Quince review: Our style editors put the quality of its clothing and home goods to the test
Ever since our initial Quince review, we’ve become personally acquainted with dozens more of its new clothing items and home goods. Our team has tested out Quince’s washable silk, organic cotton, lightweight linen, plush cashmere, and even diamond jewelry. We’re a group of people of all different shapes and sizes, but our high expectations for quality construction are our throughline. To make a long story short, we were happy with most of what we tried.
Quince specializes in timeless silhouettes that will (almost) always remain classics, but some of the fabrics it uses aren’t as luxe as the others. Lately, they’ve moved into creating dupes of trendy designs, which tend to sell out quickly. Below, we’ll give you our honest feedback on which pieces really impressed us, and which didn’t.
To keep its prices low, the brand claims that it can maintain prices at an average of 50-80% off traditional retail costs by sourcing its items directly from makers. In effect, this lowers design costs and minimizes corporate overhead expenses, so the savings are passed on to us.
One of our favorite Quince fabrics is a soft and stretchy material called the Tencel Rib Knit, as seen in this Sleeveless Midi Dress. We also approve of their affordable cashmere collection, as featured in our guide to the best cashmere sweaters.
Quince Silk Slip Dress
The Quince silk slip dress revealed to us the true nature of the brand’s clothing. It’s a flattering, classic style that style editor Samantha Crozier was able to wash and wear for about nine months until it finally tore. That being said, it’s an easy dress to throw on, with a beautiful sheen that makes you feel polished in no matter where you wear it — and it’s highly affordable for genuine silk.
“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,” says Crozier.
You’re likely to get a lot of use from this dress before you experience the same disappointment. It also recently became available in extended sizes. However, its shelf life does put it in the category of fast fashion, so we can’t call it a sustainable option.
Quince Tencel Rib Knit Sleeveless Dress
My favorite part of this midi dress is how stretchy the fabric feels, and I appreciate that it’s thin without being flimsy. On the inside is a light lining that’s slightly compressive, but the split hem in the rear makes it so that you can still take long strides comfortably. It’s an ideal travel dress because it rolls up into a tidy bundle and tucks neatly into my carry-on.
It’s a great value on a casual lounge dress compared to similar styles from Athleta or Lululemon. The trend this summer seems to be leaning towards tennis-chic, so I’m dressing it down with some athleisure accessories. — Gabrielle Chase, associate style editor, Insider Reviews
Quince Washable Stretch Silk Tiered Maxi Dress
While elegant enough to dress up with some heels and a clutch for dinner, I mostly pair [this maxi dress] with sneakers for an elevated and comfortable daytime look. The sneaker look works for me because, at 5-foot-7, the dress hits me right above the ankles, but if you’re shorter, it may fall closer to the floor.
On particularly hot days, I did sweat in this dress (usually I pick sleeveless items when I think I may sweat), and the sweat was fairly visible through the silk fabric. That’s the only downside I found to this dress. I washed it cold on the delicates cycle and hung it to dry. I steamed it to remove wrinkles (ironing silk is not recommended). Each time I wore the dress after washing, I found it as soft and shiny as before. — Talia Ergas, freelance writer, Insider Reviews
