Monday, March 19, 2012

Diane von Furstenberg Linda wrap dress

Diane von Furstenberg has a few styles that come back season after season.  In a prior post I talked about Julian and Jeanne, which are a year round silk jersey.  Linda is a sweater wrap dress!

Cut
Linda is a true wrap style dress with a self fabric belt.  The neck is collarless.  The sleeves are long.  The skirt is not quite pencil, not quite A-Line.

Fabric
DvF usually releases Linda in heavier weight fabrics.  I have

  • Cotton Club (100% Cashmere)
  • Spotted Cat Neutral (80% cotton, 20% silk)
  • Forest (100% wool)
  • Large Cat (100% wool)
The fabric patterns are printed on the outside.  Linda is very cozy and warm, like wearing a blanket, or a classy Snuggie.  I can wear my Julian's and Jeanne's year round, but Linda is a winter and cool weather dress. 

Sizing
Linda comes in P (XS), S, M, L.  Because of the weave, I find the Linda runs a bit bigger than usual.  I usually wear an 8 in DvF, but my Linda's are small.


Tuesday, March 13, 2012

3 tips on how to tell a fake DvF silk wrap dress


Fake DvF tag
Here's some quick tips to avoid buying a Diane von Furstenberg fake.



1) If it's a silk dvF wrap dress, the pattern is printed on the outside (only).  The pattern shouldn't also be on the inside, unless the fabric is folded over at the collar or cuffs for example.

2) If it's a silk dvf wrap dress, Tag should say 100% silk.  NOT 100% silk jersey.

3) Tag should NOT say "Shell:" if it's a wrap.  This is a dead giveaway from fakes ~2008.  Wraps don't have a shell, they're one piece.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Diane von Furstenberg Julian vs Jeanne

Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress. You know you want one, but which? The classic DvF wrap dress styles are the "Jeanne" and the "Julian". Both have been part of the DvF collection for over 5+ years and multiple seasons. The wrap dress is her signature!

Fabric

Both the Jeanne and Julian printed wraps are made of luxurious, 100% silk jersey. Depending on the season, the patterns can be floral, animal, or logos. The weight and texture of the fabric is the same, the difference is just the pattern. This isn't a delicate, tearable silk. It's durable (I have dresses that are 7 years old) and packs very easily. Just shake your dress and it's ready to go! Also, depending on the pattern, stains can be easy to hide. DvF also offers a rayon Jeanne and Julian. These dresses are 85% viscose/15% polyamide, and in navy, chocolate and black.

Cut

The biggest difference between the Jeanne and Julian is the Jeanne has a collar, and the Julian is collarless. Both have a self-fabric belt that ties (wraps) at the waist. Both fall around knee (depending on your height). Both skirts are not quite A, not quite pencil, but comfortable.

Sleeves

The Jeanne has long sleeves which fasten with a metallic button at the cuff. The Julian has 3/4 notched sleeves. However, I have occasionally seen "Long Sleeved Julians". These have long sleeves, but no cuff.

Sizing

A wrap is a forgiving dress. Unlike pants or sheaths, you can be off-size. However, the arms can be very tight. I recommend trying on dresses at the store to get a feel for your true size.

Tags/labels

An authentic DvF dress will have a Diane von Furstenberg tag at the collar. It'll have a rectangular size tag also. The content should always say 100% silk, unless it's 85% vicose 15% polymide classic rayon wrap. The content should NEVER say Shell: 100% silk. There's no shell in authentic Jeanne/Julian. This tag is a sign of a fake. Along the waist seam, there's a small tag with the style name. On newer dresses, there will also be a hologram of Diane's face in the waist seam.

New vs Old

The Jeanne in stores now could be labeled as the "New Jeanne" or "New Jeanne Two". The "Jeanne" (old) had holdback French cuffs instead of buttons. I also found the arms in the old Jeanne to be tighter. Also, there's the New Jeanne and the New Jeanne Two. The New Jeanne had gold buttons, the New Jeanne Two seems to have NO buttons.