If there’s one thing ya girl likes, it’s velvet for cold weather months. To be honest, I also love it for occasion wear all year round, as England is usually cool enough for that to be easily possible. A nice velvet gown for an evening function? Chef’s kiss! I mean, right now, on the heels of a heatwave and anticipating yet another, yeah, maybe we’re all feeling a little velvet-adverse at this precise moment. I geeet it, I geeet it. But picture the scene: you wake up to a crisp September day, there’s a freshness to the air, you’re excited about the prospect of the leaves falling but there’s still a month or so until they do, you’ve got plans for that evening you’re looking forward to, and this blue velvet Orion dress is hanging on the back of your wardrobe, ready to go. Doesn’t that sound nice? So, with that in mind, let’s look at this plush little baby!

Dress: Orion Mid dress gifted by Hell Bunny
Brooch: Vintage

In many ways the Orion dress is not very ‘me’–it has a high neckline with a frill collar detail; there’s a frilled cuff on the sleeves; the skirt is only flared, rather than gathered or a full circle. A couple of those design details are the kind of facets that I tend to think of as unflattering on me, and the frills specifically feel a bit more twee than I personally prefer to dress. However, on the whole, this dress gives me major librarian vibes, and while I wouldn’t say that’s an aesthetic I hold in mind while dressing, I have been on a massive reading kick the past couple months, so maybe I’m getting all the feels for everything bookish. Plus, you know, it’s navy velvet, one of my absolute faves, so that probably won me over pretty quickly too. (If you aren’t won over by this blue velvet, however, you might be interested to know this dress shape also comes in a silver lurex fabric as the Haze Mid dress. )

In addition to the aforementioned details, there’s also a keyhole detail created at the neck by a tie collar. The frilly cuff on the half sleeves is elasticated, so there’s comfort and ease of fit awarded there. Since the skirt is only flared there are, sadly, no pockets, but because it’s a velvet number it’s a pull on style, with no zips or buttons in sight. It’s one of Hell Bunny’s Mid dresses, so it’s intended to hit on or above the knee rather than below it.

Contrary to the librarian vibe this dress gives me, my automatic instinct for styling it is actually to pair it with tights, ankle boots, and a cropped faux leather jacket. I can’t tell if that’s an incredibly obvious take on this dress, like ‘duh, that’s the default autumn styling for literally anything,’ or whether it’s more surprising given it turns a velvet dress, something people tend to associate with evening or formal events, into a relaxed daytime outfit. Either way, that’s the vibe I’m going for with this dress when the weather cools.

I asked for Orion in my standard Hell Bunny 2XL/18. Thanks to the velvet, there’s tons of stretch in this dress. The bust flat measures 42 inches with stretch to 49, while the waist flat measures 36 with stretch to 42. The skirt is 26 inches long. The sleeves are lightly gathered at the shoulders for a soft puff effect, and they have a relaxed fit through the full sleeve which makes it very friendly for those with larger upper arms. The armholes specifically measures 23 inches flat around and the sleeves are 20 inches flat in circumference across the bicep with stretch to 24 inches. The dress is machine washable.

The Orion Mid dress comes in sizes XS-6XL. Hell Bunny ship worldwide and have stockists across the globe, both in-store and online.

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Disclaimer: The dress featured in this review was gifted to me by Hell Bunny 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, practising responsible social distancing to help limit the spread of Covid-19.