Horny Toad Layercake Dress Review
Dress it up, dress it down, wear each layer separate or together. These are the numerous possibilities with the Horny Toad Layercake Dress. The Layercake Dress is available in 3 different color combinations and can be worn in 3 different ways, making it a perfect dress for all seasons and travel.
Layercake Dress Layers
The Layercake Dress, as the name suggests, features a double layer design. The outer dress is long sleeved, comes in a solid color, and has a slouch mock collar. The length of the outer layer is 36″ long, and hits about 4 inches above my knees. The outer layer features diagonal stitched detailing, which helps to break up the solid color and give some shape and flare to the dress. A nice bonus is the small stash, envelope style, pocket along the left hem of the outer dress. The outer dress can be worn alone during the fall and spring, yet when winter comes along, adding the inner layer adds warmth and style.
Outer dress in Bright Navy
The inner dress features a sleeveless design and a slightly smaller, slouched collar. The inner dress has horizontal stripes, with the color as the outer solid dress alternating with an accent color. For instance, the Bright Navy dress alternates with a rich crimson, while the Nightshade (purple) alternates with gray, and the Charcoal alternates with a bright green. The arm cut outs of the sleeveless inner dress are quite generous, making wearing a traditional bra difficult with straps showing, when the inner dress is worn alone. Wearing a racer-back bra easily solves this problem. The inner dress features a slightly longer length than the outer dress, with a length of 38″ and hits just at the knees. The inner dress, when worn solo, is ideal for warm temperatures as it is light weight and breathable. My only issue with the inner dress, is that it lacks detailing and feels a little sloppy. Adding a belt, quickly solved this problem.
Inner dress of the Charcoal color option
Combining the inner and outer layers of Layercake Dress provides a warm and stylish option for the colder months. When worn together, the inner dresses’ longer length means that the stripes show about 2-3″ below the hem of the outer layer. The stripes are also visible at the collar area. When wearing the two layers together, I found that the two layers didn’t stick or bunch together. Rather, they draped nicely together and moved with me as I moved.
Sizing of the Layercake Dress
The Layercake Dress is available in XS to XL and ran true to size, when based on the Horny Toad size guide (featured below).
| women’s | xs | small | medium | large | x large | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | |||
| chest | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38.5 | 40 | 41.5 | 42 | 44 |
| true waist | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30.5 | 32 | 33.5 | 34 | 36 |
| wearing waist | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34.5 | 36 | 37.5 | 38 | 40 |
| hip | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40.5 | 42 | 43.5 | 44 | 46 |
The length of both dresses allows the dress to be versatile for both work and play, as it provides ample coverage. The sleeve length was quite generous, as well, which is always an issue with me.
Fabric and Function
Horny Toad incorporated Jive Knit into the Layercake Dress. Jive Knit is a jersey knit that features Horny Toad’s very own Tencel fabric, which is an eco-fabric, plus organic cotton and spandex. The combination is soft to the touch, light weight, easy to care for, and comfortable for all day wear. Unlike other jersey knits that I have tested, the Layercake Dress has yet to pill, which is a major plus in terms of longevity of the dress.
The Layercake Dress is versatile for most occasions and weather, making a must check out for regular travelers and those that like to keep their wardrobe to minimum, with key pieces that can be mixed and matched. The Layercake Dress retails for $98; a fair price in my book as you get 3 dresses in one. For more information, please visit https://www.toadandco.com/
