THE Wells Dress: and a blue Toile Dream
From Breton sweaters to Chinoiserie pottery - blue and white is the colors scheme made in heaven. The perfect amount of calm & contrast to sooth & interest, simultaneously. ALWAY PERFECTION.
But enough about the colors - THE DRESS. This dress is the dress that suits everyone, no matter your physical shape or size. Impeccably tailored, but gloriously feminine - the perfect juxtaposition!
Let me introduce, the WELLS DRESS from STAUD. She comes in short, midi (what I am wearing here - I am below average height FYI), and maxi lengths. I started to hear rumors about this “amazing dress from an unknown brand” in 2019 … fast forward to 2023, and I can attest, this dress is truly amazing.
The origin story (for those of you like me, that like to know this kind of thing) - Sarah Staudinger founded her namesake brand in 2015. Raised by fashionable parents, and spending her early career as a buyer at Reformation, she realized that there was gap in the market for affordable quality made basics for women.
Though that creative brief is broad, she did manage to make the perfect classic feminine dress, well below designer prices.
As someone trained in tailoring - I appreciate that she also managed to do so without resorting to less-durable solutions like elastic (looking at you Hill House Home), but instead utilized good old-fashioned tailoring. Long after elastic gives out, tailored seams will still hold their shape.
Lets not forget the material! The Wells dress is made of the perfect mid-weight cotton sateen - thin enough to drape beautifully, thick enough to go the distance.
LIFE TIME PRODUCT.
Bravo Ms. Staudinger & everyone at STAUD.
Now, I will be upfront with you, this is a bit of an investment item. But I will say, its worth every penny! Watch for last season colors going on clearance, and the used market (Poshmark!), if full-price is still out of reach for you.
This dress is worth it, even if its a wait.
Now to this particular Wells dress - the China Blue Toile. Now I can’t find any details about this print or who designed it, but it is LOVELY. For me - it brings to mind all the the lovely West Indian Colonial motifs found in textiles & furniture from the period, where the Caribbean & Western European cultures blended like fine rum. Palm trees & coconuts blend with peacocks & tiny King Charles spaniels throughout the print, expertly layered in shades of French blue on white. Since both my husband’s Spanish roots & my English heritage’s origins in the Americas started in the colonies, I feel a special affinity to anything that evokes that time - especially where you find the cultures blended into something new and beautiful that celebrates the best of both.
Don’t worry - I won’t leave you breathless for this dress! I’ve done some shopping and found the best Wells (and those on sale!) of the season. Happy shopping!
Fits TRUE TO SIZE, for context - I am 5'4" , 24" waist, 30" hip, AA bust - and I wear 00.
