Anthropologie is running a 20% off full-priced dresses and chemises promotion through Sunday. With some new dresses I’d tried on making the website today I hope these reviews may help in your difficult decision between all of Anthro’s lovely frocks.
The Dandelion Wish Dress (now $159) is probably the closest to old-school Floreat the reborn brand has come recently. The longer silhouette, sweetheart bodice and pop of yellow on white and black ring true to what I remember about this in-house line. I love that this dress has straps although the back comes down lower than a standard bra band.
The bodice of this dress has delicate floral lace and those same flowers are appliqued to the skirt portion in little firework-like puffs. The skirt is much longer on me than on the model. I’m 5’8″ and it was about mid-calf on me. You get in and out of this frock via a back zip.
In the past I’d found Floreat dresses to run a little small so I grabbed an 8 in anticipation of the same. I should have stuck with a 6 — the 8 was hanging off of my back. The skirt is much fuller in real life than it looks online. I much prefer the tulip shape the online product shot shows. I think that with some crafty ironing it would be possible to reproduce that tulip effect in real life. Fitwise I love the cinched waist and the sweetheart neckline. I wish the back came up higher as you’ll need a low-back bra with this.
A bit flowier in real life but still beautiful. Nice to see a classic Anthropologie frock! Wishlisted.
Sick of lace dresses yet? I hope not because Anthropologie keeps churning out ever cuter options. This is Maeve’s Lefkara Lace Dress (now $119), an adorable bubble gum frock with cotton petal lace over a nylon underlayer. Though the underlayer comes all the way up to the neck in back, in the front the shoulders are left on their own, meaning bra straps show. The color is truly confectionery pink which I’m guessing will polarize. I like it, though I wish this was a combination dress — how cool would the top portion of this dress be with a camel leather skirt? Or a solid cotton skirt in fuschia or orchid? As it is the dress is lovely but a lot to take in.
I found a medium to fit me well. The side pockets caused the dress to pooch out a bit around my tummy though not too badly. The sleeves are that weird elbow length I’m not super fond of. Lengthwise it’s perfect, just grazing my knees. I like the gentle scoop neckline. It’s a pullover dress — no zipper or buttons.
This is a simple and lovely dress. On promotion for $120 it seems like a reasonable price. Highly recommended! And on my wishlist.
Maeve goes 2-for-2 in this reviews set. I love the Coralshine Dress (now $135)! The online product shot does a better job than my fitting room photos of illustrating the sheen this dress has. It’s name serves double purpose in my mind: it’s coral in color and also reminds me of shiny sea coral. The top eyelet layer is fully lined underneath. It’s a tank fit and flare dress with a defined waist band. There’s a concealed side zip to get in and out of this dress.
A 6 felt comfortable. The dress comes to the knee and the thick shoulder straps conceal a bra. The back is also high, making this dress a lovely warm-weather work to evening option. I did notice the dress clung to my midsection at times — seems static was an issue with either me or the dress.
This is a lovely dress that will work for both day and night. Wishlisted!
Let’s pretend like the Calcada Tunic (now $119) had any kind of side-seaming and was actually a fit-and-flare short-sleeved dress instead of two flags sewn together into a dress. How lovely would this be with any kind of shape?? I sorta get it…light, airy and perfect for summer. But if you have any kind of curves or shape as nearly all women do this dress just looks like a tent. A muumuu. The pattern on this dress is beautiful and you can fully enjoy it in the shape. Then again, you could also tack it to your wall and enjoy it in its natural form as a tapestry.
In addition to being pretty shapeless, the dress runs large. I found a medium to be far too loose so it’s down to a small I went for these photos. And still the dress is pretty loose. On the positive side the dress is silk and is fully lined with a poly slip. It’s available in both regular sizes and petites.
I’m dreaming of this print in a more flattering shape. I can’t get on board with a shapeless sack. Back to the rack.
There are two big reasons why I love the Maitland Lace Dress (now $127). First, the shape is very flattering. Secondly, the lining is detachable, meaning you could put slips or tank dresses of many colors underneath and totally change the look of this dress. Awesome! I think I’d layer my coral Stand-in Slip under the lace for a spring pop.
This frock is made from an unholy mix of polyester, rayon, nylon and oh my god why. There is a thick black band down towards the hemline of contrasting lace. The overall pattern is a large floral petal lace in a beige color. All the more reason for a sharply contrasting color underneath — the top lace is very close to my skintone and once again it can look weird. Can we please outlaw beige dresses? Who ever thinks, gee I’d really like to wear something super-close to my skintone so I look naked at work today.
In terms of sizing a medium was loose on me but not so much that I’d size down. If you’re in-between sizes I’d recommend going down, otherwise stick with your normal size as I did. The dress hit me just above the knees and the short sleeves are long enough that they don’t emphasize upper arm flab.
This dress has plenty of possibilities and that has me ready to buy. Sitting in my cart as we speak, ready to come home as part of my promotional order.
This Yoana Baraschi dress has been in stores for a couple of weeks now but stubbornly refuses to appear online. Update 4/1: It’s up now! I think it will be part of the April catalogue so once those shots appear online I’ll update this review. Until then, here are the main points: it’s $298, grass green, made from polyester, nylon and mesh and has sheer shoulders. The back is beautiful in its own right…though I can’t show it to you quite yet. (Sorry.)
A basic green strapless dress has a meshy lace tank overlayer, creating thick v-neck straps. The color is like brilliant spring grass, very green but a little dull compared to the luster I associate with emerald. The dress nips in considerably at the waist which is wonderful on curvy gals like me. It hits across my knees.
I tried this dress in my usual size 6 and it fit perfectly. Recently I’d been sizing up to an 8 in Ms. Baraschi’s more shift and sheath-like dresses.
This dress is lovely, the color is just a bit disappointing to me. I wish it had a deeper and fuller shine to it instead of the dull matte finish. Will be wishlisted for reconsideration come sale time.
What a letdown the Lara Dress (now $80) turned out to be. This dress never made it to any of the NYC Anthropologies as far as I know. It did turn up at the Short Hills Anthropologie though so I tried it on there. In theory I love this dress. The high neckline is classic and the tie-neck a fun librarian twist. The soft, suedelike skirt is tiered with ruffles but surprisingly sleek.
So what’s the problem? A few things. First, the top feels like plastic. A shiny, slippery plastic with ugly sheen. Yet it’s also somewhat sheer. (Oh hello bra.) Plus the bodice is a little too short — the waist ending up right below my bust. Sizing up meant the shoulders were off my actual shoulders, a non-tailorable issue. The side zip is also prone to breaking — I saw one with a busted zip and the online reviews report more of the same.
I tried a 6 which felt fine but didn’t look right. I don’t think this dress is workable at all for me, which is such a shame because I loooooove how it looks on the website. Boo Anthropologie. As a sale dress this one’s not eligible for the 20% off promotion anyway. Still, I would have loved it. If only it’d been right on me.
Looking for more dress reviews to help you make up your mind about which one gets your promotional discount spend? Here are some more recent sets:
*NOTE: Sale dresses are not part of the 20% off promotion.
Reviews: Devi Dress, Jardim Lace Dress, Lace-Yoke Dress, Sunstream Eyelet Dress, Shibori Patchwork Dress, Tropicalia Pleated Maxi Dress
Reviews: Accordion Midi Dress, Cruz Peasant Shift, Ivete Patchwork Dress, Chroma Shadow Sheath, Bruna Dress
Reviews: Dash Tennis Dress, Stripewise Chemise, Stripe Intersection Dress Dress, Franziska Shirtdress, Greenwich Pencil Dress
Reviews: Voksoper Dress, Rosalie Peasant Dress, Bourgeois Dress, Farsi Embroidered Shift, Lombardia Pencil Dress
Reviews: Great Escape Dress, Elland Dress, Inkweb Dress, Flocked Speckle Dress, Swiss Dots Dress
Reviews: Skyward Dress, Dakota Shirtdress, Geo-Burnout Velvet Dress, Caledonia Cutout Dress
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