It seems like every year I get jonsing for a new dress around spring time. Last year I got my “summer witch” Pyne and Smith linen dress. This year I wanted something a little more spring/summer-like and got this gingham Haruko dress from TwoDaysOff Clothing. If you haven’t heard of this slow fashion brand before, TwoDaysOff is run by the stylish GinaStovall (<— her insta account) out of Los Angeles. They use deadstock, natural fiber fabrics and either make things to order or in very small batches. They really focus on sustainability and making well-loved and thus well-worn clothes. Learn more about them here.

First a note on sizing. I got this in XS/S because I wanted it on the fitted side, and luckily it fit just right. This is definitely not something I could wear if I gained weight though, but that was my choice. Even though it’s a pretty fitted dress, it’s super easy to walk in because it has slits coming up the sides (but it’s not so high that it’s scandalous). The fabric is a midweight cotton (which is deadstock by the way) feels super soft with a little stretch. I love that it comes with two front pockets (making it seem more utilitarian) and a removable sash. I also appreciate the care they took in lining up the gingham pattern in the seam in the front as well as for the pockets. It’s these kinds of details that make this dress so perfect.

My only issue with the dress is that it’s a tad too long for my 5’4” frame. When I look on the site now I see there’s an option to have the hem shortened, which I totally would have done had I saw it. I think I ordered this off my phone and for some reason, didn’t see that option. But that’s ok since now I can have it hemmed to the length that I want. Since we’re currently in quarantine and I can’t sew to save my life, I purchased this removable fabric tape so that I can play with the hem lengths. Once quarantine is over (or I learn how to sew), I’ll sew it to the exact length that I want.

Anyway let me know if there are any other questions I can answer about this dress. In the meantime, it’s part of my Instagram #may30x30 challenge so hop on over there to see how I style it in different ways.

{November 2020 Update: So I’ve been wearing this dress non stop since I got it back in May and I still love it. It’s such an easy dress to put on and I know I’ll look polished and put together. It can easily be dressed up or down, though I prefer to wear it when running errands. The deep front pockets are the perfect place to hold my phone or small cardholder. I love this dress so much it made it onto my Top 10 Favorite Things I’ve Ever Blogged About list. With all the wear and washing the fabric has softened a bit, but nothing has worn out. It even accommodates the 5-10 pounds I put on during this pandemic (so the fabric does stretch a little). And the gingham fabric design helps to camouflage the pandemic pooch a bit. This has been my go-to dress whenever I want to feel put together and polished (but in a casual way). If you’re interested you can get $15 off with the code FairlyCurated (I will also get $15 off my next purchase so thank you for funding my future TDO reviews!).

{January 2022 Update: So after gaining some weight and also possibly shrinking the dress in the wash, there was no way I could fit my gingham Haruko dress anymore. So I purchased the black linen Haruko during a 30% off sale at the end of 2021. I got in an XS which had ample room, confirming that I probably did shrink the gingham one (though I know they had some sizing updates this past year or the year before). I did find the chest and neck hole area to be quite a bit larger than it was before but I don’t find it too much of an issue. The black linen is a nice thick weave reminiscent of Elizabeth Suzann linen. And I’m really happy that I have a Haruko dress that fits back into my life. I’m still holding on the the gingham one just in case I do end up fitting back into it again (though I’m not holding my breath lol). Anyway I would still say that the Haruko is my favorite thing from TDO and it’s a really versatile and practical dress!}

P.S. You can find all of my TDO reviews here.