WOOL& SPRING HAUL! FABULOUS NEW ITEMS, REVIEW & PHOTOS! PART 2!

Welcome to Part 2 of my wool& Spring Haul, a review of the wool& Penny Dress and the wool& Laurel Tunic! In Part 1, I share a review of wool& Greta skirt, wool& Milena, and wool& Livia tank. To check out Part 1, click here!

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wool& Laurel Tunic
I was very excited to try this Tunic because it’s a linen and wool blend. I have been so intrigued by linen recently and have been wanting to try a few linen pieces! The Laurel comes in two colors and I went with Flax Chambray. This shirt is delightfully structured but still soft. It isn’t itchy or stiff and I know it will continue to break in as it is worn. The color is not my personal best but I have found it crazy versatile and a nice warm neutral that really gives an earthy feel to the outfits.

Take a look at the fabric break down:
76% Ultrasoft Merino Wool, 24% Linen
140gsm, 18.5 Micron Wool

There really aren’t many photos of this piece available yet, so I’m just going to share a ton! Here are the items I paired up with the Laurel this for these outfits:

wool& Summit Leggings
Allbirds Tree Breezers in Olive (similar color)
Vintage Leaf necklace (similar in link)
wool& Greta Skirt
Allbirds Tree Breezers in Black
wool& Sierra
Julahas Daria Bosphorus
Wit & Wisdom Flare Crop Jeans (similar)
Olive Cardigan (similar)
Birkenstock Papillio Namica Wedge Shoe
Cropped Denim Jacket (similar)
Olive Cropped Pants

wool& Penny Denim Dress

For the Penny, I created a Facebook post to share some of the questions I had before I tried this dress, and I’m going to share them here. So it’s a little different format, but hopefully it will help cover the features of this dress! (Spoiler alert: I’m obsessed with the Penny)

Here are the items I paired up with the Penny this for these outfits:

Allbirds Tree Breezers in Black
Bauble Bar Rope Necklace (similar)
Sash Bag
wool& Cypress Cardigan
Birkenstock Papillio Namica Wedge Shoe
BaubleBar Triple Layered Necklace (Poshmark link, use code MAMAMELAINE for $10 credit if you are new).
wool& Milena Dress
Julahas Cotton Cape Tropical Twist
Kenda Scott Rayne Necklace

I have been curious about the Penny since I first saw it. I’m a person who in the past relentlessly tried different versions of denim dresses, skirts, and jackets because I was always looking for the perfect ones. The perfect denim pieces are hard to find! After trying the Penny (and the Greta), I am in love with the fit, fabric, and finishing details of both. They are beautifully made and the wrap style is excellent, even on my less than hourglass self.

My stats: 5’6″, 175 pounds (my weight fluctuates like nobody’s business due to medication and thyroid condition), and typically a size Medium in Wool& bottoms. My dress size differs quite a bit by style, because I am definitely a pear shape.

I went with a size Large for Penny and I’m glad that I did. I am able to get a great fit with this dress. Here were some of my concerns:

Would the fabric be stiff? No it’s truly not. It’s fairly soft, nothing like the stiff cotton denim in most super dark fabrics like this. I know it will soften up quite a bit but it’s comfy and easy to wear right out of the package.

Would it gap because of the wrap style? No it doesn’t. The length and the amount of skirt coverage means that it doesn’t gap or fall open revealing too much leg. I was in the car yesterday and noticing that I could comfortably sit without worrying about the dress opening. There is more surplus fabric than many wrap dresses I have owned in the past. (In the photo above I layered it over the Milena, which was actually quite comfortable!)

Would the top peek open or loosen? No. Because there is lots of overlap with this dress, you can get it to fit as you’d like. I wrapped the under layer farther over to get great top coverage, and even when bending over I don’t have gapping and the neck doesn’t show too much. If you are more well endowed than me, you might want to layer with a tank top. (In the photo above, I decided to wear it a little differently, by tying the sash in the back instead of in the front, it’s a softer, looser structure this way).

Would the dress look like a triangle? I’m not sure why I wondered this, I guess because I feared the denim would be stiff, and because I am sort of a triangle myself LOL but I worried it would flare out too much and not be quite as trim as I liked. It’s definitely not a triangle shape at all. I love the way it fits and feel like it’s super flattering and gives me that hourglass shape! I was also concerned it would look too big for me at the shoulders because in a size large but it really doesn’t at all. The wrap style lets you basically customize your fit. (In the photo above, I adjusted the dress to fit like a duster. All you have to do is loosely tie the Sash behind you, on the inside of the dress).

Is it breast-feeding friendly? I haven’t BF in 9 years but I still notice this because it helps a lot for those who are. I think this would work. It would require more adjustments than, say, Brooklyn but I still think it would be pretty doable without too much difficulty.

How will the fabric perform compared to other wool fabrics? I’ll be sure to update this when I have had more of a chance to wear it multiple times. I’m unsure and also very curious about this.

Can you push the sleeves up? Not really, I can’t push the arms up much past my elbow. I wish I could. I think if you are skinnier, it might work. This isn’t at all a deal breaker for me. This dress would look amazing with short sleeves but I love the cut of them as is. I love the fact that they aren’t full length because sleeves are often a bit long for me. I think a 3/4 sleeve can fit more people correctly because there is more room for it to fit differently.

Will the sleeves look bulky under a sweater? A little but not bad! I tried it under my Cypress and it was a little rumpled underneath but it wasn’t uncomfortable that way and it didn’t look bad. I’ll share my pics. I would definitely wear a cardigan over without a worry. Side note: I love Cypress.

Can it be worn open as a duster? It works! I tried it by tying the sash in the back on the inside of the dress. It’s not perfect worn this way but I would absolutely do it in the case that I wanted another option, especially while traveling.

Will it be hot in the summer? In my summers in the Deep South, yes. I think it will be too hot. Keep in mind for most of the summer I refuse to leave my AC unless I am going to the pool. But for many of you, who experience summer like my spring, I think it will work great. It’s definitely not as thick or heavy as I anticipated.