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When the warmer months start to arrive, you can’t go a whole five minutes without seeing the words “nap dress” everywhere, from shopping articles to TikTok videos to Instagram captions far and wide. The relaxed-yet-charming silhouette seemed virtually inescapable. The OG dress—made famous by the brand Hill House Home—is a sleeveless cotton midi dress with ruching throughout the bust and a cult-like following. As I’ve re-emerged from my Manhattan apartment over the last few weeks, I’ve found myself complimenting many women in chic, breezy dresses, only to be told every time that they come from the same brand: Hill House Home.
My time working in fashion has taught me the beauty of a term called “bucolic dressing.” Effortless and carefree warm-weather attire that still looks polished is the goal, and I admit that the allure of feeling dressed up without having to actually make effort was more than I could resist.
This confirmed to me that I needed one to run around in, but I couldn’t justify the price point. Personally, I need a dress I’m not scared to spill my Dunkin’ cold brew on! That’s why I was super thrilled when I found a similar option for the brand’s Nap Dress on Amazon for just under $40. This dress (along with thousands of other fashion items) is available at an unbeatable price point compared to more expensive options out there.
Courtesy of Amazon.
Ruffle Midi Dress
After receiving the nap dress
from Amazon in the mail, I immediately tossed it on and was delighted that it was just as lightweight as I had hoped. More importantly, this sweet summer dress beat my one tough rule: It couldn’t be see-through. I can’t think of anything more annoying than throwing on a summer dress, only to need to add a slip underneath—or worse, to look for another pair of underwear to avoid the dreaded VPL.
Unfortunately for me, in the first week of owning this cotton dress, I got the flu for the first time in my life. On my begrudging walk to urgent care, this stretchy lightweight number was the only thing I could bear to have on my body. Everything ached! It was a huge relief to have something so simple to slip on and off and not look as sick as I felt.
After washing this baby a few times, it still retained its soft, stretchy bust. My only note here is that I let mine hang dry on the rack rather than tumble it in the dryer to conserve the elastic; however, it only took a few hours to dry completely because it’s so lightweight.
Courtesy of Belle Bakst.
During last summer in New York, the dress was once again put to the test. I was worried that the sweltering temps would feel worse in a balloon-sleeved, fitted-bust dress, but it in fact was yet again a joy to wear. As the temperatures reached a boiling 91 degrees, my nap dress kept me dry all over and looking cute. That sticky feeling that usually accompanies hot summer days in New York City was nonexistent, even on my crowded subway ride home.
Overall, this nap dress
is the throw-around dress I never knew I needed. I’ve already added two additional colors to my Amazon cart; I can’t recommend this piece enough.
