Little Capucine » Blog Archive » Review: Imps & Elfs cotton dress

Review: Imps & Elfs cotton dress

March 13th, 2008

We bought this white dress by the Dutch children’s clothing company Imps & Elfs on an impulse, not knowing anything about the brand and sizing or quality. We found it on sale, but even so I bought it a size too large so it will fit for a long, long time, because it still wasn’t cheap! We didn’t have anything girley for Little Capucine when she arrived, not knowing if it was a boy or girl, so I lost my head a little when I saw it at Nonchalant Mom:

Now that we have it, she’s wearing it all the time (over pants and a onesie, it’s very summer-weight on it’s own). This is our review; we’re giving it a thumbs-up. The quality is excellent, and the details are lovely.

Fit: Seems true to size (we got 3-6 months). It is not extra-wide, so at the point where it gathers there is only a little extra around the ribcage. Sleeves are longish, even though we got a size larger it still seems like it is made for long-armed babies. (We rolled up the cuffs.) The neck isn’t choking-tight, but if I’m honest I do think it would be a bit snug by six months. Note on fit: Little Capucine is average, if going by percentile sizes is any guideline. She’s at the 50th.

Fabric: Sheer white 100% cotton lawn - think ‘handkerchief’. Wrinkles a little in the cutest way. Washed and dried in warm water without shrinking noticeably. Not organic, as far as I can tell.

Quality: Great. No loose threads, buttons securely anchored, seams inside are all covered. Buttons are thin mother-of-pearl with the holes intentionally off center. Gathers are even, and there are darts on the back! Nice quality stitching and thread.

Cons: I’m not thrilled with the buttons up the back (what is with that on European clothes?) and I think some patch pockets would have been perfect - the photo on the website looked like there might be some.

Overall, it is a very sweet little dress perfectly suited to how simple and sweet young babies are. All she is missing are the wings!

Available for $34 (on sale) at Nonchalant Mom.