As I mentioned in my “What I Bought in August” post, I impulse purchased this Nico dress from Tradlands during their weeks of sales. I purchased it the first week (so I got 20% off) but they were already running low on sizes, especially in this Caroline print. So I had to get an XS though I’m normally a small in Tradlands sizes (my past Tradlands review here and here).
In my Tradlands review of their linen shirt, I originally liked it. But then after one washing, the texture had changed and it was the worse linen item I’ve ever tried (I say tried and not bought because this was a gifted item). Sadly, brands are not too keen to work with you again once you say something bad about one of their products, and I unfortunately did not hear back from them again. Fast forward 3 years and I regret this decision slightly (though I can’t lie to you guys so I don’t regret it that much) because I had to pay $171 of my hard earned moneys to purchase this Nico dress. This dress, that every blogger and their mom were gifted. Ah well, maybe I like it more now that I had to pay for it? Either way, this dress has been an MVP in the past couple months and has been a consistent late-summer go-to.
{Wearing: Tradlands Nico dress, Everlane shoes, Ree Projects mini Helene bag}
First a note on sizing, like I said before I’m usually a small and got this in an XS due to limited sizing during their sale. And for the most part it’s been great. It’s an oversized fit so I had no issues with it being too small, all except for the neckhole. The neckhole is slightly constricting and sometimes when I sit down, the dress pulls back and chokes me. But that’s nothing a little re-adjusting can’t fix. But everything else, from the shoulders to the arm holes, fit fine and I like the overall fit.
As for this 70% tencel 30% linen fabric, I was a tad worried it would be like the linen I originally reviewed from Tradlands. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was not. Like linen, it tends to wrinkle but the texture is smooth and cool to the touch, which must come from the tencel make-up of the fabric. There’s zero stretch to the fabric and it wrinkles pretty easily, but I don’t mind. The Caroline print is also just a smidge sheer, so I stick to nude underwear with this dress. But because it falls away from the body it’s not like you can actually see anything.
Unfortunately this particular dress is sold out, but Tradlands just released their Autumn/Winter version of this dress which they’re calling the Nova Dress. It has the same shape as the Nico but with 3/4 sleeves and slightly longer midi length. It also comes in a new tonal Caroline print (the new print is less peachy/pink and more beige/greige). It’s still quite pricey at $207 but knowing how versatile this dress is, I think you could get the cost per wear down quite a bit by wearing it all year around. The tencel/linen fabric would work great layered under sweaters in the cold months, but would keep you cool in the hotter months. Overall, I highly recommend getting this dress if you’ve been thinking about it because it’s 100% worth it! And this referral link will get you $25 off your first purchase (and it would also give me $25 off my next purchase so thank you for helping me fund my next Tradlands purchase!).
P.S. If this is your first time hearing about this ethical, women-led brand read all about them here.
{I originally wrote this in the fall when I was able to nab one of the last Nico dresses on sale. Well it’s springtime now and Tradlands has decided to make this Nico dress in the Caroline print again (yay!). They’ve also partnered with several Instagrammers to bring the colors of their choice. I love Brianna’s pick of this deep blue Nico dress. And I also love this emerald one! But if you’re looking for a similar style dress in 100% linen, slightly shorter, in your choice of color (they have like 25), and about $100 less may I suggest checking out the Anna dress from Linenfox. And side note, that Fall Nova dress is now on sale for $166. Also I wanted to add that after washing the Nico dress (cold wash on delicate cycle, and hung dry) I found that the dress shrunk just a tiny bit. So now I find the collar area even tighter and the shoulder area to be snug now.}
{Update: Due to the tiny shrinkage of the dress but also my general weight gain, I’ve decided to sell this dress because it’s a tad too small (and I find that I don’t reach for it as much since it’s so tight across the shoulders). You can find this dress for sale here at my Fairly Curated Shop.