Dressing Room Diary: Spring 2023 New Arrivals at J.McLaughlin
It’s become a bit of an obsession for me, but I can’t pass a dress without trying it on. I recently stopped into J.McLaughlin to see what they’re offering this season. While higher in price point than many of the things I tend to feature, J.McLaughlin really does have quality, classic pieces that can be in your wardrobe for years to come.
What is a dressing room diary?
If youāre new here, welcome. AĀ dressing room diaryĀ is when I go into a local store for a try-on session so you can see whatās new and how it looks on a woman over 25. For reference, I am 5ā4ā³ and weigh around 140 lbs. I have broad shoulders with straight hips, a long torso, and long arms. I often buy one size larger on top. Youāll see me try on clothes in colors and shapes that may or may not flatter me because I want you to see whatās in the stores and get some styling ideas. I will tell you what sizes I am wearing to help you understand how things run.
Spring 2023 New Arrivals at J.McLaughlin
The first thing I noticed when I walked into the store was the wide assortment of prints. I seldom wear prints, but if I do invest in one, I want it to be classic. I tend to shop for timeless pieces that I can wear season after season (especially at this price point). This means I pass on trendy prints that are going to feel dated very quickly.
The first dress I reached for was this gingham belted dress in deep pink. Gingham is always popular for spring and seems to be trending even more lately. This dress has a shirt collar neckline and a 3/4 sleeve. The included belt is nice, but if I’d brought this home with me, I would probably trade out the belt for a different one. I’m wearing a medium, but I could have sized up to a large to make sure no gaping occurs at the buttons. It comes in an XXS-XL.
The next dress I tried on was this navy and white stripe dress. The fabric has stretch making it very comfy. Navy and white is such a classic spring combo with a fun nautical vibe. I love that side tie-belts help hide problem areas in your mid-region. I could see wearing this dress again and again, so it would be worth the investment. It comes in sizes XXS-XXL.
For those of you who like to cover your arms and have a longer length, here’s another dress that’s made with a little bit of stretch. The retro-looking print on this dress is called Islet Link. It’s subtle and could go to the office or be dressed down. I think this would be pretty for a graduation, shower, or casual wedding. This is a warm color combination. Available in sizes XS-XL.
Surprisingly, this is the only solid dress I tried on. I love this feminine take on a typical shirt dress in rich navy. It’s a straight fit and might benefit from the addition of a belt. I love that it has side pockets, which is always a plus in my book. It also comes in a taupe/off-white pattern in sizes XXS-XXL.
Next, I tried this sheath dress with this fun, retro feelling print. The warm color palette with red, orange, pink, and tan seems great for year-round wear. This classic sheath dress has princess seams which are figure-flattering and add nice shaping. This dress comes in sizes XS-XL.
This shirt dress almost came home with me. I can see it with casual sandals and a neutral crossbody for a casual dinner out, or with white tennies for running errands. You could also dress it up with a pair of white, nude, or navy heels for an elevated look as you head to work or a fancier meal out. Available in sizes XXS-XXL.
This utility-style shirt dress felt quite casual to me and would be effortless to slip on for a summer day. I’d probably pair it with my favorite Jack Rogers sandals or white tennies. It also comes in this honeycomb pattern in a pink colorway. Available in sizes XS-XXL.
J.McLaughlin Try-On Thoughts
I was pleasantly surprised with the dresses in this try-on. They were all well-made and fit beautifully. Many have a classic, preppy vibe in great-quality fabrics and a variety of prints and silhouettes. BTW-If you’re looking for a rattan or wicker bag to invest in, J.McLaughlin makes gorgeous, high-quality ones that won’t go out of style like this one and this one.
Have you ever shopped at J.McLaughlin?
Shop More Spring 2023 New Arrivals at J.McLaughlin
These are all so lovely on you Jennifer. I live in the low country (SC) and thereās store near me. They have such cute things. I have a couple of their dresses and tops. The tops that I find so flattering are called āDurhamā. They are V-neck and have a small ruffle around that V-neck. So pretty. Also they have good sales on-line. One other thing – Rue La La (join them!) offers really great J. McLaughlin sales from time to time but you have to ask fast! Thank you Jennifer! I just found you and am so happy that I didā£ļø
Welcome, Debbie. Iām glad youāve joined us.
I’d never heard of J. McLaughlin before I read your post today. No surprise as the closest store to me is in Key Largo, Fl. (about 110 miles away). While none of these styles or colors you are modeling will fit my hourglass figure and skin tone, I did find one, The Placid Blue/Off White Paloma Silk Dress, which I believe will fit and flattter. The silk fabric makes it cool for our very hot summer months and it reminds me of a favorite pattern skirt and camp shirt set I owned in the 90’s that I wore until the fabric came apart (about 5 years). The dress will come down to my ankles and act as a maxi, which hides those nasty broken capalaries that pop up as we age. Good excuse for a mini vacation to Key Largo.
I love J McLaughlin! I have the navy striped dress and wear it on repeat! They all looked great on you!
Good to know, thank you.
I thought the pink gingham looked so nice on you!
Jennifer, what a trove of great dresses! They all look great on you but I loved the navy striped dress with the side tie. So sharp. I can see these dresses as classic as I remember wearing dresses cut this way in my youth. Never was into the milkmaid/little house on the prairie look. I hope you took home at least one of these dresses as they are very figure flattering on you.
Thank you so much for featuring the JMclaughlin dresses. Love to wear dresses when the weather warms up. In fact, I feel dresses are so easy, comfortable and flattering for my body type. Love the classic styling which is why most of my clothes are from Talbots. The dresses looked lovely on you and I decided to search out if I could find them near me. I was SHOCKED to find a store in my town and another 10 miles away! Looking forward to a new local shopping experience. Hope there are some items that fit my 5′ 1″ curvy frame. I will also be on the look out for any upcoming sales. Love all of the work you do on this blog!
Good luck! Let me know what you find.
Wow, you look fantastic in these dresses! I’m not familiar with the brand, but will take a look. Likely the price would be a bit higher than my usual, but dresses are a good go-to for certain events. I don’t mind paying more for something that endures, feels great on, and I feel good wearing. Judging by how you look, this brand is worth it. Love the sleeves, the cuts, and even the prints. Thanks for sharing these.
These are really nice quality. I was impressed.
Jennifer, gorgeous dresses, I loved them all. Unfortunately , I have no reason to wear dresses, I live very casually and no events that require a dress. I’ve never heard of this designer, but went to their website and found some tops and sweaters I want to consider. Love your dressing room diaries, I always find inspiration….
You look great in these dresses! I know you have been searching for dresses in response to readersā requests. These are some of the best youāve found.
J McLaughlin has become one of my favorite stores. Especially as the Nordstrom near me has been offering mainly clothes for the very young – club hopping clothes, jeans, crop tops etc. (This started during Covid when, I guess, only young women were going into the storesā¦ā¦.and they donāt seem – in my location – to be able to get out of this style rut they dug for themselves)
I also would add that J McLaughlinās ācatalina clothā dresses and skirts are perfect for travel because they really really donāt wrinkle. And, if they are printed (as most of them are) I have found that printed items in any material donāt show the wrinkles as much.
That’s a great point about wrinkles! These would pack beautifully.
Gorgeous dresses on you Jennifer!! Love that pink one especially. So glad you found something and thanks for sharing. I have bought belts before and a terrific rattan bag form the brand and l keep an eye out when the sales are on. I agree the prices are steep but the accessories really make a difference and are timeless. I wish they did petite sizing as l tried on a French linen dress last year in the sale and it was so long on me, but this year l am going to drive in and check out the store in person. Happy week š
Be sure you consider having things hemmed too. It’s easy and not expensive.
I have seen J. McLaughlin appear in my social media feed and have often liked their line, but I didn’t even know that they had brick and mortar stores. I just checked and there’s one in a town a little over an hour from my home. I’ll be sure to check it out sometime in the future. These all look great on you. I am particularly drawn to the Honeycomb Lawrence dress, but in my opinion, the price is a bit steep for such a casual vibe. I love, love, love your Dressing Room Diary series. It’s so great to see a real person wearing the clothing, rather than some 20-something model. So much easier to picture how the garments might look on me.
All of these dresses are very nice, but none of them look like they would fit a pear-shaped body with heavier hips/thighs. It is tough to find nice styles for a pear!
Not a big dress gal, but I do like the Honeycomb Lawrence dress. Looks comfortable and very cute.
I’ve never heard of this store but I agree that all the dresses fit really well and do look well made. I especially like the striped dress and the shirt dress. They look great on you. So glad you always show some dresses with sleeves.
Jennifer–
Would you share some specifics of the sizes you’re wearing for the individual dresses? I don’t live near a JMcLaughlin, and have to order. My previous experience has been that things run a bit small.
The sizes are listed under each picture Mary. Size M is their medium which fits 8-10. If in doubt Iād order up to be safe.
Love, love the nail color in your toes. Please share name and brand. Thanks.
The polish is by Essie called Castaway. Itās not new but I think Walmart has it.
Knee length dresses are so flattering, but I find myself drawn to longer ones this year — not sure why. The dress on the JM homepage is drop dead gorgeous. If I were a dress person, the only dress I would not consider is the ‘catalyst’ one. It’s the kind of dress about which my mom used to say, “once you’ve seen it, you’ve seen it.” The Collins dress is lovely.
Thanks for this post on spring dresses. I have not shopped for new dresses for some time, so looking at yours was fun for me this morning. You look great in all of them, so I hope you decided on one or two for your wardrobe. I have never shopped at J. McLaughlin.
While I think JM has wonderful versatile well-made clothing, there are no options for a taller larger size individualā¦. I wish they catered to a ālargerā audience as well.
You look so good in dresses Jennifer. I hope you show us how you are wearing them in your daily life.
Spring is trying to make an entrance here so I’m hopeful to put away my winter clothes soon. I did another huge closet clean out yesterday and the trunk of my car is packed with bags to take to the donation centre.
Have a great day!
You do look quite terrific in all of these spring dresses! I own one spring / summer dress – its black And it’s sleeveless with a shirt waist styling. Button up front with belt loops And a collar. I’m not a dress person.
Great looking dresses; just wish they were also cut proportioned for Petites! Willing to pay more for their better quality clothes but I canāt buy what isnāt made in my size range.
I am 4 10 and 110 pounds. I have two of their a-line dresses, sort of a swing style, in XS and they fit perfect. Only the length is a problem and for that I have a fantastic tailor!
Shortening a dress is so affordable and well worth it. I wish more women would use a tailor for their clothes.
Length isnāt the issue; itās the overall proportion. I often take my petite clothes to the tailor to shorten a sleeve or hems of skirts and pants. Those are simple. When I was 110 lbs & and wore a 2P and 4P, I could occasionally cheatā and wear a Misses XS and just shorten the hem. 30 years later, weigh 134 and currently my usual size is 10P or MP. An 8 or 10 Misses that fits my circumference in the bust, waist and hips looks sloppy on me: too wide in the shoulders, too long from shoulder to waist, & armholes cut too deep. I have an excellent tailor but I can rarely justify the cost of having him essentially remake the garment. I complain about the limited offerings in Petite sizes, but I guess God made me short for a reason: if I bought all the clothes I like in Misses sizes, I would probably be bankrupt!
Several of you talk about hemming and tailoring as being affordable / not expensive. I’m really curious what you are paying. Where I live, I recently paid $17 to get a pair of pants shortened. I consider this expensive and do it infrequently. I’m hoping to have a few pairs of trousers taken in — I assume that this will be expensive as well, but a lot less so than purchasing new trousers.
Thanks for featuring dresses. They look great on you!
I have loved J McLaughlin ever since I was lured into their store by a pretty sweater. I do think their clothing runs small and it is the kind of clothing I have to think about due to price. For many years every season they carried a Dalton top/dress with a pretty ruffle at the neck. I think they’ve veered away from that classic style but I wish I had sprung for the Dalton dress version as it would be very versatile. Love the comment above about these clothing lines going milkmaid/little house on the prairie.
They still offer items with that ruffled placket neckline (perhaps less than previously, but I saw it recently).
I love J. McLaughlin and have several of their pieces. However, I hate paying retail. I am my Mother’s daughter! Ha! I go to some of my favorite websites like Thredup or Ruelala and usually find them at a discount. As a matter of fact, I just sent about 4 JM dresses to Thredup to be consigned as they don’t (ahem) fit quite as well as they used to. You look beautiful in these dresses!
Thanks Denise
You look great in the Elora, Collins and Honeycomb dresses. Of them, the Collins is the most versatile, in my opinion.
Sometimes, J. McLaughlin runs too preppy for my style. I did purchase a dress last season for several summer events, and itās set for another run this summer. It may be the summer dress my husband likes most on me, and I like it, too. Yes, their price point is high. But for it, I have a dress that looks nice, fits great and will pull out of my closet with no hesitation for several years. One other thing that I like about this brand is that they appear to run the same accessories every season. So, if you want a belt or a bag to change up a look, itās available.
I hear the Collins calling for you.
Investment dressing is worth it for just those reasons!
Jennifer, you look great in the sheath style dresses. Have a great day!
BTW, used the lip oil last night my lips are soft this morningš
That you!
Morning from Suffolk in the UK, I love to read your blogs and interested to see the wide range of clothes available to you in USA. I liked the navy and white striped dress on you, it has a younger vibe than some of the others, it really suits you. Interestingly I thought the blue shirt dress you liked is the most aging on you, but perhaps its the camera, angles and all that. it probably looks better in real life
So glad you did this review of J.McLaughlin, Jennifer. It’s been a long time since I’ve even considered their line of clothing. After reviewing their prices, now I recall why. But have to agree with you 100% that their classic clothing is worth the investment. Their day dresses are extremely well made and tailoring is spot on which is what drew me to the store years ago. With the exception of the Sabina dress, I’d buy them all if the sky was the limit!
I discovered J.McLaughlin a few years ago during one of their twice yearly (I think?) mega sales and fell on love with their fit and the quality of their materials. I love the purses too. The dresses you tried on looked fantastic on you, but they highlight my one issue with the brand. Iām 5ā9 so those dresses tend to be too short for me. On the other hand, their maxi and midi dresses are very long so itās important to check all the dress measurements before buying online. Essentially, I think J.McLaughlin is similar in style to the UK brand Bodenās styles from years back before everything went sort of milkmaid/little house on the prairie.
You look fantastic in every dress. I sure hope you buy a couple of those.
Great point about the length and height. I do appreciate their lack of āmilkmaidā styling š¤£