Quince Silk Slip Dress Review

When you buy through our links, Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

When it’s hot and sweaty out and you want to wear as little as possible, it makes a ton of sense to grab a slip dress. But relegating the slip dress to just a summer staple would be a disservice to you and your wardrobe.

The sleek silhouette of a slip dress makes the perfect base layer for colder weather, especially during the transition from summer to fall. After all, slips are meant to be worn under anything.

But finding the perfect slip? A different story.

I’ve tried on loads of slip dresses and encountered small flaws that kept them from being perfect: bulges at the armpits, materials that cling where they shouldn’t cling, or silhouettes that never look the same after you wash them.

Like a perfect white tee, a good slip dress seems like it would be simple to pull off. But it’s profoundly difficult to get exactly right. By far, the most confidence-inducing, perfectly body-skimming number I’ve come across is the silk slip dress from the elevated basics label Quince.

To learn about more of their affordable and sustainable clothing, read our full Quince review here.

The Quince slip dress feels like wearing pajamas. That’s because, unlike the polyester and Lycra-laden silk dupes on the market, it’s made of real, honest-to-god soft silk. The fabric gets bonus points for being completely machine-washable. As long as you avoid hot water and leave it out to dry, the dress is easy to maintain.

And the best part? The dress is only $79. When I was on the hunt for a silk dress, I mulled over dresses as high as $250 for days, wondering if I could justify the price. For me, this dress is the perfect combination of price, style, and fit.

Speaking of fit: I’m 5’2″, so I’m always looking for dresses that I don’t have to hem. This dress is midi-length, so it hits a few inches above my ankles, which I love. On someone taller, it would be a more traditional midi.

Simple elegance is the name of the game, and the Quince slip dress delivers that in spades. It’s so comfortable that I wear it at home when I want to feel put-together while sipping coffee. But it’s chic enough to wear out to dinner and many drinks in Barcelona, which I did on a recent trip to Spain.

As summer winds down, I’ve been wishing that I could wear it every day. It’s so lightweight that it’s the only thing I want to put on my body when I’m facing the late-summer humidity. But in the evenings when it starts to cool down, it’s a perfect base layer for everything from fur coats to denim jackets, to lightweight button-downs.

The appeal of slip dresses is their versatility. For work, you can layer a blazer over it and pair it with complimentary-colored pumps. At home, you can feel like you’re in an Elizabeth Taylor movie by adding a satin robe.

It’s even the perfect dress for wearing on an autumn night out — just throw on a leather jacket and you have the option of taking it off if it gets too hot. You can even pair it with a tiny bag to lean into the Y2K look.

And of course, it’s the perfect thing to throw on with sneakers before you walk the dog or go to the grocery store. You’ll be the most elegant shopper that the canned goods aisle has ever seen.

Like all things fashion, slip dresses have fallen in and out of favor over the years. They were originally meant to be worn as undergarments. Then the 90s proved that the almighty slip didn’t deserve to be hidden, with Kate Moss’ daring sheer fashion moment in her see-through dress to Gwyneth Paltrow’s Oscar appearance. Over the past few seasons, slip dresses have become a summer staple. But you don’t have to put them away once fall rolls around.