I Spent $170 on a Limited Edition Nap Dress -- So You Don't Have To

If you’ve been here a moment, you know that I fell prey to the hottest (or should I say coolest) little sundress straight out of Nantucket – THE HILL HOUSE HOME NAP DRESS . Most of us heard about it after THAT BUZZFEED ARTICLE. Or maybe in THE NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE. Or was it THE CUT article? Editors across Manhattan have tried to crack the code on the secret circle of Nap Dress, and I personally got sucked into quite a few Buy/Sell/Trade sites. 

So when Nellie Diamond, the famed founder and CEO of Hill House, POSTED ON INSTAGRAM that they’re doing a Nantucket Store Only drop, the internet went wild. All across Facebook groups and Reddit threads, women of a certain tax bracket lost their minds about the dress’s inaccessibility. Apparently, they’ve been requesting gingham for a hot second and they have been very loyal to the brand. So, for the CEO to have such a super niche locale to get the coveted checker print, the #NAPDRESSNATION was pissed.

I didn’t think much of it, myself. Paying full retail for anything is not exactly my style. The two colors offered, a burgundy red and a navy blue, were not for me. To me, the dress seemed so not necessary, so overpriced.

But Then The Nap Dress Happened

A friend told me she was going to Nantucket store. I didn’t even ask her for a dress. I was just here for the drama. But, then, one afternoon in my DMs she slid: Do you want one? Do I? Do I? She was literally in line at the Nantucket store, about to scoop up oodles of these Nap Dresses for friends and clients. And I could get myself on that VIP list – if I answered in the next 20 minutes. So…

I Said Yes to the Nap Dress! Within minutes, I replied to her DM, got her Venmo info and slid $170 right on over to her ($150 for the dress, $20 for a personal shopping fee). I asked her to get my size in an Ellie (Nap Dresses run big – size down 1 or 2) and let the universe decide the color. Within a week she was in my hands. I paired her with my favorite AMAZON SUNNIES and YSL DUPE SANDALS and I could not believe how many people envied me.

First Impressions in Five Words

This is Worth Fifty Dollars.

Ha ha ha! I know, I know. You came here for the fantasy. You want me to sell you on this overpriced piece of cotton and slide my discount code in at the bottom. Well, honey, this ain’t happening here because I always promise you one thing – to keep it #REAL. This dress is very cute. But it’s literally made of thin cotton and bands of white elastic. It is comfy, it is cute, but if it weren’t the trend… doesn’t it just look like anything you might see at Old Navy? Yes. The only Nap Dress I ever bought was $50. I finally caved and bought one last fall during their once-annual Black Friday sale – for fifty little dollars! The exclusive dresses, which usually retail for $150 or more, are only ever discounted at that time. And, as comfy and breathable as it is, fifty dollars does feel like the proper price point. I could have bought 3.5 of those clearance Nap Dresses for this Limited Edition one!

Gingham is as old as Jesus so please don’t pretend you’re creating cutting-edge designs here. It doesn’t even have a unique print! I’ve asked about getting Hill House Home Nap Dresses on ARMOIRE so I can rent as many as I want, but so far, it’s a no-go. Rent the Runway and Nuuly don’t have them, either. Maybe Nellie Diamond wants to keep a lock on her “exclusive” items. Not a bad business idea, to be honest, so buying these babies through personal shoppers or on the secondhand market is the way to go.

Things to Consider

You can only get the red and blue gingham at the Nantucket store. If you’re not willing to make the trek, I know of exactly two people who will personally shop for a $20-50 premium. Hill House also says it’s going to drop the gingham print to the public in late August, but that will not include the Nantucket colors. They are rumored to have Emerald, Bubblegum and Hydrangea (aka Hunter Green, Pink and some version of purple). And, although people are mad that they’re only offering these for the whole nation at the end of summer, you can just wait for those if you want to skip the personal shopping fee.

The Verdict: Hill House Home Nap Dress 

I’m not going to tell you the NAP DRESS is a bad dress. It is a good, good dress. On sweltering days in NYC, it has saved my arse a million times. In 95-degree weather at Disney, it kept me cool and cute. But is it worth $170? Methinks not. As a matter of fact, methinks you should just find one on Poshmark or eBay for fifty bucks. But, if your heart is set on something Limited Edition, or you’re just so Americana that you need red and blue, just COMMENT BELOW – I know a few personal shoppers.

So what do you think — Have you tried a Nap Dress? Is it worth the $170 price tag?

— J