Pretty dress season never ends at Anthropologie. I think they’re killing it right now with so many fantastic frocks that make me want to convert my bedroom into a giant walk-in closet. (Like the apartment I looked at yesterday, which just so happened to have a little side room that would be the perfect walk-in closet…)
Today’s reviews set features some fine-looking dresses.
Note: For sizing reference I am 34-29-38, size 6/M in dresses with a 34D cup. I am 5’8″.
You had me at rhinestones Anthropologie! Although bedazzling and such can look tacky the Chiaroscuro Shift ($198) gets its sparkle beautifully from a myriad of sewn-on, fastened and glued beadwork. Unlike the Beaded Composition Top ($198, review upcoming) which has beads that are attached frailly at best, this dress seems to hold together well. The dress hits about three inches above the knee. Surprisingly short! And I’m really disappointed that the base layer is polyester instead of silk.
I tried this dress on in a small. The top part felt great but it was hugging me more than I want across the thighs so I would purchase in my usual size medium instead. The dress has a shift shape, falling straight from shoulders to hem. An oval neckline is perfect for framing a pretty necklace. There are no pockets. I don’t like how the sleeves stand up off my shoulders. But I love the beading. Love, love, love it!
The intricate beadwork seems to justify the price to me, though I wish we were looking at silk instead of polyester. Not a full-price pickup for me. Wishlisted for reconsideration come sale time.
I had high hopes for the Tiered Arden Dress ($178). I’m happy to say this dress lived p to those expectations! It’s important to note that this dress looks almost nothing like the version shown in the catalogue shot…the top part has been changed significantly. It’s much more of a tank-top style now than the cut-in from the catalogue shot would have you believe. That’s good for me as a bustier gal though I’d be interested to see how those cut-ins would have looked as my body continues to tone. Oh well. The skirt is also much stiffer than I expected. It has a tulip shape that it wants to stay in no matter whether you’re standing, walking, sitting, whatever. Though the dress has sweater-y material it’s not very heavy. It will be very comfortable for fall and workable for winter with some extra layering.
This dress runs large. Instead of a medium I’m in a small for these photos. I have a very short torso so the top may not be as long on you as it looks on me. Really I’m just happy the waist hits around my waist area — normally in combination dresses like this the bodice portion becomes an empire waist. The skirt part grazed the top of my knees. I like that the back zip is concealed though it took some body contortion to get the zipper all the way up to the neckline. The top material is very stretchy. At least it’s not sheer.
I’m very pleased with this dress! I love the cobalt blue color of the top part and the little line of ruffles along the skirt hemline. A definite wishlist addition that’s likely to come home to my closet sometime soon.
Anthropologie has heard our constant complaints for more workwear. Here’s one offering, the Corby Shift ($128) from Maeve. It’s so funny when Anthro reuses product names. I also own a Corby Shift from Anthropologie and it looks nothing like this! Name reuse is inevitable of course.
This new dress is textured cotton in a honeycomb pattern with a nylon-spandex black panel surrounding it. The back and front are identical. Does anyone else remember circa 2000-2003 when it was cool to put a racing stripe down the middle of your car? I dreamed of a Yellow Mini Cooper with a white stripe. Anyway, this dress reminds me of that. It’s not quite knee-length, hitting me a couple of inches above. But the skirt sits far away from the body so I think this is fine for work. Passes the fingertip test easily.
I found this dress to run large. I was swimming in my usual medium and this small was still pretty big around the neck. (In the middle shot above you can see how the neckline doesn’t even touch my body.) Otherwise the fit was excellent, alternately hugging my body and releasing it in all the right parts. But I am no fan of the ivory stripe. I think it’s so widening! I feel like the stripe on my dress is three times wider than the one on the website model. With a blazer or cardi over the dress I’m sure it would be fine but I don’t think I’d be comfortable in the dress on its own. Boo. If this dress had a sound effect, on me it would be blurp.
A very cute idea that doesn’t look great on me. Back to the rack this frock went!
I’m not a girl to say no to leather but I knew the Modena Shift ($148) would be a fit challenge before I’d even tried it on. I own a leather dress already — the Theory Salindra — and it took me years to find the one that fit correctly. Leather isn’t exactly forgiving…or breathable…or easy to shape. Its ‘vegan’ counterpart isn’t much better. So while in theory the Modena Shift should be perfect for me, what with its fitted shape with a tailored waist, I knew the results were going to be less than desirable.
You see me in a 6 here. I also tried on a 4 (way too tight), an 8 (pretty loose up top) and just for kicks a 10 (too loose everywhere). My usual size 6 came closest to working. The main issue is that in order to accommodate my bust, the waist has all this extra material leftover. In the back the material is polyester on top, not pleather, so there’s a touch of give for different bust sizes. I’m a bit bigger on the bottom than I am on top so the dress hugs my butt too much which then leaves dimples across the thighs in front. This isn’t the kind of dress you can tailor easily. I do like that the dress’s sleeves were perfect and how it cuts right across my knees. The neckline is also pleasant, high but not too high. I’m not a fan of exposed zippers but I think it works for this dress style.
This dress is definitely cool. But it’s not for me. If the tricky fit works for you I say rock it! I would if I could.
I wish I could say I loved the Fabled Fields Shift ($168). The base color blue-grey has a beautiful sheen to it, the print is beyond adorable, and the sleeves are great. But the main body of the dress is kind of frump. Robin Hood neckline, no shape, ends right above the knee, frump. Whump. Could you belt it? Totally, and that might help an hourglass like me. On its own though this dress is a bit of a sack.
It’s made from silk (yay!!) that catches the light in beautiful ways. It’s a subtle sheen that looks like the streets after a nice rain. The neckline is a small v with two long tasseled strings. The sleeves have the slightest touch of princess to them and run to bracelet length. All nice design choices! And the length is wonderful. It’s the midsection I take issue with. It’s just there. No darts. No shape. Nothing. I don’t know why some shifts look better than others. This one falls into the meh category.
I size down in all alpha-sized Moulinette Soeurs and this frock was no exception. Since I’m consistently a small I recommend taking whatever your usual MS size is. One other note: the animal placement on the skirt is pretty good…at the sides the forest mismatches at the seam but there are no animals nearby to make it noticeable. I think Anthropologie did an excellent job on that front.
With a large belt this dress would be tons of fun! I’m not sure I’d wear it much. I love the base color and hope to see it used again. The dress itself is a pass.
Anthropologie is really pushing the Elementary Jersey Dress ($118) as a great day-to-night option. I agree in theory, though I was let down in real life. It looks amazing on my model nemesis online and usually dresses that look great on her are disastrous on me. This dress seemed to live up to that trend. Why is there so much more skirt on the dress I tried? Why does the bodice look so overworked?
The dress is viscose and spandex. Not even rayon jersey! This blue I tried felt significant but the red seemed much thinner, almost see-through. I did not take a close look at the black version. It emphasizes the waist nicely but I wasn’t very impressed with the bust. Granted that some more playing with the drape may have helped the fit on me. But just looking at these photos I feel let down all over again.
Cute dress? Sure? But not the kind that makes me jump for my wallet. Pass.
Quick sidenote: I tried on the Spliced Pencil Dress again, this time in the neutral motif version. Review post updated here.
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