I love a good cotton summer dress. The Scattered Stellata Dress ($128) promises to be a good spring/summer and perhaps even fall dress with its midweight material and fun flouncy skirt. But I admit to immediately being confused by the wide…what is it? Waistband? Drop waistband? I’m not really sure. The model shot online suggests the band belongs at the waist. But doing so makes the top portion of the dress very blousy and leaves not too much material for the skirt. It barely hit me mid-thigh. With the band positioned low-hip the dress becomes knee-length, though that creates another set of issues in the midsection.
A medium fit fine for the low-hip slung positioning. At the waist I’d be fine sizing down to a small. So your sizing will depend on how you choose to style the dress. I like the braiding detail of the neckline and both prints are appealing. The billowy midsection isn’t very flattering though. I understand the style is meant to be looser, it’s just not quite my cup of tea. Pretty dress but likely a pass for me.
Yellow is a tough color to pull off with pale skin and dark hair, though that doesn’t stop me from trying. My inner 5-year-old loves the Sun-Soaked Shift ($138). I love the gentle triangle shape, the high bust and necklines, and the right-to-the-knees length. The print is subtle and fun. The dress’s color is simply sunny. It’s hard not to smile when you see this dress.
I tried on a 6 and found it to be a good fit at the shoulders, loose everywhere else. If your shoulders are narrow you can easily size down here. The inverted pleat in the back truly makes this dress feel like a nightgown…not the vibe I’m going for. I wish instead there was a gather in the back to curtail all the fabric. One of the product reviews on the website notes that this is a great non-maternity maternity dress. I couldn’t agree more and I wonder once again if there’s a baby boom at Anthropologie’s home office. From the front the view is fine but this dress needs shaping help from the side and back. Back to the rack.
The Blooming Whin Shift ($268) reminds of a J.Crew dress, the Campo di Fiori Dress. I love the Asian print. I love the color though it is again hard to pull off with my skintone and hair contrast. At the Leifnotes fashion show last week we saw two SAs in this dress and they both looked amazing!
My usual size 6 fit nicely. On the plus side the dress acknowledges curves and handles them well. I wish the neckline were a bit lower but I see what the design is trying to do. But again I take issue with the shape of this dress. From the front? Awesome. From the back? Odd. From the side? Questionable. It’s as though a cape has been sewn to the dress and someone accidentally ran the sewing machine across the bottom….
…and the result is potentially a saggy-looking tush. I dunno. Anthropologie says they’re “smitten with the shape.” I’m considerably less so. Would sizing up to a looser back help me feel better? Perhaps the cape would become a more dramatic swoop? I am probably just not cool enough for this dress. Pass.
I found this dress to run large. In the sideview above you may notice the dress is pulling away from my chest. That was in a 6. I was able to fit into a 4, which means 0s and maybe 2s might be sized out. I always get a good chuckle when the sizing goes so wonky. There’s a side zip I found unnecessary. I like how the crinkly silk feels against the skin. This has warm-weather weekend potential. Wishlisted!
We interrupt this dress reviews set to bring you the Esker Maxi Skirt ($128), in which I hypocritically proclaim myself anti-maxi skirt and then promptly buy this one. What?!? I had to. It needs to come on vacation with me. I was sooooo disappointed that the model shot online makes you think this skirt is all diagonal stripes, but then in real life it looks half-diagonal and half-horizontal. Super lame, Anthropologie!
Esker Maxi Skirt ($128), Peony Pop Loop ($48).
Earnest Sewn 7/8 Crop ($188), Woven Medallion Necklace ($298), In Stitches Belt ($28).
…I’d already purchased the Split Metallic Pullover ($68, review upcoming or peep my OOTD from today) so I had a couple of styling ideas in mind already. This skirt will hopefully be a summer staple.
Hubba hubba. The Sincerely Paris Halter Dress ($148) is a curve-flattering frock made for picnics, dates, and maybe summer Fridays? Anthropologie has repeated this design in so many different prints it’s hard to keep them all straight, and yet another version bowed online today. What’s great about this version, compared to the Burgeoning Hypericum Dress I’ll review below, is the straight skirt on the Sincerely Paris and slightly shorter skirt. And it has pockets. I love pockets! So you can choose the shape that better suits your style.
For me the straight skirt and shorter length are winners. I really like the fact that the bustline gives good coverage too — with the right bra I could go strapless in this with no fear of a wardrobe malfunction. I found a 6 to fit well. One quibble — the skirt was bubbling a bit due to my curvacious thighs. The lining needs an extra 1/2 inch of give to lay correctly. This will be fixed by a tailor. I couldn’t resist buying this dress in March.
★★★★☆
Landing on the more demure end of Girls From Savoy’s repeat spectrum, the Burgeoning Hypericum Dress ($158) shares many characteristics with the Sincerely Paris Halter Dress. They have the same bustline and same removable halter strap. The Burgeoning Hypericum Dress is a good three or four inches longer though, spilling down to mid-calf. It also has a plentiful skirt compared to the Sincerely Paris Halter Dress’s straight bottom.
The fit is different between the two dresses. For the Burgeoning Hypericum Dress I found my usual size 6 to be pretty tight across the bust. So much so that an 8 would clearly be better on me. I also feel that the bodice on this dress is shorter overall, which is weird given the longer skirt. This might just be an optical illusion though. I really like the pattern on both top and skirt portion of this dress. However this dress is more voluminous than I’d like. So it’s back to the rack for this dress.
Much like the HD in Paris dresses I tried on, the Corvida Crossed Maxi Dress ($288) runs comically large. Be prepared to size down one or maybe even two sizes. We’ll get to the fit in a moment though. Let’s talk about how gorgeous this dress is! I love shopping for trips, and Hawaii has given me a great excuse to add a little tropical to my closet. What I love about this dress is that I can wear it in the city too with a shawl over it thanks to the mostly black base. The dress itself is matte and beautiful black shiny trees are screened on, along with the birds starring on the long, straight skirt. Oh, Leifsdottir. I ♥ you.
I started off in my usual size 6 and it was drooping. So I switched to a 4 which you see on me above. The neck straps are still a bit loose on the 4 which will be fixed by a tailor. After a good LOL I enjoyed my extra vanity sizing, I enjoyed the loose but flattering fit. I love the super-straight skirt and the defined waistband. The straight cut of the bodice means I can wear a strapless bra under here easily, though I could also put this on over a swimsuit. I plan to wear it with flats…maybe the Paso Fino Sandals ($98) which I’ll review shortly? Time will tell. One star off this dress for the silly sizing…this dress is in my suitcase, ready for its Hawaiian excursion.
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