2018 Grana Silk Dresses Review: Tea Dress and V-Neck Shift Dress

So I know I've said in the past that I'm not going to be reviewing any more items from Grana (due to their decline in quality and customer service towards the end of 2017).  Also the ethics of Grana is a little gray to me since they used to talk more about their manufacturing standards (I used to think of them as the Hong Kong version of Everlane).  But these days I don't find anything about it on their site anymore.  However, I've accumulated a lot of store credit through the use of my 10% off referral link (thank you and I'm super grateful for everyone who's supported me by clicking on my referral links!).  And well, even though I'm trying to consume less, I can't let all the credit go to waste (it feels like wasting free money that I earned).  So I decided to try a couple silk and linen items from Grana.  I'm going to do a bulk review of them starting with the 3 silk dresses (I got all of them in a small and I'm usually a size 4-6).  

I went down the path of Grana again because I have a wedding to attend to later this year and when I saw Grana's new silk dress options I wanted to give them a shot.  In the past, I found their silk dresses (especially this one) to be of superb quality and have worn them to a wedding or two in the past.  I still have those dresses, but I wanted something a little more dressy.  So the first one I tried was their Tea Dress and I love it!  I love the deep V in the front (which is great for a small-busted gal like myself) and the flutter of the ruffled silk hems.  I also appreciate the sleeves to hide my triceps.  The dress is a very flattering A-shape and I love that you can wear a regular bra with this dress.  

{Wearing: Grana silk tea dress, Everlane Day Heels (reviewed here), Valentino small lock bag (similar here, reviewed here)}

As I've said in the past, Grana has downgraded the silk they use (everything used to be double lined in 14mm silk, now it's a single layer of 16mm silk or with a 10mm habotai silk lining--more on that in a bit).  For their Georgette silk satin, which is what this dress is made out of, they went from 22mm silk satin to 19mm Georgette silk.  You can definitely feel the difference in the quality and thickness, but since this dress is lined (by 10mm habotai silk) it's not that big of a deal.

{Wearing: Grana Silk Tea Dress, Valentino Rockstud Kitten Heels (reviewed here), Chanel crossbody bag (similar here)} 

I really like this black version, so much so that I went ahead and got the blue version since I think the light blue might be more wedding appropriate.  The blue one is still fully opaque since it is double lined in silk.  What do you think, black or blue?  

{Wearing: Grana Silk Shift Dress, Rothy's (reviewed here), Valentino small lock bag (similar here, reviewed here)}

I also ordered Grana's V-Neck Shift dress (in small) because I wanted to compare to Everlane's double-lined silk v-neck dress.  They look similar but appearances can be deceiving!  First of all, the small was definitely too small for me since you could see my belly pooch.  But then the arm holes, shoulder, and neckline was way too loose.  Also the v in the back goes down really low and so you can't wear a conventional bra with this.  All in all, this dress was bad on me. Everlane's version, which you could get for $50 cheaper is waaaaaay better.  The Everlane dress fits better, plus it's double lined in 16mm silk.  Grana's is 16mm silk, lined with 10mm habotai silk which just feels thin and cheap.  Grana, if you don't go back to your quality from before I don't think you're gonna survive!

Well at least I found their tea silk dresses to be the perfect one for a California wedding.  But to be honest I'm not sure how often I'd re-wear this.  And in general I do feel like Grana's quality and designs have gone down since they first started.  There's also no mention of their founders and ethics on their site anymore. 

P.S. I no longer have any Grana credit left (we used it to buy up some tees for my husband), so if you read the comments below, I can no longer offer to use them.

Grana Pima Cotton Tee Review and Pima Cotton Dress Review {updated Dec 2017}

If you read my first Grana review on their silk tank, you know I wasn't really a fan.  But I'm so glad I ordered a bunch of different items, because I have to say their Peruvian Pima cotton shirts are pretty great.  I ordered the pima cotton shirt in a medium size because judging from their website, the shirt looked fitted.  On top of that, I knew that Grana is a Hong Kong company and for the most part, sizes at Asian clothing companies (like Uniqlo and Muji) tend to be on the smaller side.  And I'm so glad I went with my gut since the medium was perfect (and to compare with Everlane and other clothing companies, I'm usually a small).

I ordered the black v-neck pima cotton shirt and the material is great.  This is probably the thickest peruvian pima cotton shirt I've ever tried.  It's not the usual thin cotton you think of when talking about pima.  The Grana shirt is fitted but also quite stretchy.  I like that it's not oversized like Everlane's shirts.  Actually the Grana shirt is a better everyday work shirt for me since I don't flash everyone when bending over, which usually happens when I'm wearing Everlane's shirts.  So for my next order from Grana, I'm definitely going to add some more Pima cotton shirts! 

I also ordered this pima cotton tank dress from Grana in a size medium. I didn't bother taking any pictures in it because it was waaaaay too tight.  Even though I ordered both the shirt and the dress in a medium, the dress felt more like a small (or even an xsmall).  However, the cotton material for the dress was the same thick, stretchy cotton used in this shirt.  So I guess the tank dress is meant to be a bodycon dress best suited for those skinny model types.

Anyway if you're interested, check out Grana for yourself and use this link to get 10% off your first order (a referral code) and definitely add some pima cotton shirts to your order.  As always reviews are not sponsored.  And stay tuned for more Grana reviews.

P.S. They also now have pima cotton slub shirts that look pretty good.  I'll try to order some when I get a chance.

{Dec 2017 update: So I recently ordered another Grana pima crew neck tee, thinking it was going to be the same as usual.  But it wasn't!  Grana has changed their tee so that it is now much thinner than their old tee.  Also the sizing has changed so that I am no longer a medium, but a small in these new pima tees.  Their new tees are made from "lightweight jersey fabric (50/1)" and I'm not a fan.  But if you like thinner tees then this might be for you.}

Grana Silk Review (and Grana vs. Everlane vs. Cuyana Silk Shirts)

Happy Monday guys!  And here's a review that some of you have requested: a review on Grana silk.  So for those of you who are unfamiliar with Grana as I was, Grana is a bit like Hong Kong's version of Everlane.  Their mission is to make quality clothing and sell it directly to consumers, thereby keeping prices reasonable.  Their basic model below:

When I first hopped onto their site, I immediately thought if Everlane and Uniqlo had a baby, it would be Grana.  It's the combination of Uniqlo's styling and Everlane's concept.  But Grana has a wide selection of items to choose from, whether it's denim from Japan, linen from Ireland, and cotton from Peru.  So I ordered a little bit of everything to try them all out, but today I'm starting with the silk since that was item that readers asked about most.

If you haven't read my first review of Everlane vs. Equipment vs. Cuyana silk then check it out becuase I go into the differences in types and quality of silk, and it'll probably help with some of the terminology coming up.

So here are three black silk items from Cuyana (top right), Everlane (top left), and Grana (bottom half).  The first picture is in indirect light and the second is in full sunlight.  

When laid in this way you can't really tell any differences.  But here are the same three but with my hand under one layer so you can somewhat see through the silk starting with Grana, then Everlane, and last Cuyana.

Grana

Everlane

Cuyana

Can you see that the Grana one is ever so slightly more see-through and a different texture than the Everlane one?  And the Cuyana one is a lot more opaque than both the Grana and Everlane silks.  So here is my impression of Grana's silk:

~ Grana feels like the lowest quality silk of all the shirts I've tried so far.  I think Everlane and Equipment are at about the same level of quality, but Grana is a step below.  Grana's silk feels the least silky, the least smooth and the least soft.  It also seemed the thinnest.

~ To find out about the momme weight of their silk, I emailed Grana and was told it was 16mm, which would put it exactly the same mm as Everlane's silk.  However the difference in feel between Everlane and Grana must mean there is a difference in the thread count (or something but I'm not sure what).

~ And to try to rule out some bias (since I know how much each of these shirts costs), I had my husband do a blind feel test.  And he knows nothing about silk but based on what he thought was the best feel, he rated Grana the lowest, Everlane next and then Cuyana as the best (he was completely on his own and I did not say anything to bias his opinions).

To incorporate findings from my last silk review which included Equipment, here's my current silk standings (not really to scale except to say that Everlane's and Equipment's silk were very similar):

As for the actual tank top I purchased from Grana, I ordered a size small.  As you can see both the arm holes and neckline are super oversized (so you better be sure you wear a cute bra underneath since it will most likely be peeking through).  If I were to order a silk top to keep I might even go with an XS on this.  (For reference I'm 5'4" and wear a small/size 4 on most tops).

So even though the silk was a slight disappointment, I'm not giving up hope on Grana yet.  I still have yet to try their other items.  In the meantime if you want to try out some of Grana's item for yourself (though at this point I would recommend spending the extra $$ and going with Everlane silk if you can), here's a referral link to get you 10% off your first order (and full disclosure, I get $20 if you order from that link which of course I'll use to review more of their items).  

P.S. By the way, their silk just happened to be the first product I reviewed and one out of two things I didn't love.  I also ordered their pima cotton shirt, their Japanese denim and their Irish linen and loved them all.  Those reviews coming soon.  So don't write-off Grana just yet!

{August 2016 edit: I have since reviewed Grana's newest silk offering, their V-neck tank and slip dress, and those are waaaay better than the silk top reviewed here.  Grana's georgette satin is as good as Everlane silk at about half the price.  Read the full review on Grana's V-neck tank top here.}

{December 2016 edit: here is a comprehensive list of all my Grana Reviews.  Grana is quickly becoming one of my go-to brands for well-made basics!}