Chi Chi London Dresses: Review [AD]

[AD] Contains gifted products

Children often lead the way when it comes to wearing what they love, don’t they? They don’t care if the colour suits them, whether it is fashionable or flattering. It’s all about the way the clothes make them feel. For my girls, wearing a beautiful dress makes them happy. So, that’s what they do. Whether we’re going to the pub, the park or at home in lockdown. I often think I should take a leaf out of their book but I rarely buy clothes for myself, let alone dresses. So, when Chi Chi London offered to kit us all out, I decided to go for it. Here’s what we thought of the company, the customer service and of course the dresses.

About Chi Chi London

Chi Chi London aim to be a one-stop fashion brand for aspirational feminine styles at affordable prices. Their collections offer something for every event from weddings and evening wear to casual, everyday dresses. Their sizes run from 4 to 26 as well as a tall range, maternity range and a children’s collection.

They pride themselves on giving back to the community by working with charities and producing diverse styles made for everyone. They use models of all sizes and backgrounds to represent their brand values. I was particularly impressed at their commitment to sustainability. All packing and mailing bags used by Chi Chi London are sustainable polythene that is made from sugarcane and is fully recyclable. Importantly, they have signed up to the House of Lords Modern Slavery Pledge. This encourages brands to work together and ensure ethical supply chains thereby working towards the elimination of modern slavery.

For me, all these things are incredibly important if I am going to buy from a brand. I often avoid retail purchases and prefer to use a charity shop due to concerns about the environmental and social impact of my purchases. It’s great to see a brand that is forward thinking and outspoken about its responsibilities.

Ordering clothes from Chi Chi London

When the girls and I chose our Chi Chi London dresses, we were surprised at the vast array of options. For adults in particular, there is a huge variety. I was particularly impressed that it’s possible to buy classic, timeless dresses that really are one-purchase items. Often brands relentlessly follow fashion, ensuring that consumers will need to update again next year. Thankfully this doesn’t seem to be the case here.

Another thing that was a pleasant surprise was how quickly our order arrived. It was certainly within 48 hours of ordering if not slightly sooner. It is possible to specify a safe-place when ordering if you don’t want to have to sign for your order. Should the outfit not be quite what you had hoped, any customer can return a Chi Chi London dress unworn within 30 days of purchase. There is a detailed and fair returns policy on their website.

Our dresses

I decided to order large sizes for both of the girls because they had chosen such lovely dresses that we might as well get a few years of use out of them. Libby went for a monochrome midi dress that I think is ideal for a formal occasion. That said, it could definitely be teamed up with trainers for a casual look. She loves the little sleeves and the tie around the waist.

Lia chose a more casual dress that suits her style. It’s definitely one that she can wear for any occasion. We both love the pockets in Lia’s dress, there is a definite lack of pockets in dresses on the whole so we are very much in favour of these. It’s a beautiful colour as well.

After much deliberation, I chose a floral dress. As well as the fabulous colours, I was drawn to all the layers in this. It is sleeveless with a ruched design that definitely covers a multitude of sins. I’d feel quite confident wearing it out without anything over the top, ideal for hot summer days. I’m also really happy with the shape of it and I’d wear it both for a formal event and a pint in a beer garden.

[AD] Contains gifted products