A couple of nice dresses to buy from John Lewis

john lewis dressesI am indebted to DisneyRollerGirl for highlighting the Antoni & Alison dresses that have been designed for John Lewis to celebrate the retailer’s 150th anniversary. Sadly by the time I clicked on the links on her post, most of the dresses had sold out on line. So when I saw them on the shop floor of the Oxford Street John Lewis (I was just passing….) I nearly embarrassed myself in my hurry to grab my favourite.

I really wanted one of the gorgeous Antoni & Alison oversized digital print dresses when they first came out a couple of seasons ago. But they were quite expensive and by the time I got my act together, I missed the best ones. I couldn’t believe my luck when the pair collaborated with John Lewis to produce a range of similar styles this summer. They are very lovely, 100% silk dresses with full linings (in polyester) although only available up to a large, and that’s not huge.

It’s the prints that make them, they’re a weirdly attractive mix of oversized images of reality, mashed up in a decoratively placed manner. At £150 they aren’t cheap but they are delightful – I love their timeless appeal and that they are very easy to wear, antoni and alison I was sorely tempted to buy two, but ended up editing my (considerable) changing room try-on pile to just the Number 5 Real Rose dress, which I bought in the large.

It has a lovely easy neckline, elbow-length sleeves and the print is fabulous. There are 3-4 styles, I tried them all and I found the fit on the straighter one best for me. The Number 4 Jam Sandwich dress was a close second, but the neckline is more scooped (trickier with bra straps) and the sleeve length probably better on the slender. If you are slender, buy this without hesitation….

If the No1 Fork Dress had been there, I suspect I’d have bought that too as it feature the Barbara Hepworth sculpture that adorns the side of the Oxford Street store The sleeveless style is a generous fit but y’know, sleeveless. barbara hepworth dress There were lots on the shop floor, so maybe there are a few around the country too. If you like the look of them, either watch the website or nip into a biggish branch sharpish and see if they have any left. jammy dodger dress And then there’s the really delightful Lucienne Day printed cotton range, particularly this mono print 1954 Cocoon Dress . lucienne day dressLucienne Day was a print designer who worked for John Lewis 1962-87 and this is one of her exclusive designs, available for the first time in clothes. The dress is again a lovely generous fit, and hit my lower mid thigh (I’m 5’7″). I suspect this would be very good on shorter readers with a love of mid 50s prints ( you know who you are….).

7 Comments

  • Belinda says:

    You talkin’ to me, huh? X

  • Amanda says:

    You, and a number of others who also have a yearning for a nice 50s print….Ax

  • I started writing a post on the Lucienne Day pieces but they’d all sold out too. The Antoni & Alison dress is lovely, I saw it in the window yesterday but managed to restrain myself!

  • Amanda says:

    There are Lucienne Day dresses in store, lots in fact, but you probably need to be quick…Ax

  • Sue says:

    Thank you, Amanda.I was sort of havering between the circular skirt/matching top and a dress, but you have made up my mind. (There was still a choice online this morning both LD and the A&A flower print.)

  • Holly says:

    Do you still have the Antoni and Alison Real Rose dress in a large? If you do, and you’d like to sell it – I’ve been scouring the internet for months trying to find it in a large, and would be a VERY willing buyer. It’s my best friend’s wedding in April, and she’s asked me to wear green and this is just the perfect dress. If not but you’ve any idea where I could look aside from the usual ebay etc, I’d be massively grateful,
    Best,
    Holly

  • Amanda says:

    Holly, only just seen this, sorry! My A &A dress is actually a medium I think, although they are generous, happy to sell it on, do you want to continue on email? [email protected] Ax

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