Reviews: Medallion-Cut Dress, Tamsin Maxi Dress, Golden Panes Shift, Watercolor Mirage Dress, Pebble Print Dress, Kukka Tea Dress

You can never have enough stripes. The Watercolor Mirage Dress ($270), reviewed.

At home in New York things are still looking a bit winter dreary, but here in Paris the city is in Spring’s full bloom! That has me in the mood for dresses. During a recent trip to Anthropologie I tried a bunch on; thoughts inside.

Medallion-Cut Dress ($178) by Maeve, TTS
Style #: 4130580810072; pink (066)
★★★☆☆

Note: For sizing reference I am 34-29-38, a size 6/M in dresses. I’m 5’8″.

As my closet fills out with items I love and plan to keep for years (or at least until the undeniable shopping bug hits) I’m becoming pickier and pickier about new clothing. So while the Medallion-Cut Dress ($178) is lovely, I found several nitpicks that keep me from loving it.

First, the good. This dress is a lightweight, unlined silk. Beautiful origami-like pleats fold into the defined waistline and then gentle pleats spill below. The back has a triangular opening that is sexy without revealing any undergarments. In the front there’s a v-neck that gives a hint of decolletage. On my 5’8″ frame the dress comes to about my ankles. There is a side zipper. This dress is hand washable — nice!

I don’t like how the pattern placement varies from dress to dress. While I love the large splash of pink paisley on the skirt, it’s tougher on the bodice. The shoulder straps are very thick and for someone like me who has a larger bust and is short-waisted, the overall effect of the top half isn’t very flattering. I don’t love the way the pleats spill directly down the center of the skirt. This dress looks like a pants romper from certain angles. I’m in my usual size 6 here which felt comfortable.

I enjoy the look of this dress very much, but not so much the fit. Back to the rack.

Tamsin Maxi Dress ($118) by Puella, size down
Style #: 4130059381533; navy (041) or black motif (009)
★★★☆☆

Seeing the Tamsin Maxi Dress ($118) online, I think in hindsight I should have sought out the black motif instead of the navy version I tried on. I much prefer the chevron shape of the black motif’s bodice to this navy version. What is very cool about this navy version is that the stripes almost look like streaks of light splashing across the dress — that’s what drew me in initially.

This dress is soft poly-rayon with a beautifully defined waist and a skirt that spills a little short — it hit above my ankle. The straps, oddly enough, are quite long. So long that the front of the dress is sitting lower than I’d like. That’s something a tailor could fix easily. I like how the stripes are placed on the bodice; not as much on the skirt. From the side the placement looks nice. From the front it emphasizes the hips while the very front and center look like a mistake of straight stripes. Don’t love this.

I initially tried on a size medium but the top was far too large — it was sliding down way too far in front and back. So it’s down to a small I went for these photos. This is a dress that will ease in fit as the day wears on so if you find yourself between sizes don’t be afraid to size down.

I’m looking forward to wearing my Empire Day Dress from last year (review), so this dress is probably a pass.

Golden Panes Shift ($198) by Tabitha, size up
Style #: 4130015125454; gold (070)
★★★☆☆

Tabitha is often one of Anthropologie’s most flattering dress brands. The Golden Panes Shift ($198) on the other hand….no. This dress reminds me of an Erin Fetherston dress Anthro carried last winter that also gave me fits when it came to fit. I’m rather speechless.

Cool idea here, the dress starts with a minty green base color and then tiny boxes of gold beadwork are layered over it. And there is some attention paid to the fit — there are darts at the bodice and on the side to make sure this dress isn’t one long rectangle. I love the scoop neckline! It’s the perfect amount of dip.

But…hmm. First, the beadwork is very scratchy against the skin. My inner arm was getting beaten up! Secondly, the gold beading in light catches every curve so it almost looks like, I don’t know, sexy medieval armor? Unlike most Tabitha dresses I found this dress to run very small. The online model shot is incredibly deceiving — I thought my usual 6 would be huge but instead it’s far too tight. This could be a case of curves vs. fewer curves, I’m not sure. Either way, I’d need an 8 for sure.

At this point I think I’ve conclusively discovered that gold beaded overlay dresses are not for me. Pass.

Watercolor Mirage Dress ($270) by Paper Crown, TTS
Style #: 4130403049922; neutral motif (015)
★★★☆☆

I have a feeling that on someone 5’6″ or shorter the Watercolor Mirage Dress ($270) is perfection. On my 5’8″ frame however the dress is a challenge. The inner child in me loves this dress! The adult me is having some trouble reconciling the 80s color palette and shape with a very short skirt. Even the model shot at the top of this reviews post seems very juvenile-skewed, no? Like she just got out of school for the day and is waiting for her friends so they can all go shopping at the mall and talk about boys. Not that that’s a bad thing.

This dress is silk and poly with a back zipper. The top sits like a twisted tee shirt with folded pleating at the waist. An adorable pleated skirt is wonderful but disproportionate on my leggy frame. I need at least another couple of inches. I love the waistband and don’t mind the pastel color palette, though one color fewer would have been fine too. I’m in a medium here which was comfortable, a little loose across the shoulders but workable.

Here’s a better look at how short the skirt is:

It’s no secret I prefer knee length. It’s not that skirts can’t be short; it’s that more and more Anthro seems to be playing to mid-thigh length. This is one aesthetic decision where the design team and I firmly split. I think there’s no reason why a flirty, fun dress can’t also hit close to the knee. Anthro’s team skews towards short skirts on their fun designs. It’s a bummer to say the least.

A lovely idea sure to please the middle schooler, high schooler or young collegiate in your family who’s just discovering Anthropologie. For me, back to the rack.

Pebble Print Dress ($168) by Maeve, TTS
Style #: 4130264790012; purple motif (059) or black motif (009)
★★★★☆

Now we come to the other side of Anthro’s current dress design coin. When the skirt portion does hit near the knee like it does on the Pebble Print Dress ($168), the neckline creeps upwards. High necks and larger chests are a difficult proposition, though this dress nearly makes it work. Take the scoopneck from the Golden Panes Shift above and put it on this dress and you’d have a five-star winner!

This dress looks pretty short online so I was pleased that in real life it was only about an inch above my knee. A full skirt helps balance everything out too. Although the neckline is higher than I’d like, I was very impressed by the long, lean silhouette this dress presents thanks to wider-set shoulder straps and a pleasing fit-and-flare shape. There is a back zip on this poly-spandex frock and it’s machine washable. I agree with the reviewer who notes that for summer poly is a nice, sweat-free alternative to cotton or silk. Cotton jersey would be my ultimate choice but unfortunately that fabric mix seems to have disappeared completely. So poly is an acceptable alternative.

I’m in my usual size 6 here. It fit perfectly. This purple motif version is cute, but I think I would buy in the black motif ikat version, depending on how the neckline looks. My guess is that the print placement varies on each dress too. We shall see.

This dress is a beautiful spring frock! Wishlisted for now.

Kukka Tea Dress ($178) by Hunter Bell by Hunter Dixon, TTS
Style #: 4130214201123; red motif (069)
★★★☆☆

A purposely pixelated floral print populates the Kukka Tea Dress ($178), a pretty day dress that has some fit challenges. This structured dress is made from a heavier, slightly stiff cotton-spandex-poly mix that has weight both literal and visual. It’s not overly heavy, but it’s not the kind of dress that will catch the wind either.

If you are tall and short-waisted like I am this dress might be par excellence. The slightly longer skirt makes you look even taller than you already are, though if you are on the shorter side the skirt could end up overwhelming. I love the inverted front pleat on the skirt and the defined waist. Not so much the very high neckline, which is so tight to the neck it might bother me at times during the day.

In terms of fit, I ran into a couple of issues. First, the 6 had just enough room for my chest, which ended up making the sleeve pop from my underarm a little. You can see this best in the far left-hand shot above. Also, the waist is hitting me in the proper spot (yay!) but because it falls straight from my chest downwards it’s not sitting against my body (boo). The bottom half of the 6 felt very roomy but there is no way I’d size down. A belt is in order here.

This dress has work, day and weekend potential. It seems like the ideal brunch dress to me. Do wish the neckline was just a bit lower.

Administrative note: I’ve updated my review of the Teahouse Dress ($148) with photos of the blue motif version, and also showed what the sleeve looks like with the ruffle tucked under. (Spoiler: awesome.)

What do you think of the dresses in this reviews set? Which items should I hunt down once I return home to the States?


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