I have been an admirer of Dobbin Clothing since I first heard of them earlier this year. Their story is compelling—two fashion industry marketing and design professionals who came together to create their ideal line of women’s clothes. They make all of their garments in New York City, a rarity for clothing manufacturers these days, and they have a commitment to making beautiful, well fitting clothes. They sent me three dresses to try out, all with different cuts.
The fabric is what stood out to me at first. I have worn ponte and jersey dresses during business travel for years, and have tried them at all price points. The Italian ponte used at Dobbin is by far the best I’ve seen. It’s thick enough to skim your body (rather than cling to your flaws), soft enough to be incredibly comfortable, and has the perfect amount of stretch.
I tried the Nora ¾ sleeve A-line dress in navy (pictured top right), the Jackie short sleeved sheath in coral (pictured middle right), and the Carson ¾ sleeve faux wrap in Meadow (green and white floral) (pictured bottom right). The length was right at my knee for all, which is the best length for me. They all fit exactly my hourglass figure they were supposed to—close enough to highlight my assets, but not so tight that it was unseemly.
I wore each dress for a long day of commuting, presentations, and walking. All the dresses were easy to move in, allowing me to open boxes and bend over as needed. They were all also comfortable to wear the entire day, not cutting or digging into my skin. My favorite was….whichever I had on. The Nora is classic, and I instantly felt polished when I put it on. The Jackie was so flattering, with a gorgeous saturated color. The Carson looks like spring and draped beautifully, although the neckline wasn’t appropriate for work so I wore a white cami underneath.
One of the great things about ponte is that dresses made from it tend to pack well. Out of the suitcase, they were all a little crumpled. Hanging them up overnight solved that problem, but a cool iron could also fix it if you don’t have time.
The final test was wearing the Nora on the ultimate business trip: a four flight, 20 hour, three state marathon travel day. The verdict: total success. It was so comfortable that I forgot I was wearing it until I looked down and remembered how cute I looked. You know you look nice when the valet guy tells you (at 4am no less) that you look great!
In case it isn’t clear, I love these dresses. I want to wear them every day. They look professional, and are incredibly flattering and comfortable. When I put one on I feel like a million bucks, and get compliments constantly. I highly recommend Dobbin dresses to any professional woman, especially business travelers.
I originally planned to run this review later in the week, but they are having a 40% off sale that runs through tonight! So the review is going a little early.
A few ways I wore them:
- Navy dress+gold jewelry+colorful flats
- Coral dress+turquoise jewelry+nude flats
- Green/white dress+yellow necklace+nude flats
- Coral dress+mustard and white dot cardigan+mustard belt+nude flats
- Green/white dress+brown belt+pink flats
- Navy dress+yellow belt+nude flats
Dobbin Clothing provided these dresses to Road Warriorette for review at no charge, but all opinions are her own.
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Wow! Those dresses are gorgeous. Simple always is best and those dresses all look so versatile. The navy is my fave by far. I want to wear it for my birthday!
As I figured… Well made in the USA also equates to really expensive for the average jo. Also they are kind enough to accommodate their clothing line down to 00 (a size very few can comprehend or fathom) but managed to leave out anyone over a size 16. Which is sad. They appear to be gorgeous and their sale makes the pricing a little more affordable but why bother if it won’t fit. Thanks for the review though.
I’m always hunting for bargains/value in my core clothing pieces and I don’t mind paying extra for quality pieces that are versatile, comfortable and that I know I will wear over and over again. In fact, I have found that cost per wear is often cheaper than than “fast fashion” pieces that pill, fade or stretch out of shape sooner than later.
Echoing Pam…where are the plus sizes?
Echoing the request for plus sizes!