Wether you have one or not, if you have even a slight interest in fashion you’ve probably heard of “The Nap Dress”. This viral sensation has been covered by a variety of media outlets and can be seen all over social media. (Read BuzzFeed’s coverage here) Although there are many dresses available from a variety of retailers at a variety of price points that are similar the original Nap Dress started with Hill House Home. Hill House started in 2016 as a bedding and home company and while the bedding and home products are still part of the business fashion became part of the equation in 2019 with the launch of the Nap Dress. With each season Hill House has expanded it’s clothing options and now offers a variety of women’s clothing silhouettes as well as matching children’s items. I currently have 10 nap dresses and always get a lot of compliments on them when I wear them. And who doesn’t like that?
Although Hill House calls all of their dresses Nap Dresses when most people use this term they are referring to the original dress silhouette known as the Ellie. The Ellie is a simple design featuring ruffled straps, a smocked top around the bust and a generously sized midi length skirt. The official size chart indicates that the Ellie, which comes in xxs to xxl fits up to a size 22. When I was a size 22 I wore a size xxl but there are many people in “nap dress nation” that say they take a smaller size in the Ellie than their traditional dress size.
Most Ellies comes in comfortable fabric such as cotton poplin or flannel but there are also collector’s edition versions in special fabrics such as lace, sequin, silk and tulle. As the name suggest The Nap Dress is a dress so comfortable you can take a nap in it. And while I certainly can and have napped in my dresses what I appreciate about them is their versatility. The Ellie is a great way to stay cool but still look put together on the hottest of days but can easily be layered with tights and a turtleneck in winter. I also appreciate that they can be worn for a variety of occasions from the office to a night out
Although I can personally attest to the Ellie fitting a size 22 I have seen others wear the xxl at a size 24 / 26. However, when it comes to Hill House the size inclusivity is not as great in other styles. For example, another popular style is the Louisa dress – while this dress “fit” in the xxl as a size 22 it looks much better on me at a size 18. Most people wear the Louisa in one size larger than their Ellie size.
When it comes to non smocked styles the fit gets even smaller. I desperately wanted the Daphne still to work but the xxl wasn’t even close. I posted about sizing in the group and the general consensus is that an xxl in that style will only work up to a size 14. Although it’s disappointing I do want to include that feedback because it’s disappointing when something doesn’t work out and I know first hand how it can mess with one’s confidence when “your size” does not fit. The lack of consistency is definitely my biggest frustration with Hill House and I wish they invested in proper fit models the way they invest in beautiful imagery for each release. I will acknowledge that Hill House does seem to hear the frustrations and will partner with influencers of various sizes to showcase the fit.
As far as value, the Hill House pricing is a bit steep. Regular Ellie Nap Dresses are $150, most other styles (including the Louisa) are $175 with some going up to $225 and the collector’s editions are $275. Most dresses are unlined and have pretty simple construction. However, because these dresses are versatile I think they have a better cost per wear than other dresses at this price point that might be more special occasion styles. At the end of the day it’s the comfort and beautiful unique prints that keep me wearing my nap dresses and motivates me to add to my collection.
I hope you found this Hill House Nap Dress review helpful! If you would like to join Nap Dress Nation be sure to check out the facebook group here.