Nap Dress label Hill House Home launches in UK

Nap Dresses are designed for daywear but have the look of a Victorian night-dress. In that respect, they share some features with the original look of British heritage brand Laura Ashley — such as floral prints, smocking, a loose silhouette (apart from around the bust) and a return to an ultra-feminine style that’s also very comfortable.

The original Ellie Nap Dress from the brand remains a bestseller and is available in a variety of colours and prints.

But the company also now offers alternatives to the traditionally feminine style with over half of the 50-piece summer 23 collection including items such as mini and tunic dresses, jersey dresses, co-ord sets and semi-sheer knits.

Hill House was founded by Nell Diamond with the first Nap Dress launched in 2019. And while the look of many of its products is very traditional, the business is far from that.

Diamond has a huge following on Instagram with the fans (known as Nap Dress Nation) tuning in for every carefully staged new dress drop and Diamond’s live-streamed introduction of new pieces.

A Telegraph report said the label has sold 600,000 of its signature dress this year alone in the US and it has also been seen on celebrities including Emma Roberts, Mindy Kaling, Anya Taylor-Joy and Princess Beatrice.

Diamond told the newspaper that she’s had a lot of requests from UK consumers to launch in Britain, given the hefty import duties to pay on goods ordered directly from the US.

But she also said it’s something she long wanted to do. Having been born in London (she’s the daughter of ex-Barclays Bank boss Bob Diamond) and lived in the UK until the age of 18 (she’s now 34).

And she said that all of her cultural references are British while her love of fashion and design was born in London.

Prices on the UK website are around £145-£185 for a dress, with more elaborate designs and more elevated materials rising to around £260, which keeps the label in premium-but-affordable territory.