Chadwicks

Pros:  Stylish clothing made mostly of pure linen, cotton, silk; easy website, good service, prompt shipping

Cons:  Clothing wrinkles easily, requires ironing or dry cleaning

The Bottom Line:  If you want stylish clothing made of materials of natural fibers, then I highly recommend Chadwick's of Boston

Full review
Pure linen, cotton, and silk seem to be the specialty fabrics of Chadwick's of Boston. Chadwick's carries very stylish women's clothing made of natural fibers, plus some items that combine rayon or nylon with natural materials.

Their clothes are beautiful and stylish, but there is a downside--wrinkles. If you order, get ready to crack out your iron or to send to the dry cleaners. Most items can be washed. A few require dry cleaning but this is specified in the item description.

The clothing from Chadwick's of Boston is ideal for those of you that love natural fabrics. I know that fashionable clothing made of pure linen, cotton or silk is not always easy to find, so I'm sure this is just the place some of you would enjoy.

Their attractive website features gorgeous photos of well-modeled clothing. Their catalogs seem to contain more clothing than their website, but you can order items from their catalog online. If you aren't receiving their catalogs, you can request them through their website.

Although their clothing is beautiful, I won't be ordering again because I like wash and wear fabrics, which are usually polyester and not carried by Chadwick's. At least the only thing I see in polyester on their website is shorts.

I placed one order for three pieces of casual clothing--a linen shirt, a long pair of cotton pants, and another pair of pants that I believe was a rayon combination. None of these required dry cleaning. The blouse was an attractive color and well-styled. However, not only did it require ironing after each washing, but it would be wrinkled by midday, especially in the back. After each washing, both pairs of pants needed sprinkling with water followed by ironing.

I'm speaking of these items in the past tense because I've gotten rid of them already. They were just too much work, especially for casual clothing. I also didn't like the fact that they all wrinkled too much during the day as they were being worn.

The Chadwick's of Boston website has many convenient sections so that it's fairly easy to find the type of clothing you're looking for. Different types of clothing are featured in what they call Departments, including Dresses, Skirts and Sweaters, Blazers and Cats, Shoes, Swimwear, and a few others. Click on any of these and there will be further breakdowns, such as Casual, Career, Social, Business Casual.

The large clear photos make it very easy to see the style, cut, and colors of the garments, but be sure you're familiar with the fabric's characteristics before ordering. Some items show a closeup of the fabric, but if they have a description of fabric care, I didn't see it.

If you decide to order, check their size chart first. Their sizes seem to run smaller than is customary.

Prices aren't cheap, but they are quite reasonable. Specials are better priced. They accept returns that are shipped to them, but not at their stores. They say that satisfaction is guaranteed, but unlike some mailorder/online stores, their guarantee is rather vague.

Shipping was prompt and the clothing arrived within about a week or ten days. The clothing had a peculiar smell, but I've come to expect this when receiving clothing my mail, no matter what the fabric is. Of course, I had to wash and iron everything before wearing.

Although I was dissatisfied with my order, I accept most of the blame because of not recognizing the upkeep and care requirements of the fabrics. Everything else about the order was satisfactory and I liked the experience of ordering on their website.

I highly recommend Chadwick's of Boston if you want stylish clothing made of natural fibers and if you don't require wash and wear. I found ordering to be easy and their service was satisfactory. I'm giving Chadwick's of Boston a high rating with the understanding that their clothing is not for everyone, but is exactly what many will want.