up to 50 inches from 45.5 inches flat, while the waist flat measures 37 with stretch to 43. The sleeves also offer a decent amount of stretch, measuring 15.5 inches flat in circumference around the bicep with stretch to 19. While the fabric has stretch it’s not thin, but instead is a medium weight knit which feels reassuring and comfortable to wear. The skirt is 31 inches long. This dress closes with a hidden back zip, and it’s machine washable. The skirt has room for a medium-full volume petticoat, and there are sizeable pockets hidden in the side seams!

The Scarlette dress comes in 16 different colours and patterns in UK sizes 8-26. Dolly & Dotty ship worldwide, and regularly have sales or offer discount codes.

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

COVID-19 NOTE: These pictures were taken alone and safely in a secluded outdoors area with no other individuals present or passing, thus practising strict social distancing measures in an effort to help reduce the spread of Covid-19.