A Letter From Vivian: The Sophia
A letter from the founder
A dress is the only thing in the closet that is already a whole outfit.
On the six things that made me choose the Sophia, how it compares to the dress you reach for now, and why it is $59.95 for our twentieth year.
I am Vivian, and I opened this boutique twenty years ago with one idea: that a woman should not have to choose between comfortable and beautiful.
A dress ought to be the easy answer. One thing goes over your head and you are dressed. And yet the dresses a woman actually owns are the ones she thinks hardest about before putting on, which tells you something has gone wrong somewhere between the pattern and the rail.
There are two kinds and you have owned both. There is the one seamed in at the waist, which looks right in the mirror for about an hour and then spends the afternoon reminding you where it sits. And there is the loose one you bought for comfort, which has no shape at all, so it goes on for the house and comes off before anyone rings the bell.
What I wanted was a dress a woman can sit through a long lunch in and still be glad to be photographed in.
I never accepted that a woman had to choose.
The Sophia is my answer. There were six things I would not do without.
A zip at the neck, so you decide how open it sits
A collar and a metal zip, running down from the neck. Closed to the top it is a neat, finished collar. Pulled down a few inches it is an open V, and it stays where you put it rather than creeping closed while you talk. Most dresses decide that for you at the factory. This one hands the decision back, and it is the difference between one dress and two.
"The zipper at the neck is a nice touch. I leave it a little open, and that small detail makes a plain black dress feel more interesting."
Monica R., CincinnatiNothing fitted at the waist, and nothing to pull straight when you stand
This is the one I would argue for hardest. The Sophia falls from the shoulder instead of being seamed in at the middle, so it skims past the waist rather than gripping it. A woman knows the difference within ten minutes of sitting down at a table. No band across the middle when the plates arrive, and nothing to tug back into place when she gets up again.
"I bought this for a family lunch because I wanted to look nice without wearing anything fitted at the waist. It was comfortable sitting at the table, and I wasn't adjusting it every time I stood up. Added earrings and sandals and that was the whole outfit."
Estelle M., GreenvilleLong, and still light enough to forget you have it on
Length is usually paid for in weight. A maxi that hangs heavy is a dress you are aware of from the shoulders down all day, and it is why so many long dresses stay on the hanger. This one is cut in a light cloth that moves when you walk and settles again when you stop. Long enough to cover, light enough that you stop thinking about it.
"The Sophia doesn't feel heavy despite being a long dress. Nice movement when I walk, and the relaxed fit suits me. Very happy with it."
Geri P., SpokaneShort sleeves, so it is not a dress for one month of the year
Sleeveless means a cardigan over the top before you leave, every time. Long sleeves mean it goes away in May. Short sleeves cover the top of the arm and leave the rest of the year open: on its own when it is warm, under a cardigan or a coat when it is not. That is three seasons out of one dress.
"Light fabric and a lovely flowing skirt. I appreciate the short sleeves, too. Simple and easy to wear."
Judy K., TucsonPlain on purpose, so whatever you add decides the day
A print decides everything for you. It has to be matched, it gets remembered, and it can only be worn so often before it is the dress you always wear. A plain dress asks nothing and takes whatever you give it: sneakers and nothing else for the errands, or earrings and better shoes for dinner. Black, red, burgundy, light gray, blue and army green — six to choose from, and the one you pick still leaves the rest of the decision to you.
"Most of my dresses have a print, so I wasn't sure I'd enjoy something this plain. Turns out I like choosing different jewelry to go with it. I've worn it casually during the day and with nicer shoes for dinner. Both felt right."
Ann W., RochesterIt begins at XL and runs to 5XL
I want to be plain about this one, because it is the reason I brought the dress in. The Sophia is not a small dress offered in larger sizes as an afterthought. It starts at XL and goes to 5XL, five sizes, every one of them the same price. If you like a dress to hang looser still, take the next size up. I have stood behind this counter for twenty years watching women find the rack for their size at the back of a store, and I did not want to run one of those.
"Comfortable around my middle without looking like too much dress. Wore it with sneakers for errands and felt quite put together."
Cherylann D., RichmondThe Sophia, against the dress you reach for now
| The usual long dress | The Sophia | |
|---|---|---|
| Waist | Seamed in, and you feel it by the second course | Falls from the shoulder, skims past the middle |
| Neckline | Fixed at the factory, high or low | A collar and a zip you set yourself |
| Weight | Long means heavy on the shoulders | Light cloth that moves and settles |
| Sleeves | Sleeveless, so a cardigan every time | Short sleeves, three seasons of the year |
| Color | A print you can only wear so often | Six plain colors that take what you add |
| Sizing | Stops at XL, if you are lucky | Begins at XL, runs to 5XL, one price |
I refuse to sell a woman a dress she has to hold in her mind all day. That is the whole reason the Sophia is in the store.
Why we're clearing it now
The Sophia hangs at $299.95 on the rail, which is what a dress finished this way goes for: a collar and a working metal zip set into the neckline, a body cut to fall from the shoulder rather than seamed at the waist, and a full skirt carried all the way to the ankle in a cloth light enough to keep the weight off. I am not going to stand here and tell you that is a small amount of money. But the store turns twenty this year, and my daughter Pearl is beside me at the counter most days now, which is not something I let myself count on in 2006. We wanted to mark it by handing something back to the women who kept our door open, so the Sophia is going out at a fifth of that.
I will give you the honest reasoning as well. A plain dress that fits is not a purchase a woman makes often, and it is the one she ends up wearing most. This is the sort of thing you buy now and find in your hand every week for the next three summers. If that is how it goes for you, then $59.95 was never really the point.
★★★★★4.8 out of 5 — from 3,524+ reviews
$299.95$59.95
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- A collar and a metal zip you set open or closed
- Falls from the shoulder — nothing seamed at the waist
- Full maxi length in a light cloth that moves as you walk
- Short sleeves, so it carries through three seasons
- Black, red, burgundy, light gray, blue and army green
- XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL, 5XL · every size the same price
- Size up if you prefer it looser still
- Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee
Every size the same price · while sizes last
"I work from home and wanted something besides my usual pants and T-shirt. This is just as easy to put on, but I feel more dressed. Yesterday I went straight from my desk to meet a friend for coffee without changing. I can see myself wearing it often."
Suzie H., Fort CollinsTwenty years behind this counter, and what I have learned about dresses is that a woman keeps the one she does not have to think about. Not the one she was most excited to buy. The one that is already an outfit on the morning she has not decided anything yet.
The Sophia is that one.
Go find your size.
— Vivian · Vivian & Pearl Newport
SEE THE SOPHIA — $59.95 →This is a personal letter from the founder of Vivian & Pearl Newport. Customer reviews are quoted as written. · US family brand since 2006 · Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee.