In our advice column, “Ask the Strategist,” we take your most burning shopping questions and survey friends, call up experts, and draw on our own personal experience to answer them. If you have an online-shopping question of your own, please send it to [email protected] with the subject “Ask the Strategist.” We’re here to help.
I love this dress, but it’s $700 (literally). Any affordable options for dressing my 3-year-old daughter up like a haunted Victorian doll for Christmas? (Also, TBH, if there was a non-cheesy adult version of this dress I would also die.)
I’m so glad you asked because I have always been obsessed with the idea of dressing up like a real-life Samantha Parkington, my favorite American Girl character growing up. (Give me all the smocking!) You also have incredible taste. If I had a daughter, I would also be salivating over that dress. The fact that it’s literally $700 (with tax) is mind-boggling to me, though. As one of my colleagues noted, for that amount of money, it should be made with 100 percent silk velvet. Instead, it’s mostly viscose. Perhaps the lace trim is vintage from 1900? Doesn’t look like it.
If you’re serious about achieving those haunted vibes, I would go the vintage route. There are decent options online at places like Etsy, but sizing will be tricky. U.K.-based Strategist senior editor Ailbhe Malone suggests looking for vintage Laura Ashley (I loved Laura Ashley clothing as a kid and still do), but you could also search by keyword.
This little number is a pretty close dupe, except it’s in black, which, I would argue, makes it even more gothic. It’s got the lace trim on both the collar and the sleeves with a two-inch vintage grosgrain ribbon that the seller has added. While it doesn’t have a label, the seller believes it is from the ’60s and says the condition is “very good.” It’s noted as a size 5 to 6, but as with all vintage clothing, I would check the measurements listed to see if it would work for your little girl.
I love these two dresses, and the size would be great for your daughter. They’re both made from cotton velvet and have lace collars and cuffs, and the red one even has smocking, my favorite feature of dresses for little girls. And you can’t beat the price of two dresses under $40. She could wear one Christmas Eve and the other Christmas day.
It doesn’t have the lace trim, but the cherry red screams holiday, and the tiny embroidered floral details are very sweet. You could always add your own lace collar. It’s a size 6, but again, check the measurements. Your daughter could also grow into it.
This isn’t vintage, but Etsy is also great for finding custom-ish dresses, like this one that has a French lace collar that I actually love. The forest green is also quite holiday appropriate. It’s not cinched at the waist like the original pick, but the relaxed shape makes it easier to size.
For new dresses, there are several companies out there making really beautiful traditional clothing for children, some of which is actually reasonably priced. I (reluctantly) thank the royals for putting some of these brands on my radar, including Pepa London and La Coqueta.
I love this dress from British company La Coqueta, which manufactures its garments in Spain. It’s made from 100 percent cotton velvet in a deep burgundy color and has sweet details like faux buttoned pockets and a fit-and-flare silhouette (in addition to the frilly lace-trimmed collar and sleeves). If you want something new, this is your best bet.
Here’s a green velvet dress with more subtle lace trim that I think looks really nice, too.
And a black velvet version that has cotton sleeves and a Peter Pan collar and cuff details in cotton instead of velvet.
This is a little more expensive with limited sizing, but I thought I’d include it as another (new) gothic option. It has short sleeves with a lace collar that’s also hand-smocked, a very nice detail.
If you’re not married to velvet, this corduroy one is also similar and would be a little less precious from a maintenance standpoint.
And finally, if you act right this second, you can buy the last 3Y size of the baby version of the same Bonpoint dress, which is nearly half the price of the style you sent. This one has the same collar but not the sleeves nor the cinched waist, but it’s pretty close. (It’s $410 on the Bonpoint website, so this is actually a relative steal.)
Bonus: For you, I found a bunch of not-too-frumpy vintage styles on Etsy that I would definitely wear myself, if you were serious about doing a mommy-and-me matching situation. The first one from ’90s Calvin Klein is a straight dupe, but the others are lovely as well. (I also found one that’s nearly identical to the Bonpoint at Doen, but it is sadly sold out.)
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