A Letter From Michelle — The Fall Dresses
A Letter From Michelle
Too tight around the middle or so oversized you lose your shape. Why are those always our two choices?
The six things I would check before picking one, the three that cost more, and why thirteen colors start at $64.95.
Every sweater dress I have sold in twenty years falls into one of two piles.
The first clings at the middle, which is the one place you did not want it to. The second gives you room by giving you no shape at all, and you spend the day feeling like you are wearing a blanket with sleeves.
So the second one stays home, and you change before you go out.
There is a third pile, and the whole thing turns on one seam that is not there.
Six things I would check before you pick one.
No waist seam, which is the whole thing
It falls from the shoulder in one line. No seam, no elastic, nothing gathered at the waist, so there is no horizontal line to land in the wrong place. That is what stops it clinging without turning into a sack.
“I’m 64 and don’t care for dresses that cling around my middle. I really like the straight cut of this one. It’s simple, flattering, and easy to style.”
Barbara T., Greenville, SCThe structure sits at the collar
A stand collar on a short buttoned placket, level with your face. That stops loose reading as shapeless, because the eye goes to the neckline instead of the middle. The buttons set how high it sits: closed on a cold morning, open by lunch.
“The cream color is so pretty in person. I especially like the ribbed cuffs and slightly raised collar. It looks more interesting than an ordinary sweater dress.”
Deborah W., Madison, WIPockets set into the side seams
Not patch pockets stitched on afterward. Set into the seam, so they hold your hands without adding anything at the hip. A small thing, until you have spent an afternoon with nowhere to put them.
“I ordered the navy blue and absolutely love the color. The relaxed fit looks lovely with my ankle boots, and the pockets are such a nice touch!”
Patricia M., Charlotte, NCOne piece, morning through evening
The value of a dress like this is that it carries a whole day on a change of shoes. Sneakers for errands, ankle boots and a coat for lunch. If it only works for one of those, it is not replacing anything.
“I liked the navy one so much that I ordered another color. It’s the kind of dress I can wear for lunch with friends or just running errands. Very versatile!”
Nancy B., Knoxville, TNThirteen colors, and you are not obliged to take the camel
Cranberry, Pumpkin, Mustard, Citron, Olive, Slate Blue, Navy, Blush, Camel, Charcoal, Midnight and two different Oatmeals. The Midnight and the Camel are there for the days you want them. But most are not, which is the part October refuses to sell you.
“Bought the olive green and have already paired it with brown boots and a long coat. Such a pretty fall outfit. Love the little buttons at the neckline.”
Susan H., Asheville, NCThree of the thirteen are not the same price
Ten are $64.95. The Navy, the Charcoal Knit and the Oatmeal Knit are $69.95, because they are a heavier knit. I would rather tell you here than have you meet a different number at the checkout. Every size is the same price within each dress.
“The red is just beautiful! I wanted something comfortable to wear for the holidays without looking too dressed up. This is exactly the style I was hoping for.”
Linda R., Columbus, OHThese dresses, against what else $65 buys
| Most $65 sweater dresses | These thirteen | |
|---|---|---|
| The middle | A seam or elastic exactly where you do not want one | No waist seam at all — it falls straight from the shoulder |
| The collar | A plain crew that adds nothing | A stand collar on a buttoned placket, level with your face |
| Pockets | None, or patch pockets stitched on top | Set into the side seams, so they add nothing at the hip |
| Color | Brown, gray or black, because October | Thirteen, among them Cranberry, Citron and Slate Blue |
| The price | One number, with a catch later | $64.95, or $69.95 for the three heavier knits |
| Sizing | Runs small, and you guess | XS through 3XL, one price for every size within each dress |
Why we are clearing them out now
Every one of these was between $169.95 and $199.95, and I am not going to tell you that is a small amount of money for a sweater dress. But the store turns twenty this year, and my daughters Julie and Amy are at the counter most days now, which is not something I let myself count on in 2006. We wanted to mark it by handing something back to the women who kept those doors open, so as a group they are going out at a little over a third of what they were.
I will give you the honest reasoning too. A dress like this is what you put on when you do not want to think about getting dressed at all, which makes it the thing that quietly decides how a morning goes. If it turns out to be the one you reach for twice a week between now and March, then the price was never really the point. That is the whole of my argument, and I am not going to dress it up into a bigger one.
★★★★★4.8 out of 5 — from 3,369+ reviews
$169.95 – $199.95From $64.95
20th Anniversary Sale — Save up to 65%
- No waist seam — it falls straight from the shoulder
- A stand collar on a short buttoned placket
- Two pockets set into the side seams
- Midi length, below the knee on most women
- Thirteen colors, Cranberry through to Midnight
- Sizes XS through 3XL
- Ten at $64.95 · three heavier knits at $69.95
- Free UPS shipping · 30 days to send it back
Every size the same price · while sizes last
One more thing, and then I will let you go.
Put on the outfit you wear most, sit down in a dining chair for a full minute, then stand up.
Count what you adjust. Whatever you touched is the waistband, and you have been managing it for years without naming it.
It was never you.
Do the same with whichever color you choose, the day it arrives. If you adjust anything, send it back inside thirty days.
Go and pick your color.
With love and gratitude,
— Michelle · The Hayes Family Hamptons
PICK YOUR COLOR — FROM $64.95 →This is a personal letter from Michelle Hayes, co-founder of The Hayes Family Hamptons. Customer reviews are quoted as written. · Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee.