This sale Brora dress or a Hush Ivy?

[HepburnKNotA]

www.johnlewis.com/brora-plaid-check-shirt-dress-chambray-fennel/p4001052

Or a Hush Ivy in navy??

I’m a bit budget constrained so can’t legitimise both at the mo!

I love a smock dress, they really work on my figure and lifestyle, but which should I go for?

Obv the Ivy is a bit cheaper but the Brora is a fab reduction.

I love a bit of plaid for autumn too. But am I wrong and is it fugly?!?

Would wear either of them with bare legs and trainers if we get a nice Sept; black tights and ankle boots when chillier.

I’m 43, size 10, freelance but like to look like I’ve not totally been dragged through a hedge backwards just because I’m home/hanging out with my school-aged DD most of the time!

Please choose for me!!

Oh, the Brora one says hand wash only which would put me off a LOT but honestly I’d wash in the machine, delicate cycle like I do with most of my stuff. It’s linen/viscose mix: should I DEFINITELY only hand wash??! If so I wouldn’t buy it.

[nzeire]

Love the plaid!

[HepburnKNotA]

Another plaid fan! Thank you!

[HappyHammy]

I like the brora but cant see a link for the hush one.

[HepburnKNotA]

Sorry Hammy, it’s this one

www.johnlewis.com/hush-ivy-dress-midnight-blue/p3699997?sku=237649906&size=m&s_kwcid=2dx92700042815582957&tmad=c&tmcampid=2&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0dylh-OK5AIVhkPTCh3vGgp9EAQYASABEgIyq_D_BwE

[HappyHammy]

The checked is really nice, the navy is a bit ordinary. It will look fab with thick tights and ankle boots.

[LizzieSiddal]

The Plaid dress.

I’ve bought 6 things from Brora, over the last two years, all in the sales and I love them. The quality is fantastic and yes I’ve washed “hand wash only” items in the washing machine, on a delicate cycle with no problem at all.

[Florabritannica]

Deffo the Brora.

[HepburnKNotA]

Ok, plaid it is then so far!

It was my feeling too: the Brora is a bit more ‘special’ and (I would hope!) a notch or two up in quality. When I had spare cash in the olden days I bought from there occasionally (always in sale) and still have a couple of lovely cashmere pieces that have lasted beautifully (I never put THEM in the washing machine, obvs!!)

[SolitudeAtAltitude]

On me that would look just like a shirt

[SpeckledyHen]

Brora . No contest.

[HepburnKNotA]

Solitude it’s weird because I literally didn’t wear dresses for 20 years until I discovered about 2 years ago that sack-like smock/shirt dresses really do work on me (gawd, I HOPE, anyway, and that everyone isn’t secretly wondering why I’m wearing unflattering sacks/what might look like DH’s shirts...)

I’m thin but with massive shoulders and a big rib cage so anything fitted makes me look much bigger than I am. Flapping shirt-like material, to my surprise, makes me look positively dainty

It’s nice after avoiding dresses for so long but I’m getting a bit of a sack-dress fixation and keep re buying the same styles so the plaid is a BIT of a diversion at least.

[slipperyeel]

Definitely the Brora

I have 3 ivy dresses but they don’t last very well, faded after one season

[LemonPrism]

Sorry I think the plaid is gross. Go for the navy

[HepburnKNotA]

Ooooh one plaid hater! Thanks Lemon! Are you not a plaid person in general or is it this particular one?

[Doobydoo]

Brora one!

[MarinaMarinara]

I’m just a bit jealous you can wear that style tbh, those are the type of dress I love the look of on other (taller and slimmer than me) people. They’re dreadful on me - I have huge boobs which somehow look bigger in smock dresses plus I look pregnant. If I could wear them and was picking one I’d go for the navy hush dress. Easier to accessorise.

[HepburnKNotA]

Ah, Marina, you see I have a very flat (albeit barrel-like) chest so they do seem to work on me. I’ve always been jealous of people who have ‘shape’ (boobs, waists) who can wear fitted things and look curvy and sexy!

I have zero waist so nothing fitted works one. Took me years to work it out!!

My style is pretty minimalist so I don’t accessorise much though I can see that the Ivy would be easier if you wanted to accessorise.

[HepburnKNotA]

Works on me not works one!! I’m not HM the Queen...

[runoutofnamechanges]

Ooooh... difficult. The Hush dress looks so flattering, versatile and comfortable, I slightly prefer it. On the other hand, I feel like the Brora dress is a bit different, "more special". I love all my Brora stuff and it lasts well so I would probably go for that. You could probably find something very similar to the Hush dress another time but not the Brora.

[pieeye]

The Hush one, definitely. The other one looks like a nightie. I will admit to being biased as I own a black Hush Ivy and I love it.

[HepburnKNotA]

Pie eye a nightie hadn’t seen that when I looked at it but it does look a teeny bit like a nightie my mum used to wear... in the late 70s...

[Miseryisabutterfly]

The brora looks like a nightshirt I gave birth to my son in. Can’t shake that association 😂

[Miseryisabutterfly]

It wasn’t the 70s in my case. 2013 😂

[HepburnKNotA]

Oh noooooo more nightshirt associations!!! Have ordered it now but will try and might send it back...

[PaulHollywoodsleftbollockhair]

Brora one is gorgeous.