With Harper Lu is the Melbourne mother-daughter label for resort and event dressing, with vintage shapes and vivid prints. I have a weakness for clothes made by people who wanted them first, and this edit is how I would wear them.
With Harper Lu Dresses: Gowns and Minis Worth Knowing
A mother and daughter build their own occasion wardrobe
I always trust a brand more when it began with a complaint, and With Harper Lu began with a mother and daughter imagining the pieces they wished existed. Lucia Hanna brought the love of styling, design and vintage references. Her mother, Cathie Burke, had worked in fashion retail and learned about garment construction from her own seamstress mother. Together they started the label in Melbourne in late 2020, and you can read their story in their own words.
I like the mix of eye and hand. Hanna follows prints, color and vintage silhouettes, while Burke has the practical sense of how clothes are made, and the two of them redesign vintage garments and hunt for fabrics and shapes they want to wear themselves.
The identity stays tied to Melbourne without becoming a uniform for one kind of event. The pieces here, from bias minis to mesh separates, make a compact map of that wardrobe.
Dresses for the plans worth getting dressed for
With Harper Lu's dress range makes an event wardrobe feel like a set of choices, not a formula. The Bias Mini Dress and Shift Mini Dress keep the hem short, while the Draped Gown and Draped Backless Gown take the same mood to floor length. The Wrap Mesh Maxi Dress is the softer, more layered line, and the Backless Gown is a clean start for a dinner that runs late.
Picture her choosing the gold-sequin Shift Mini Dress for a night out and keeping the shoes simple so the texture has space. I like starting with the setting, not the calendar: a mini for dancing, a draped gown for a long dinner, a mesh maxi when the evening wants a little movement. What I would skip: planning the underlayers last.
Print-led separates with room to play
The separates let color and print wander instead of asking for a full matching set. The Mesh Midi Skirt comes in leopard, the Frill Midi Skirt in blush stripe, and the Mesh Maxi Skirt in a cobalt floral. The tops are partners and also points of interest: the Backless Top is burnt-orange sequin, the Mesh Tank Top is white sequin, and the Mesh Camisole Top picks up the blush stripe.
In my fashion dreams, she wears the cobalt Mesh Maxi Skirt with a plain tank and flat sandals for a late lunch, then swaps in the Mesh Tank Top when the plan turns into drinks. The trick is to keep one print or texture in charge at a time.
A wardrobe that starts with a feeling
What makes With Harper Lu feel personal is that the founders began with pieces they wanted to wear, then built a point of view around color, vintage references and event dressing. I see it in this mix: a simple mini, a draped gown, a printed skirt and a top with a little shine. Each can carry an outfit alone, but together they sound like one conversation. Although I would start with whichever print matches the next invitation.
