Have you heard of Hill House Home yet? You will. Originally launched in the US in 2016 by Nell Diamond, the 34 year old daughter of banker Bob Diamond, it started life as a bedding, bath and clothing line and has stores in the beachy enclaves of Nantucket and Palm Beach, as well New York.
Hill House Home Solves Summer Dressing
Words by
Melanie Rickey
7th June 2023
If you haven't heard of it yet, soon you won't be able to ignore its presence. Hill House Home, the American business founded by born Londoner Nell Diamond, has finally launched into the UK, and their easy, gorgeous and surprisingly well-priced summer dresses will undoubtedly solve your summer.
Hill House Home's runaway success signature piece is their 'wear-everywhere' Nap Dress, which has sold 600,000 units since 2019. Soft, comfortable, and pretty enough to wear day and night, it has an A-line shape with elasticated smocking, ruffled shoulders, tiered midi skirt, and all-important pockets.
In 2019, however, Nell introduced a pretty dress in multiple colours and fabrics, called the Nap, which transformed her business overnight. The pinafore style dress with its ruched bodice, flared skirt and pretty cottagecore shoulder frills is inspired by old-fashioned nightgowns, and its summery charm has earned Hill House Home the kind of fashion fame brands can only dream of. After going viral during the pandemic, when a new release of the Nap was dropped in February 2021, Diamond sold $1,000,000 worth of stock in 12 minutes.
The appeal of the dress is easy to quantify. Think of it as the daytime equivalent of Vampires Wife’s iconic Falconetti – the sort of dress multiple superstar women choose to wear, and don’t care a fig if they see another person wearing it, hello Princess of Wales. There is a camaraderie in being in club, and so it is with the Nap.
To date 600,000 of the dress has sold – not only in grown woman sizes, but also in matching teen and little girls iterations - and as of last week, Hill House Home, or as it is also known HHH, has launched in the UK, bringing Nell Diamond back to her childhood home, and to live out a teen dream.
The Scallop Lace Delphine Nap Skirt, £165, The Scallop Lace June Nap Top, £120
“I was born in London and spent almost all of my childhood there,” Diamond reveals. Like many young British women of her generation she spent her teens honing her style aesthetic during London’s high street heyday at Top Shop and Miss Selfridge. The legacy of those days lives on with Hill House Home. While it doesn’t promise organic cotton, it does provide a timeless style, which can be worn for years to come, and that is sustainable in itself.
“So much of how I think about great consumer brands comes from being a consumer on the High Street in my early teens in England,” she says, “and it has always been a dream since day one to launch here.”
Solange dress, £165, has a corset-like bodice and smocked panel backing and a flounced hem. The print is inspired by wallpaper and features jewels, shells, flowers, and charms.
There is more to HHH than the Nap dress, but choosing your favourite version is a good place to start a summer dress love affair for 2023. The bestseller is the Ellie, the original style with the frilled shoulders, which is available in a red stripe, green gingham, botanical floral, white broderie Anglais, as well as in a single colour block of lipstick pink.
It also comes in a short version, the Mini Nap, some with puffed sleeves and as scoop neck, others with those shoulder frills centre stage. There’s plenty more to discover with Hill House Home, including chic evening wear, sexy yet elegant cropped summer tops and easy summer skirts with ruched waistbands that are perfect for a post-beach quick change.
Hill House Home grew during the pandemic and its Nap dress has become a cult buy in the US. This eyelet top was one of the first to sell out as the site launched in UK.
I recommend you start with the Nap. Why? Since starting writing this, I’ve seen certain styles go from being available, to sold out. If you want into the Nap club, act fast to maximise summer satisfaction.
Seraphina dress, £215, this party dress features a fully smocked bodice, adjustable spaghetti straps, a full skirt, pockets, and ruffled details. Artist Leïla Dubus created the watercolor cannage print, inspired by Nantucket Lightship Baskets.
