Reviews: Layla Pullover, Tidal Maxi Dress, Sunland Dress, Azure Scroll Dress, Level 99 Chambray Shorts, Tonala Tank

Ruffles are back. Yay! Anthropologie’s Layla Pullover ($88) and more, reviewed.

Sometimes Anthropologie’s product photos reel me in. Take the photo above for example. After seeing the ruffle I was already all about the Layla Pullover ($88). Seeing them styled with J. Brand’s Kassidy Cargo Jeans ($231) gave me the brilliant idea of wearing the sweater with my J. Brand Graysons — I have them in black and Anthro stocks them in green; you can also catch them at Nordstrom Rack if you’re lucky for much, much less. While I was trying to figure out that it was the Kassidy Cargos shown with the sweater I stumbled across these Citizens of Humanity cargos (*drool*)…and I really need to stop now.

Inside, reviews from across a few Anthro categories.

Layla Pullover ($88) by Clu + Willoughby, true to size
Style #: 4112595374012; ivory (011) or blue motif (049)
★★★★☆

Note: My sizing is currently floating — I started a new muscle-toning exercise regimen in June! For reference I am currently sitting at 34-30-39, size 6/M in sweaters, 6 in dresses and 30 in pants, 34D. I am 5’8″.

Yes, yes, yes! I love the idea of a preppy striped sweater with a tiny ruffle thrown in. Such is the case with the Layla Pullover ($88), a fragile pointelle knit with an adorable buttoned ruffle on one side. Can you see the little hearts escaping from me in the photo above? I should state right up front that I’m iffy on the long-term durability of this sweater. The stitching at the seams is suspect — you’ll want to flip this inside out and check along the shoulders, wrists and neckline before you pick one to keep. Being an open pointelle knit this sweater can easily snag, tear or unravel. I’m willing to take the risk in the name of cuteness.

The sweater is an unholy mix of polyester, rayon and spandex. I’m in my usual size medium for the photos above, with the Reversible Seamless Tank ($24) in nude underneath. I found the fabric to feel light and not itchy, the length to be perfect and the ruffle to be freakin’ adorable. I’m also enamored with the scoopneck and I like the way the ruffle is pleated and the material used. An accent button where the ruffle meets the sweater is equally cute. The sweater hits below the hips on me, while the ruffle opens up on your left side. (Remember these photos are mirror images.)

As mentioned before the jump I plan to wear this sweater with my J.Brand Grayson Cargos (I took my usual J.Brand size 31 in these, which is 1-2 sizes up from my usual jeans size. They stretch as you wear them but are very tight when you first put them on.) For these photos I’m wearing AG Jeans’ Blanc Denim Pencil Skirt ($138). I’ll do a full review of the skirt soon but here’s the bottom line: it runs a little small. I sized up to a 31 for these photos.

Vanessa Virginia’s Tidal Maxi Dress ($148) is one of my favorite shots from Anthropologie’s July 2014 lookbook. But the community soon started reporting that not only does the pattern placement change from dress to dress, the overall color of the dress varies quite a bit! I snapped this photo above at the Rockefeller Center Anthropologie and as you can see every tie-dye is a little different — some are muddier, some are cleaner. Some of the dresses are more yellow, some are closer to green or blue. I think it’s all kind of fun! But if you’re ordering this dress online I can see how it quickly become a disaster…

Tidal Maxi Dress ($148) by Vanessa Virginia, size down
Style #: 4130211814472; shibori tides (038) or tiled (049)
★★★☆☆

I chose to try on a more blue-dyed version of the Tidal Maxi Dress ($148). This maxi has the same wide elastic waistband that all of Vanessa Virginia’s maxis have had recently — and I love it. There’s a deep, gentle v-neck, pockets, and a skirt lining that’s only mini length. Weird! This pattern I tried on is called shibori tides; the other color is called tiled and has a completely different pattern. The dress is machine washable and made from a rayon/spandex mix. It’s lightweight and would do well in summer.

Muddiness aside I has a couple of fit issues with this dress. I sized down to a small which still felt pretty large — the shoulder straps in particular were too long. I didn’t find the skirt was poufy around the hips which has been an issue on some V.V. maxis. Though it’s hard to tell from these photos the dress was shorter than I’d like. I was in flat sandals and it hit above my ankles — boo.

Probably the biggest issue is that some of the dresses on the rack already looked shopworn, something several community members have mentioned. I don’t really know what to say about that…I am really disappointed! It’s such a bummer to get legitimately excited over a beautiful design in the catalogue, only to have the real-life translation be so much less. It feels like a tease. I can’t imagine getting more than a season’s wear out of this dress. That’s a shame because it seems like the ideal Hawaii strolling dress. Wishlisted for reconsideration at sale time.

Sunland Dress ($148) by Maeve, size up
Style #: 4130336413376; ivory (011)
★★★☆☆

Maeve’s Sunland Dress ($148) is a nice mix of what I think of as old Anthropologie and new Anthropologie. We’ve got those damn shoulder ruffles, a fine-ruled poly-spandex body and two more ruffles at the bottom. There’s a side zip and weird pleats around the midsection that caused the skirt to pouf. (See the middle shot above — hahahaha.)

As of this writing there’s one review on Anthro’s side and the 5’6″ reviewer notes that the dress was really short on her. It’s certainly not long, hitting me mid-thigh. But it didn’t feel risqué. Not even close. Really the bigger issue for me is that my usual size 6 felt constricting. Maeve is such a funny brand! Back in 2008 when I started this blog I couldn’t even wear Maeve because it wasn’t cut for my body. Then circa 2011 I could wear it, but needed to size up to an 8. This past year I’ve been sizing down to a 4 and now with this dress I’d be happiest in an 8, one size up. For me it felt tightest over the bust.

I think this dress is cute. Young and fun! Possibly meant for the smaller-busted. For me, likely a pass.

Azure Scroll Dress ($188) by Tabitha, size up
Style #: 4130015122222; yellow (072)
★★★☆☆

Although bright in color and bold in pattern, I felt the Azure Scroll Dress ($188) could make an excellent summer work dress! I’m working on a fine artist program right now and before trying on the dress it seemed like a topical treasure. But, ugh, the fit!

This dress is acetate-lined cotton (nice for keeping me cool!) that comes down to the knees and has a high neckline. Both are welcome. In the model shot the skirt looks shorter, perhaps because she’s hunched over. The neckline has slight folds which are meant to accommodate a wider range of cup sizes…not that it helped me much!

For me, the issue was all about the hips. My usual size 6 was deadly tight around the thighs so I went up to an 8. You see the 8 on me above. That solved the fit around the hips but then the top portion was seriously baggy. A SA recommended trying on a petite so I tried an 8P. (Rockefeller Center has a petites shop downstairs!) However that felt weird through the shoulders and was shorter; I’m anything but petite!

Admittedly a sheath is going to be tricky on anyone who is a different size on top and bottom, and that’s me. So if you’re more evenly distributed this dress could be a champ. Not, sadly, for me. Back to the rack.

Tonala Tank ($78) by Meadow Rue, size down
Style #: 4112089174129; nude (013), dark grey (005) or ivory (011)
★★★★☆
Level 99 Chambray Shorts ($78) by Level 99, size down
Style #: 31839525; chambray (092)
★★★★☆

I’m breaking format a bit to review the Tonala Tank ($78) and Level 99 Chambray Shorts ($78) together. After staining a dress with mimosa I needed an emergency weekend outfit and these pieces seemed to fit the bill! It was unfortunately a short-lived joy.

Let’s start with the Tonala Tank ($78). This Meadow Rue tank is somewhat sheer cotton that is double-layered and much longer in the back. There are also huge pleats in the back, making this top look somewhat like a cape as you walk away. I love the pink-peach tones of the nude version you see on me above. It runs huge! I went down to an x-small to purchase and as you can see that’s still plenty roomy. I like where the front pleats hit (just above the hips) though the back pleats can make you look wider as they sometimes twist around towards the front.

I loved this tank when I purchased it! However, after a day of wearing it around the city the top stretched out so much! The shoulder straps become so loose they wouldn’t stay up; the tank loosened from sort of flowy to OMG muu muu. I was so upset I returned the top. I can’t think of another time I’ve done this. Sizing down isn’t even an option…what a bummer! Such a pretty top; if you can handle the extra flowiness after a day of wearing it I highly recommend it, but I’m not willing to pay full price for it. I might re-invest when this hits sale.

Likewise, I had the same exact issue with the Level 99 Chambray Shorts ($78). These adorable cuffed shorts have a 4.5″ button-tab inseam, are soft and thin but significant enough that I don’t feel naked. They are a little lighter in real life than either my photos or Anthro’s would have you believe.

On Anthro’s website, ladies of smaller sizes seem to note these shorts run huge while ladies more in my size range (29/30) note that these seem to run tight. In-store I shared the tight experience — 29s felt way too tight so I purchased in a 30. But much like with the Tonala Tank, after a day the 30s had loosened so much they were nearly falling off! I could actually pull them off without unbuttoning or downing the fly…yikes. So they got returned too. At least with these I had the option to buy a smaller size so I went with 29s based on my current size.

These shorts are awesome, and 4.5″ inseam seems like a good compromise between short shorts and longer ones. More please!

What do you think of the items in this reviews set? Have you tried any of them on yourself? What items would you like to see reviewed next? More reviews to come….

2 Comments

  1. September 6, 2019 / 10:17 pm

    I LOVE THIS!!!!!


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