It is BEAUTIFUL here today–it’s supposed to be a high of 66 degrees! I couldn’t think of a more fitting blog post today featuring two beautiful summer house dresses (aka dresses that are comfy enough to wear around the house, but cute enough to wear everywhere outside the house too!) made by a new-to-me brand you will love! ????????
Dynasty George House Dresses: The WOC-owned, sustainable and ethical startup you need to know about!
You may have seen me sharing about Dynasty George over on Instagram over the past couple weeks, as they are currently in their first round of fundraising on kickstarter and trying to hit their next goal of $25K! (Thanks to Jill for introducing me to them–she’s a fellow house dress enthusiast too. ????)
I fell in love with their mission so much. And knew that this community LOVES a good house dress. And even more–loves supporting small women-owned brands! I purchased one of her dresses a couple weeks back, and have been chatting with their founder and designer, Dynasty Casanova, over on Instagram since! (I guess you could say I sometimes aggressively friend small brands that I love?! ????)
I had a fun collaboration idea and threw it out to her––if she had any extra samples lying around, I’d love to do a little try-on to help boost her fundraising efforts! (Because one of my favorite parts of having this platform is being able to help promote other women! And I know we can help her get to that $25K mark! ????????)
Thus–the samples arrived yesterday, I shot a few photos with my iPhone tripod, and here we are!
More about the brand:
The Brooklyn-based brand was launched by designer Dynasty Casanova in the midst of the pandemic, when she found herself out of work as a freelance full-time fashion designer.
Oh, on top of that, she was also pregnant with her first baby! (This REALLY struck a chord with me, as someone who is also pregnant with her first baby––I have a hard enough time just brushing my teeth in the morning, much less losing my job and launching a brand while pregnant!?)
Her mission was to make beautiful yet super comfy dresses designed to be lived in. (AKA–house dresses as we love to call them around here)–and to see women through all stages of their lives, no matter what those might look like. (Adorable for those who don’t have kids. But also happen to be pregnancy and postpartum-friendly, should you decide to take that path in life!)
On top of her mission to design versatile, comfortable dresses that make women feel beautiful, she was also committed to creating a brand that was sustainable and ethically made. All the fabric used to make her dresses is deadstock fabric (aka, leftover fabric that would’ve been thrown away otherwise–and once it’s gone, it’s gone!) and made in a family-owned factory in India where all workers are paid fair living wages.
How you can support the brand and get an awesome dress in the process:
The brand is currently fundraising via Kickstarter and she’s offering her spring line of dresses in exchange for a kickstarter contribution! Again, these dresses are made with deadstock fabric. So when they’re gone, they’re gone–this is the only time they’ll be available!
I first ordered myself a Clementine dress (in the floral which is now sold out. But now that I tried on the sample, I want a gingham version too!) and after I tried on her sample of the Daphne dress, I went back and added one to my order as well! ????(Still wavering on the gingham too…)
How to purchase a dress:
Click here to go to the kickstarter page. Scroll down to read more about the brand and check out the lookbook to see what they are offering in exchange for a pledge for a certain amount. You can snag some cute accessories, or if you’ve got $150 to spend, you can get one of her beautiful dresses! Then click “back this project” and select which one you want!
…now, the most fun part! Let’s highlight her two most popular dresses!
The Daphne Dress:
First up, we have the Daphne Dress! To be totally honest I thought this was so cute on the model but wasn’t sure it would be my thing. But I figured “why not give it a try?” and I’m SO glad that I did! It’s so comfortable and the sleeves just give a little more coverage which is appreciated for in-between weather and wearing it around the house, you know?
It can be worn either on the shoulder or off the shoulder, and has a tie in the back that is perfect for keeping the sleeves exactly where you want them (whether that’s off or on your shoulder). I personally think *on* the shoulder is great during the day and *off* the shoulder is perfect for a date night or wearing it out and about to make it a little more sexy/dressy! (You can totally wear this with slides or sneakers or throw on a pair of heels and some earrings to dress it up!)
The waist is SUPER stretchy and smocked, so it has lots of give and the wrist is also elastic (I prefer to wear the sleeves pushed up to 3/4 length, as I do with basically all sleeves–but it looks really cute both ways!)
The material is artisan-woven organic cotton. And I would say it’s light to medium weight, with a super lightweight lining underneath (ensuring it’s not see through!) The material feels very lived in and soft–not scratchy at all! I’m wearing the chamomile color here, which is a really pretty off-white. (It’s the color I ordered for myself!) It also comes in a sweet pink floral.
Sizing:
I’m wearing a medium here, as that’s what the size of her samples were. But a small would be my true size, so there is a LITTLE more material on the one I’m wearing here vs. what a small would look like! However, the mediums totally work in both dresses! I’m also about 5’6 for height reference. (See the size chart on the kickstarter page!)
How to purchase this dress:
Click here to go to the kickstarter page. Then click “back this project” and select which one you want! See size chart by scrolling down on the main page here, and make sure to fill out the sizing survey linked below it to indicate what size you want!
The Clementine Dress:
Now we have the Clementine dress!
This dress in the floral print was the one I ordered a couple weeks back when I first discovered the brand! However, I think I might have to go back and order this crinkled gingham version for myself too–it’s just too good! (Again, this one is just her sample!) It’s got a fully smocked (front and back) boddess with adjustable tie straps. The straps are thick enough to cover your bra strap which is awesome. But I’m actually not even wearing a bra here. And I think in this dress you can easily get away without one! (Or you can wear stickies!)
The material, like the Daphne dress, feels like a lived-in cotton–which is organic and artisan-woven–and I’d say it’s light to medium weight. Not thin, but it’s light enough to wear on a hot summer day. And thick enough to where it’s not see-through. And a good enough weight to not fly up to your waist with the slightest wind, which is very appreciated! In addition to this tan gingham, it also comes in a punchy poppy red!
Sizing:
Also wearing a medium here but my true size in this is a small! (Medium was just the size of the samples she had!) However, the medium size also works great for me too–proof that this dress really can accommodate all kinds of changing shapes and sizes as your body evolves over the years! I’m also 5’6 for height reference!
How to purchase this dress:
Click here to go to the kickstarter page. Then click “back this project” and select which one you want! See size chart by scrolling down on the main page here, and make sure to fill out the sizing survey linked below it to indicate what size you want!
Don’t want a dress, but want to contribute?
You can pick any other reward as well for contributing to her kickstarter–she has some really cute accessories at lower price points–like her bows, or a tote bag!
