Note: Product was provided for free by wool&, but my opinions remain honest.
wool& is a women's fashion brand based in Portland, Oregon that makes dresses out of what they feel is nature's finest material — wool. They are the sister brand to Wool&Prince, and currently have a small collection of dresses made from merino wool, with more selections coming at the end of the year. Their dresses claim to be naturally wrinkle and odor resistant, breathable, temperature regulating, and quick-drying.
The brand aims for a "less is more" approach, which is reflected in the simple, clean designs of their dresses, but some customers have even taken on challenges like wearing one wool& dress for anywhere from five to up to 100 days in a row. wool& reached out to me and offered me a dress in exchange for an honest review; while I didn't commit to 100 days in the same piece, I did take the dress for a spin on a sunny Saturday. Read on for my thoughts!
wool& sent me their Laurel Belted Tunic in vintage blue chambray. This piece is versatile in that it could be worn as a dress (at least for me, standing at 5'2.5"), or it can be worn as a tunic with jeans, pants, or leggings underneath. I'm not really a leggings girl myself but I do love my jeans, so I paired the tunic with a pair of black skinny jeans and white leather sneakers.
My first impressions upon receiving the tunic were really positive. It's made from a blend of 76% wool and 24% linen, and is soft to the touch; I was worried that the tunic might be scratchy, given the wool content, but that totally wasn't the case.
I also like that the tunic doesn't have belt loops, making it easier to wear this without the belt without having belt loops on the shirt with nothing to do. I actually preferred the look of the tunic without the belt, so this worked out nicely. The tunic is also of very nice quality: thick without being too stiff, airy without lacking substance. This is a piece that you'll be able to wear all year long, styled accordingly for the weather.
My one small gripe (and it is admittedly pretty minor) is that I found this difficult to iron. Even with my iron set to the "wool" setting, which is on the higher end of the heat spectrum, all of the crease marks from being folded in the package didn't come out (the picture above is of the tunic after being very thoroughly ironed). Body heat eventually helped get most of the remaining crease marks out, but it's kind of embarrassing to go out looking like you just threw something on fresh out of the package.
Easy to style, easy to wear
As I mentioned above, I went with a pretty easy look for my first wear: black skinny jeans, white sneakers, and the tunic, paired with simple gold jewelry and a brown leather purse. It was a somewhat warm day, but I didn't feel overheated in this. I'm a pretty sweaty person, but I didn't sweat in this dress — it's definitely as breathable as wool& claims it to be.
The tunic felt just as soft on as it did in my hands when I got it out of the package, and didn't make me itch at all during the day. It also has a curved hem and side slits, making movement really easy and less constricting around the hips.
There's no boob gap with this tunic, so you don't have to worry about your bra peeking out due to any weird button placement or spacing, which some button-down tops/dresses have. I also love that this piece has structure (it isn't totally drapey or swingy) while still being soft and comfortable to wear. wool& notes in the product description that the tunic will only get softer with time, but whether that will impact the tunic's overall shape and make it look less structured, I'm not sure. Hopefully not.
Final thoughts
The Laurel Belted Tunic is a beautiful piece, and a natural fit for my wardrobe. If you're looking for something that's easy to style, versatile, and can be worn through the seasons, this is a great option. However, $148 is definitely a steep price point; I respect that wool& is a smaller operation and that this is definitely a high-quality purchase, but it's made in China, at a price that similar brands are charging for pieces that are made in the USA.
Obviously I have no problem with something being made in China (though I love to support brands and artisans that make things here at home), but again, typically if I'm going to pay that much for something from a smaller brand, I'd like to see it made in the USA. And while I was gifted this item, I liked it so much that I'm considering buying it in the other color (gray stripe), but may need to wait a little while before jumping into that purchase because of the price.
Overall I do recommend wool&'s Laurel Belted Tunic; this was a great first impression, since I'd never tried anything from this brand before, and I'm looking forward to styling this piece in different ways. It's classic, timeless, and of very nice quality — wool is certainly one of nature's finest materials, and wool& knows how to bring out its beauty.
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