By: Blonde Two




From time to time we Blondes are sent free outdoor products to field test and promote. We also have an affiliate relationship with Rohan. We will always be honest about our findings and many products we don’t keep for ourselves find their way into our expedition stores. Great for us, great for you and great for our youngsters!

 

We Blondes don’t get to write reviews about dresses very often. This doesn’t mean however that we don’t enjoy looking smart and tidy. Just like you our work, home and leisure worlds have changed. We’re both feeling the need to swap between cosy outdoor gear and smart work (or work from home) gear far more often than we used to. We still have Blonde meetings but a large proportion of these are now outside. Blonde One’s indoor work now has more of an outdoor feel to it because the windows are all open. Still chilly all day from my autumnal sea swims, and with a growing writing business, I’m finding I have to dress for far more online ‘meetings’ than I used to.

All of the above probably led to us both (with a touch of Blonde telepathy) choosing the Radiant Merino Dress when Rohan offered us a choice from their autumn new arrivals collection.

Merino to the rescue

There can be no doubt that merino wool ticks all the boxes when it comes to warmth, moisture wicking and freshness. A dress made entirely from merino however would probably end up a touch on the saggy side. Not when Rohan are in charge. The Radiant Merino Dress is 30% wool with 70% manmade fibres that add stretch and hopefully durability. Imagine your warmest thermal top then shape and lengthen it to simultaneously warm, flatter and cover your bottom. If you have a curvy shape, swim in cold water or get sudden urges to head outside for walks, you’ll understand how revolutionary this is.

The merino dress test

Of course no gear review is of any value without a field test. So this week Blonde One and I took our new dresses to a field and had a meeting. We also took them to school (B1), swimming (B2), on a walk (B1) and to a Teams meeting at home (B2). They performed in a most excellent manner and even Blonde One (known for feeling chilly) felt warm and cosy on all occasions. If you are wondering how to wear such an intriguing garment, have no fear, we Blondes have been accessory testing too.

  • Teaching – dark jacket, light tights, patent shoes
  • Outdoor meeting – bobble hat, walking boots, gilet
  • Post swim – windproof jacket, woolly scarf, leggings
  • Zoom online meeting – arty scarf, tidy hair, fluffy slippers

The do-everything dress

So there we have it. This rather unusual item of outdoor gear has left us both wondering why we didn’t invest in an outdoor/travel/interview/walking/camping dress before. If you don’t believe use, we recommend you give this one a try. One thing’s for sure. You won’t feel cold if you do.