Henkaa convertible dress

There’s just something about dressing Miss Q like my Mini Me that’s so satisfying. We both love dressing like twinsies, and since she’s only five years old, I’m sure at some point she’s going to tell me to stop — so I’m living it up as long as she’ll let me.

When I was at a media preview earlier this year, I was enchanted by a brand called Henkaa. Conceived by a mom in Toronto, the basic dress can be worn, like, 27 ways. And although Henkaa’s primary market is bridesmaids, I thought the concept was perfect for travellers.

I walked away with a short, dove grey-coloured dress and excitedly tried it on the minute I got home. Yikes. Too short for me (and I do happen to like my legs, but they are 40-year old legs).

My sad email explaining the sitch was greeted with an idea: try the dress on Miss Q. Huh? Really?

Yes, really. So I went to henkaa headquarters and got a long version for myself and, voilà, twinsies!

Miss Q is wearing Henkaa’s Sakura Mini Convertible Dress, and I’m in the Sakura Maxi.

THE GOOD

So. Many. Colours. Honestly, if you can’t find a colour you love among all those offered by Henkaa, you need to check your colour wheel.

The versatility of this dress cannot be understated. Short sleeves, cap sleeves, strappy, strapless, one-shouldered. But good luck deciding which one you want to wear each time, because — seriously, they all look amazing!

More on versatility: with the addition of Henkaa-sanctioned necklaces, brooches, sashes and skirt-style overlays, you can change the way a single dress another dozen times.

I think considering all this versatility that $90-170 — based on the length and style you buy — isn’t too bad at all. (Especially if we’re talking the maternity or bridal markets with their serious price gauging.) Heck, you can’t even rent a dress for that price.

Henkaa dresses are made of beautiful, drape-y fabric that doesn’t cling to your bumps and cellulite. It just hangs, creating beautiful vertical, slimming lines. Each dress is also cut on the bias, which is very flattering for every body type.

There are only two sizes — but they work for most women’s bodies. Go for the smaller size if you’re a 0-8 and the larger size if you’re a 12+. If you’re a size 10, it’s best to try both sizes to see how you feel. I didn’t like that the seam around my midsection on the smaller size was on the tighter side, so I went up to the larger option. The downside is that there is SO MUCH MORE fabric to wrap, but you’ll get the hang of it.

I feel pretty confident saying that one style or another in one colour or another will work for just about any woman — even if you’re pregnant!

Easy to care for — just pop your Henkaa dress into the mesh bag provided with your purchase and stick it in the washing machine (cold/gentle). Then hang to dry. Easy peasy.

If you live in or around the GTA (Greater Toronto Area), you can make an appointment to try anything and everything on that Henkaa sells — in its showroom, with a private fitting. (I didn’t ever plan on getting a blue dress, but once I tried a few colours, it was a no-brainer.)

THE GAFFE

Dude. It’s heavy. At least the long dress is. During a recent trip to Punta Cana (where we snapped that pic above), I packed both Henkaa dresses and decided that I could not do so again for a flight since it took up so much extra weight. I have another convertible dress that I use all the time for travel, and I’ll need to stick with that because I generally have a rule about taking only carry-on baggage.

Getting the hang of wrapping isn’t an overnight success. You will need to practise. You will need to start over, perhaps several times. Good thing there are videos to help you. So watch and learn.

My long dress is too long. Even with heels, it still brushes the ground. While Henkaa doesn’t do alterations, the edges are seamless and raw, so they can be cut with good-quality fabric scissors. Trouble is, I don’t own a pair and even if I did, I wouldn’t trust myself to cut on the bias properly. I feel like it would be a situation akin to cutting ones own bangs where you end up with a pixie cut because you just couldn’t get the line straight. So at some point, I need to take it to a seamstress to have it cut. That won’t be free and it’ll eat up a chunk of my day.

THE GEARS

4/5