
Established · $200–$400 · Sydney, Australia

Tailoring and occasion dresses with a masculine edge, sharp cuts meet feminine drape in a Sydney label built on wearable restraint.
Think: femininity with bite
The buy: the open-back bias dress
the open-back bias dress
Hansen & Gretel gives feminine dressing some bite: bias-cut silk, lace and sharp tailoring, made to mix rather than match.
Clean, uncomplicated shapes carry a masculine accent, so a fitted blazer or wide-leg suit trouser sits easily beside a bias-cut silk top with an open back, or lace cut into relaxed tailored trousers. The fabrics run from silk, cotton lace and wool jersey to suiting blends, and the line covers work, weekends and evenings without changing its voice.
From 4 months of sale tracking.
A sale landed in the last few days — Hansen & Gretel runs one about every 9 weeks.
Ainsley Hansen launched Hansen & Gretel in Sydney in 2012, after debuting a graduate range at fashion week and working under other Australian designers. The name pairs her father's surname with Gretel, which stands for the girl, the sister and womanhood.
The idea from the start was femininity with bite: sharp, simple cuts with a boyish edge. It grew from a flagship boutique in Paddington into a self-funded label with boutiques of its own.
From reviews and try-on videos, in our words.
Sizes run XXS to XXL (AU 4 to 16, US 0 to 12). The size guide covers true-to-size styles, and pieces that run small or big say so on the page: some trousers ask you to size up, and one bias maxi skirt sits very high unless you go up.
Silk tops and dresses are dry clean only, and snags on delicate fabrics aren't treated as faults. Beyond silk, look for cotton lace, wool jersey and linen; the suiting is a polyester and rayon blend with a little wool.
Orders ship from Sydney by DHL. Duties and taxes are added at checkout, so nothing is due on delivery in the US. The free-shipping thresholds on its site apply within Australia only.
Full-price pieces can be refunded, minus shipping, if you request it within 7 days of delivery; US buyers pay the return postage and there are no international exchanges. Anything bought on markdown or with a code is final.
The brand says its most requested pieces rarely stay in stock, and it runs limited pre-orders on sold-out styles.
Polyester · Cotton · Viscose, with silk
Works most in: polyester, cotton and viscose
From the fabric listed on 151 pieces · 99% of the range lists it · Checked October 2026
How we read itSee more brands that work in polyester & nylon →

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