Anthro touts the Somerset as its best-reviewed dress ever, and the velvet maxi while still too new to have a ton of reviews, is sitting pretty with a 4.5 rating. Reviewers say it’s “extremely comfortable,” “timeless,” and “the perfect dress for fall.” Savvy shoppers moreover note that, unlike last year’s version of the velvet maxi, this one is lined for widow comfort. For increasingly insight into this year’s go-to dress for holiday parties, weddings, and beyond, four of our writers tried it on IRL to requite you a little bit increasingly intel. Keep on reading to discover which colors our writers chose, where they would wear them, and their own styling tips.
The perfect dress for fall and winter. The velvet is luxurious, but the fabric still feels light and effortless. Plane though the velvet is elevated, you can still use a whup to dress it lanugo for a increasingly unstudied look.
Anthropologie Reviewer
The Somerset Maxi Dress: Velvet Edition In Green, $180
“First off, can we talk well-nigh this color? It’s the perfect emerald green. I love how the velvet brings major festive vibes while still stuff so chic. Maxi dresses can finger overwhelming for shorties like me, so the fact that I could get this dress in a petite length is a total game-changer. (I’m wearing an XS Petite.) It’s moreover so well-appointed that I could hands see myself dancing the night yonder in it — and it has pockets!” — Karina Hoshikawa, Senior Writer
The Somerset Maxi Dress: Velvet Edition In Untried Motif, $180
“My upper school was all-girls, and we wore uniform dresses every day. That instilled in me a lifelong love of dresses and the weighing that, if you like something, you should own it in every verisimilitude and wear it as much as possible, so the Somerset hodgepodge is right up my alley. I unquestionably bought the linen version of this dress the day we published our review of it, and I was excited to get a cold-weather version. It’s the same archetype feminine-but-still-laid-back silhouette, this time in surprisingly lightweight velvet. One of my biggest bugbears is finding transitional apparel, and I hate that so many winter dresses can just finger too heavy for your stereotype November day in Tennessee. This manages to be something I could wear straight through the coldest days of the year while not stuff uncomfortably heavy or restrictive. I moreover love when something this well-appointed can be worn to just well-nigh any event. I plan on packing it on an upcoming trip for a nice dinner out, but I literally wore it all day the day it arrived. I was unquestionably wearing it on a Zoom undeniability and the person I was talking to gasped when I stood up to get something considering she, too, has multiple Somerset dresses.”
“Finally, I fathom that it not only comes in extended sizes (plus sizes run from 1X to 3X) but that it moreover was sized up well. I am wearing a 1X, and the proportions and silhouette squint similar to my straight-sized coworkers. It may seem small if you’ve never had to shop larger sizes, but sometimes a dress that looks nice in a smaller size can suddenly have odd dimensions, like a gaping neckline or comically large sleeves, if they are poorly graded up.” — Marshall Bright, Affiliate Editor
The Somerset Maxi Dress: Velvet Edition In Green, $180
“After owning Anthropologie’s Somerset Maxi Dress, I was skeptical well-nigh how variegated the new velvet edition would be. Yet, to my surprise, there were quite a few striking differences. First, the linen variation is quite heavy, and I expected the same outcome from this velvet edition. Instead, it was unbelievably lightweight. The dress simply glided lanugo to my ankles. (I’m 5’5″ and got a size small.) The dress plane passed the twirl test — with every tiered dress or skirt, I like to requite it a twirl, and this one passed with flying colors. It is not only flexible and easy to move in, so you knew it was dance-approved, but it has the perfect value of flounce to it.
Based on the luxe visitation and rich shade, I could envision myself wearing it as a fall wedding guest dress or to an elevated holiday dinner.
Vivien Lee, Affiliate Fashion writer
Also, the velvet was so soft and not itchy at all, which I fathom for a dress that financing $180. Meanwhile, for the color, I stayed true to my first review and chose flipside untried hue. This time it was in a deep emerald green. Based on the luxe visitation and rich shade, I could envision myself wearing it as a fall wedding guest dress or to an elevated holiday dinner with my timeless pearl Drew necklace from Mon Été Studio and a pair of heels or ballet flats. A drawstring bag or clutch would squint unconfined with the frock too. Overall, I’m glad to add this to my fall dress collection and can’t wait to style this holiday season.” — Vivien Lee, Affiliate Fashion Writer
The Somerset Maxi Dress: Velvet Edition In Pink, $180
“I ordered the dress in a size small in the verisimilitude pink, and I honestly couldn’t believe how incredible it looked. As my style evolves, I find that I lean increasingly toward form-fitting silhouettes, edgier textures, and visionless colors, so this squint was extremely outside my repletion zone. That said, I couldn’t believe how myself I felt without putting it on.
The flowy, tiered silhouette and lush pink verisimilitude (which became unexceptionable fuchsia pops under the light) immediately evoked archetype vampire wench, or at the very least, an old-timey witch ready to work some spells with her coven.
Charlotte lewis, sex wellness content producer & writer
“I don’t know if it’s considering I had just watched an episode of Interview With A Vampire (or just the effects of the spooky season), but the flowy, tiered silhouette and lush pink verisimilitude (which became unexceptionable fuchsia pops under the light) immediately evoked archetype vampire wench, or at the very least, an old-timey witch, ready to work some spells with her coven. I’ll be wearing it with my combat boots to whet it up a little bit, but I definitely plan on wearing it all holiday season.” — Charlotte Lewis, Sex Wellness Content Producer & Writer
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