Alice and Olivia is Stacey Bendet's New York label: bold prints, embellished dresses, sharp trousers and the smiling Stace Face motif on everything from sweaters to totes. It is a premium contemporary brand, so a dress is a serious purchase and a wrong size is an expensive mistake. This guide is about getting the size, the fabric and the code right the first time.
How Alice and Olivia sizing runs
Alice and Olivia uses standard US numeric sizing, roughly 0 to 14, with some styles in XS to L. The cut is on the fitted side of contemporary: waists are defined and the tailored pieces are cut close.
The safest method is the size chart on each product page, measured against your bust, waist and hip in inches. If you sit between sizes on a fitted dress, go up; the tailoring can be taken in but not let out much.
Read the fit notes under the description. Alice and Olivia often states whether a style runs true, small or oversized, and whether the model's size is shown. Trust those lines over instinct.
Dresses: silhouettes and where they fit tight
The Alice and Olivia catalogue leans on a few dress shapes: fitted mini and midi sheaths, tiered and pleated maxis, wrap and shirt dresses, and the embellished occasion pieces.
Sheath dresses fit at the shoulders and hips first; check both measurements. Tiered maxis are forgiving through the body but the bodice still needs to fit, so measure your bust.
Embellished dresses — sequins, beads, feathers — are heavier than they look and often lined. They rarely stretch. Buy the size that fits the largest measurement.
Trousers and the Stacey pant
The Stacey slim trouser is a long-running Alice and Olivia staple: a high-rise, slim-leg pant in a stretch fabric that is cut to sit at the natural waist. It runs close through the hip; if your hip measurement is at the top of a size, go up.
Wide-leg and flared Alice and Olivia trousers are cut for heels. Check the inseam on the product page and, if you are shorter, look for cropped versions rather than relying on hemming a flare.
Reading the fabric line
Alice and Olivia fabrics range from silk and viscose to stretch crepe and heavy sequin mesh, and the fabric decides both how the piece hangs and how it is cleaned.
Silk and silk blends drape beautifully and mark easily; most are dry clean only. Viscose looks like silk at a lower price but can shrink if washed hot. Stretch crepe and ponte are the workhorse fabrics behind the tailored pieces and are the most forgiving in fit.
Knits with the Stace Face are usually wool or cotton blends; check the composition if you want machine washing. Read the care line before buying anything you will wear every week.
Prints, colour and matching sets
Prints are the Alice and Olivia signature, and the same print often runs across a dress, a blouse, a pant and a bag within a season. If you want a matching set, buy both pieces at once; prints sell through unevenly and the second piece may be gone in a month.
Print placement varies between garments of the same style because of how the pattern is cut. A placed floral will not sit identically on every dress, and the site photo is a guide rather than a promise.
Shipping, returns and the sale section
Alice and Olivia ships from the US and internationally; check whether duties are included at checkout for non-US orders. Return windows change, so read the current policy — items must generally be unworn with tags attached, and marked-down and final-sale pieces are often excluded from returns.
The Alice and Olivia sale is where the previous season's prints go, frequently at deep cuts. It is the place to buy a statement dress you will wear twice a year.
Where the Alice and Olivia savings are
The Alice and Olivia codes in circulation are mostly 15% referral or welcome codes. They are typically single-use per account and aimed at first orders, so use one on a full basket rather than testing it on a T-shirt.
If the first 15% code is rejected, try the second before falling back to the 10% one. Alice and Olivia allows one code per order; there is no stacking.
The codes usually exclude sale items. On a dress already marked down by 40%, the sale price beats full price less 15% every time, so save the code for a new-season piece.
Fifteen per cent of a premium dress is a real figure, but it is smaller than the drop at the Alice and Olivia end-of-season sale. If you can wait, wait; if the piece is a current best-seller in your size, use the code now, because it will not be discounted later.
Common questions
Does Alice and Olivia run small?
It runs fitted rather than small. Use the size chart and go up if you are between sizes on a tailored piece.
Can I machine wash Alice and Olivia clothes?
Some knits and crepes, yes; silk, viscose and embellished pieces are usually dry clean only. Read the care line.
Can I return sale items to Alice and Olivia?
Final-sale items are generally not returnable. Check the product page and the current return policy before buying.
Do the 15% codes work on sale items?
Usually not. They are for full-price orders, one code per order, and often once per account.
| Discount | Type | Get the deal |
|---|---|---|
| 15% off | Promo code | View at Alice and Olivia → |
| 15% off | Promo code | View at Alice and Olivia → |
| 10% off | Promo code | View at Alice and Olivia → |
| 15% off | Promo code | View at Alice and Olivia → |
