Credit:
Donna Czerwinski Miller
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I’m very, very bad at dressing for holiday photos. I see my friends piece together complimenting family outfits and I want to have that kind of style—but I just don’t. If it doesn’t involve a leather jacket and a band t-shirt, I need someone to spell things out for me. Trying out a clothing company that offers complimentary outfits for the whole family seemed like the solution to all of my problems!
Enter Ivy City Co., a brand that not only has a wide range of stylish dresses to shop, but also offers matching sets with dresses and accompanying shirts for men and children. For this review, Ivy City Co. sent me the Madeline Dress ($108), the Madeline Men's Shirt ($88), and the Madeline Boy's Shirt ($42)—all in navy plaid. The Madeline cuts are one of the brand's signature styles, so this cut comes in an array of prints to choose from.
What is Ivy City Co.?
Ivy City Co. is known for romantic dresses in a variety of colors and prints.
Ivy City Co. was founded in 2015 by a trio of style-obsessed mothers. At first blush, the brand looks like the more flowery and romantic side of what you’d find at Anthropologie—lots of flowy, floral-themed dresses and lots of ruffles. The clothing at Ivy City Co. tends to lean toward the conservative side of things, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing when you’re dressing for holiday photos.
Ivy City Co. is best known for their romantic dresses, which are available in an impressive range of women's sizes from XXS to 5X. Whether you're shopping for an everyday dress or something a bit more elegant to wear to a wedding, Ivy City Co. has you covered. Additionally, the brand offers some of their most popular prints in accompanying styles for men, boys, girls, and infants so the entire family can look put together (even if it's just for a photo).
What I liked about Ivy City Co.
Up your holiday greeting card game with matching family styles from Ivy City Co.
The prints are beautiful
Almost everything at Ivy City comes in a print, and the prints are indeed, truly gorgeous. I consider myself a connoisseur of plaids and the options here are outstanding. I don’t typically like flower-print dresses, but the florals are bold and strong and I even contemplated trying a few of those options—which is saying a lot.
For the fall prints, there were lots of flattering jewel tones, which made things wearable for all sorts of skin tones and styles.
There are very cute mom-and-son styles
I’m not typically a matchy-matchy sort of mom, but I know some people are. If that’s your style, Ivy City has adorable Mom & Me styles. The options are well-curated so everyone looks their best and no one looks like they are pandering to the style of the other.
The fabrics are comfortable and breathable
When we shot for this story, it was a 75° day in Los Angeles and temps just kept climbing. We were all wearing flannels, which could have been a disaster. The fabrics of the men's and boys’ shirt and my dress were all warm and cozy, but also breathable, making them a great choice for cold weather or for a slightly warmer autumn day.
Their cuts are flattering
As you can see, my husband and son look stellar in their button-down shirts. Both praised the feel of the fabric, while my husband also complimented the cut. Both plan to get lots of wear out of these shirts and—because of the comfort, breathability, and style—I predict they'll be favorites this fall and winter.
As for the dress: I loved the cut as well. Typically romantic-style dresses look dumpy on me. They're usually cut for a more ample chest or more feminine curves. I have more of an athletic build, so I struggle a lot with these styles, though I always admire them on others. The cut of the dress accentuated my assets nicely, while also flowing in an inconspicuous way over body parts I’d rather not put emphasis on.
What I don’t like about Ivy City
This face shows my frustration at the lack of pockets.
The clothes are somewhat basic
Although the colors and styles are very pretty, I wouldn’t call Ivy City Co. a high fashion label. The clothes are modest, dependable, and makes use of classic and timeless silhouettes. If you want something that’s easy to wear yet, pretty, and can function just as well at a holiday dinner as it can at an apple orchard, Ivy City Co. has you covered—but edgy they are not.
The dresses don’t have pockets
I wouldn’t normally count this against a brand, but almost every Ivy City Co. dress looks like it would have pockets. The Madeline dress they sent me seems destined for pockets and, yet, they don’t have pockets. They’d get a whole extra letter grade from me if they had pockets.
Should you shop at Ivy City Co.?
Ivy City Co. offers sweet Mommy and Me outfits so you can get the perfect family photo.
Sure! If you want comfortable, cute clothing
I feel like I could wear this dress to a pumpkin patch, bake a pie in it, wear it to Thanksgiving dinner, and then be comfortable enough to fall asleep in it. My kid wore his shirt for an hour-long photo shoot followed by an epic video gaming session. My husband had no interest in changing following the shoot and neither did I. I love clothes that can look good across a range of activities; these clothes will be a great option for when we are packing light during holiday travels and need multi-purpose packing options.
These clothes are incredibly wearable and they look great across a range of body types. If you’ve had your eye on Ivy City Co. and are wondering if you should take the plunge, you’ll find comfortable, classic outfits for the whole family.
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