Hooray! The Woodgrain Dress ($298) has made its way back into stores. After seeing it in Anthropologie’s Soho fashion show, I thought for sure I’d missed out.
I’ve tried the dress on a few times now and came really close to splurging on it at full price. One thing I noticed is that each individual dress fits a bit differently. I’ve tried on a medium each time, and the first time it was so roomy I was tempted to size down. The next time it fit perfectly and in the photos you see above it was a little tight across the skirt portion, mostly due to the placement of the security sensor. The dress has bracelet sleeves with a bit of a batwing below the upper arm.
This dress is pure silk with a beautiful amber and navy woodgrain pattern printed on. Note that like the fit the pattern differs a bit from dress to dress. I love how the print looks both up close and from further away. When I buy this I’d like to find one with more of the amber at the top with the navy spilling down from there. This dress calls for a long statement necklace. I think it would be a lot of fun for a New Year’s Eve party. Wishlisted!!
Lil’s Laced With Grace Dress ($168) has a prairie feel to it, even though it’s rendered in silk chiffon. The defined waist is a fantastic element and I do like the small ruffles at the bottom of the skirt. Plus, the green of this dress is such a beautiful color. Not kelly and not a bright green, it looks to me like the color of coniferous trees in winter.
I usually have to size up and up in Lil because the chest is cut small. So I grabbed a 10. It “fit,” although I wasn’t happy with the top half of the dress at all. Ruffles over my bust are an unneeded feature, and a diamond bulls-eye even less so. Though this dress is constructed to flatter I felt it did the opposite on me. I felt like I looked wide and short. Pass!
On the other hand, the beautiful slip that comes with the dress…I wish I could buy it separately! It’s got a pretty shimmer to it, and with a cardigan over it I could make it work as a date dress. Bravo to Lil for including this slip with the dress. I want one.
I’ve already tried on one variation of the Seaside Fields Dress ($138). Even so I wanted to give this darker pattern a shot, because sometimes they fit differently. That was exactly the case here. While an 8 was fine for me in the light version, the skirt was far too tight in the 8 on this new addition.
The dress has a lot of great elements. The waist hits me in the perfect spot and I love the ruffled neckline that gently cascades into a few tiers. The pattern of this skirt is gorgeous and heavier than the other version, making it more winter-ready in my opinion. I suppose a 10 is worth a shot. At sale price that is. Wishlisted.
Mmhm. Let’s just come right out and say it: the Lighted Walk Dress ($398) looks NOTHING like it does on the model on me. It’s so freaking frustrating. I get that the model has a completely different body type, really I do, but even from the dress form shot it looks like this dress has a defined top with a flowy-ier bottom. Not so. It’s just one long lump of a dress.
The medium’s pattern looked horrible on me. Horrible. The top is misshapen like a misplaced tattoo after 20 years. There’s too much pouf to the skirt. The sash is a sad excuse for a ribbon. Blargh. I hate everything about this dress and I wanted to love it. Angry back to the rack!
The D’Armee Dress ($138) is another pretty frock whose execution failed me. The problem? Pockets placed sqaurely over the bust. I tried on an 8 which fit perfectly, but the pockets just look silly over my 34Ds/ The length is good, the waist is in a perfect spot, the fabric feels nice, but again this one is a no go. Oh well. I suppose I have enough dresses for now anyway. Back to the rack.
My final dress of this reviews set is the Lappula Dress ($168) from Edme & Esyllte. A 6 was an easygoing fit for me. Seems like after a season of fitting ridiculously tightly this brand has returned to its norms, and I’m happy to see it.
I love the pattern on this dress though some may find it intense. It reminds me of some surrealist painting. Layer upon layer of floral bunda populates the dress. Normally I don’t like it when the straps are frilly like this but it works here. The waist is an inch or two higher than I’d like, though the length is great. And really I wouldn’t mind if the skirt was just a bit shorter so it hit at the knee instead of below on my 5’8″ frame. Still, it’s lovely. Wishlisted!
