Dawn O'Porter X Joanie: Looking After Your Sustainable Partywear

Dawn O’Porter X Joanie is back again with a collection of luxurious, sustainable partywear. To celebrate the fifth DOP X Joanie range, we’re sharing our top tips for keeping your occasionwear looking great year after year!

Here at Joanie, we’re keen advocates of buying less but buying better and investing in staple pieces you know you’ll wear and love for years to come. This brand-new 27-piece collection features a range of vintage-inspired sustainable showstoppers designed to be go-tos you’ll revisit party season after party season.

Since I've been back in the UK, I've been in party mode. All I want to do is have fun, and this collection is all about that. From our psychedelic mushrooms to our amazing disco jumpsuits and incredible kaftans, this is me telling you all to go and have a good time. I'll always do my best to make you feel as comfortable as possible while looking as awesome as you can. Easy-to-wear items that pack a powerful stylish punch. These pieces will be your style heroes for many years to come. 

Dawn O'Porter

Featuring luxurious recycled polyester velvet styles, sustainable sparkly pieces, and some of our bestselling Dawn O’Porter X Joanie silhouettes back in brand-new prints, this new collection is filled with retro gems to see you through party season with ease.

The brief this time around was to infuse a little more glam - a bit 'O’Party' into the shapes you already love… a sparkle here, some deep pile velvet there, a fringed trim on a hemline or two, or simply (if that is a word that can ever be used around Dawn) a show-stopping print that stops you in your tracks. Dawn loves cats - not just a wee bit, like really loves them - and when she said, ‘Cat-Kaftan,’ we ran with it! It’s big, it's bold, it's totally bonkers in places, but it's all 100% authentic Dawn O’Porter-approved fun!

Now, we love a bit of sparkle at JCHQ, but we don’t love how they’re made or when they are found at the bottom of the ocean twenty years later. We’ve taken the stance that until a sustainable version is widely available at our price point, we’ll sit out of the sequin game. We’ve worked closely with our suppliers to find or develop more sustainable options using recycled fibres and prints that shed far fewer microplastics (remember to wash in a mesh bag to capture even more!), which means we can sparkle without leaving a trail of glitter behind.

Lucy, Joanie Clothing Brand Director

Tips For Looking After Your Dawn O’Porter X Joanie Partywear

We want to help you keep your favourite pieces looking great for longer, so we’ve put together this quick guide to looking after your #DOPXJoanie partywear!

Wash Delicate Items Separately

Some of the styles in this collection (we’re looking at you, Wow Wow and Staten Island!) are made using sparkly fabric or feature fringe detailing that might get damaged if you wash it in the machine with other garments. To prevent any pulls in the material or snags in the fringe, we recommend washing these items separately or placing them in a mesh bag to help protect them during the wash cycle.

This is also a great tip generally: washing clothes that are made using synthetic fibres like polyester - especially washing them in a machine - causes microfibres to be released, which can eventually end up polluting our oceans and water supplies. Wherever possible, we would always recommend washing occasionwear separately or in a mesh bag to help catch the microfibres and prevent damage or snagging caused by the machine.

Turn Down The Heat

Here’s a fun fact: the temperature you see on the care label inside an item of clothing is actually the maximum temperature you should wash it at, not the recommended one. Washing your clothes at a lower temperature helps conserve energy and mediates the risk of damage and shrinkage in the machine.

Another top tip is to wash your clothes as infrequently as possible - washing breaks down the fibres in the garment and uses gallons of precious water, so if it’s not dirty, don’t wash it!

Air Dry

Tumble dryers are notorious for shrinking clothes, and they use a lot of energy, which can have a huge impact on the environment.

Wherever possible, it’s always best to line dry or air dry clothing - especially potentially delicate occasionwear. The tumble dryer breaks down the fibres in your clothing, and the heat can cause shrinkage and twisting, so if you want to make your favourite pieces stand the test of time, resist the urge to throw them in the dryer.

Steam, Don't Iron

Investing in a steamer is one of the best things you can do to ensure the longevity of your favourite pieces. Handheld steamers are convenient and easy to use, and they often use less energy than a traditional iron would.

The humidity of the steamer helps to straighten the fibres in your clothes and is much gentler than the heat of a traditional iron. If you don’t have a steamer, hang your clothes up in the bathroom while you’re having a shower or give them a quick blast with your hairdryer and watch the creases disappear before your eyes.

Pack Away Carefully

We think these comfy, chic, vintage-inspired styles work all year round, but if you do choose to pack your party season staples away for next year when you’re spring cleaning your wardrobe, store them carefully.

Check that items of clothing are fully dry before packing them away, fold garments along the seams to minimise creasing, and never hang knitwear. It’s also a good idea to make sure you leave some breathing room for garments, particularly ones made from natural fibres. If you’re storing clothing in boxes, ensure they aren’t overpacked and that some air can get to the fabrics.

Shop the entire Dawn O’Porter X Joanie collection online now!