'80s Laura Ashley Dresses Are Now Worth Hundreds on Etsy and eBay
If you know, you know. There was a period of time in the 1980s when everyone in your peer group likely looked like they had wandered off the Little House on the Prairie set—think Girls Gone Wilder. From gravity-defying puffed sleeves (to compete with the scale of the era's sky-high, triple-tier bangs?) to not-particularly-flattering dropped waists to a bona fide bouquet of chintzy prints, the "Laura Ashley look" was all the rage with 1980s fashion-forward folks who said things like "all the rage." Typically paired with white Keds and white ankle socks (how demure!), the dresses evoked a certain prairie prep. And ladies, gather ye rosebud prints: The Laura Ashley look is back, and your stash may be worth serious cash now that tastemakers are coveting sweetheart necklines and floral prints reminiscent of Meemaw's curtains. With backyard chicken coops gaining traction with suburbanites, needlepoint and cross-stitch kits finding favor with young professionals, and the rise of cottagecore, a movement devoted to rural life, is it really any surprise that prairie style is now dominating the runway, or that there are Instagram feeds devoted to vintage Laura Ashley apparel? Here's what to know before you go raiding your attic for your '80s throwbacks (btw, aren't you glad social media didn't exist back then?), or start debating adding a ruffled cabbage rose comforter to the master bedroom. (For the record, we're in full support.)
But Wait—Hundreds?
Seriously—while there are (as of now!) cheaper ones to be found (on Etsy, a $64 brushed cotton purple high-neck is currently sitting in 12 people's carts), there are hundreds of Laura Ashley dresses listed on eBay and Etsy in the $250 to $500 range, not to mention quite a few being sold for heftier sums. (Think dresses with more intricate embroidery.) Honestly, though, many of them are a steal compared to the designer prairie dresses that flounced and frolicked their way down the spring 2020 runways. Our advice: Raid your attic now if you're eager to resell on eBay, and consider reaching out to Laura Ashley-enthusiast vendors, like Etsy dealer Brigit Drinkwater, who runs an Etsy shop devoted to old-school Laura Ashley threads, to see if they want first dibs on your discards.
Why Right Now?
The ruffle revival isn't limited to dresses. In fact, it aligns with the design world's recent gravitation toward a look we'll refer to as "Bold Fashioned"—one that embraces chintzy fabrics, cheeky needlepoint throw pillows, and yes, a resurgence of (gasp!) the voluminous balloon valance. (Perhaps you've also gotten wind of the rise of the grandmillennial, which describes a younger generation that's unapologetically embracing its inner "granny chic.")
In these uncertain times, nostalgia and comfort triumph over modernism and minimalism, and the Laura Ashley look reconnects many of us to our younger ruffle-skirted, Easter Sunday selves. Of course, it doesn't hurt that a who's-who has embraced the frou-frou, with celebrities like Sienna Miller, Brie Larson, and Leighton Meester flocking to higher-end prairie-chic purveyors such as Erdem, Zimmerman, and Batsheva. It's also found its way to mass-market spring chickens: Just last year, Urban Outfitters debuted a 26-piece Laura Ashley collection, sparking renewed interest among people too young to remember Jake Ryan from Sixteen Candles. (Swoon.)
Is the Company Still Around?
You bet your pinafore! While the brand's prairie godmother, who started making Victorian-style headscarves in 1953 and whose first store also sold walking sticks and local honey, passed away in 1985 (and the company has endured its share of financial setbacks, including, most recently, filing for administration during the Covid-19 outbreak), it's still churning out wholesome country-fied comfort in the form of apparel (men's, women's, kids) and home furnishings.
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