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I need your help! My long-awaited, much fussed-over Snow-Covered Fields Dress ($148) finally arrived. I think that I have my Anthro goggles on. Many thanks to Taryn — seeing her IRL review (scroll down to 1/15), I took one look at her and knew I’d need to size up for mah hips and thighs. So I ordered an 8. It arrived on Thursday evening which I thought was a blessing — I’d be able to wear it around on my birthday!!!
Both parts of the dress are silky goodness. My bra strap was showing just a bit in the back so if you’re busty like me you’ll want a wear a bra with a thin back strap. The pattern of the skirt is really vibrant and the lining has darling lace trim. I admired the dress for a few minutes before putting it on, expecting perfection.
But noooooooooo. I put it on and it’s not quite perfect. It’s so friggin close but it’s tight across the widest part of my thighs, creating pulling. I think the side view best illustrates it — there’s extra bunching above my tush and in the front from being too tight right below. You can also see in the shot just to the left of it the pockets are pulling. The problem is the shift shape (straight) against my body (curvy). While the bodice fits fine and is actually a bit loose the skirt is too tight. Anthropologie says this dress is 38″ long — no way. It’s 36″ at most. And when I put my hands in the pockets…
…ugh. Here’s the dilemma — were this an in-store item, I’d have no problem going down to the store and swapping it for a 10. I fear the bodice will be too big but I won’t know until I try it. However this item so far has been online-only. I’d want to keep the 8 until I try the 10 so I can decide whether to get one of them tailored or just give up altogether. Thanks to shipping charges no matter which way you slice it I’d be adding an extra $34 to this dress (shipping x2 orders) onto the cost. Anthro doesn’t refund shipping. So this $148 dress will become a $200 dress once shipping and tax is factored in too. Gross. That’s pushing the edge of reason. On the other hand, Anthro’s CS did let me use my birthday discount over the phone to buy this. That was very nice of them.
What do you think I should do? Order the 10 and hope for the best? Wait impatiently for the dress to maybe hit stores? Return the 8 and call it a day? Keep the 8 and hope my thighs magically shrink?
Update 2 PM: So the 10 was also a no-go (it was at the Rockefeller Center store, thanks to Anon and Carrie for letting me know!). The shape just isn’t right. I consoled myself by trading it in for the Milady Skirt ($88) and Friendly Competition Top ($68). Thanks for all the tips ladies, you were very helpful!
you can give the 8 to me, and order then 10 (lol). I'd say return the 8, order the 10, this dress won't work- I wouldn't count on shrinking (esp. since lots of things you own would fit weird after!) and tailoring usually can't help a dress that's too small.It's lovely and if you got a 10 and the bodice doesn't fit right, then get it tailored. I mean, $200 invested into a dress means it should fit PERFECT. 🙂
I would wait until you see it in stores. I've seen it in 2 stores near me this week in the DC area, so I would think it would be making its way to NYC soon right?
Considering you really like the dress, I'd say return the 8 and order the 10, maybe if you order it in store they might give you free shipping too. If the 10 doesn't fit right then get it tailored.
Meh that stinks (although I am having the exact same problem with my Swirling Villages dress – at least mine was on sale!). I'd probably hold out for it to show up in the stores (especially after reading Sara's post – the dress might be on its way to your store already!). There's no guarantee the 10 is even going to fit (especially since the sizes are wacky sometimes anyway – 10 might be even tighter!) and then you are looking at $200 plus additional money for tailoring.
hey roxy definitely get the 10. i've seen it in my stores in Northern Jersey so maybe it'll make it out to NYC soon? One thing you might want to try if you really want to order the 10 is to call customer service and tell them the problem. they might waive teh shipping fee since you're re-ordering.Just this past Tuesday I had a huge $500 order and called CS. Since the order had already gone through, they couldn't waive the shipping fee, but they did send me a nice anthro gift card of $20 (the value of the shipping) to make up for it! i'd say give them a call. you never know
I think you should wait for it to show up in the stores and then try on the 10. And if fits, you can exchange the 8 for the 10 at no additional cost.
I would wait until the dress hit the stores, or order the 10 in your next order along with other items, not alone.And keep in mind Anthro does list beautiful dresses almost every week… if it is not that one, you will probably fall in love again with another dress within a month. That's the main problem with Anthro: too much beautiful stuff, not enough budget to buy them all. I am almost happy when I don't like the new arrivals one week!
That dress is so pretty 🙂 I say you return the 8 and either wait for it to arrive in stores or call a store that has it in stock – they will probably ship it to you for free. Anthro really needs to bring back free shipping!
ROXY i do believe i saw this dress in the rockefeller center store just yesterday!
As sara22185 said, I've seen it in the DC area stores. I think Meli22 has a great idea, if this is THE dress then get the 10 and alter the top.That all said, I am so frigin' mad. I made a HUGE (for me!) birthday shopping trip too over MLK weekend. My shop was out of a blouse in my size. I had them call CS to have one shipped and they wouldn't honor my b-day discount over the phone. Sounds like they did for you. Grrr.
I'd say it's a no go on this dress for you. It's not necessarily the size – it's the cut that's just not working for your body type. Sure it would be easier to encourage you to buy another size because don't we all love buying new pretty clothes & it's easy to be the devil on your shoulder & egg you on- but I gotta be the angel on the other shoulder here & tell ya that this just isn't the dress for you in my opinion. Your money could be better spent on a dress that you don't have to justify to death to buy or make a zillion concessions in order to make it work. Either it works & looks great from the get go – or it doesn't. Sorry to be the only Debby Downer on this post – but I just wanted to give you my honest opinion. Jane
Roxy, you may want to try wearing shaping pants under the dress. I am also curvy, and when I had a pulling dress problem, it totally solved it. It truly works wonders on me, I'd say it reduces my thighs by almost a size. The only con – it is hard to wear in warmer weather.
I say go to your local store and have them order the size 10 from a store that has it. They will waive the shipping. Once you have the two sizes, you can compare. You may decide you love the 10 or you may decide to wait for another special item:)
Roxy, I think you shld wait for the dress to arrive in your stores. That way, you can try the 10 before deciding, save on shipping and get the price you paid for the exchange.I bought from my store in PA yesterday. So it shld be in your stores soon.
Good morning all! Thanks much for the advice so far. Great to hear that it's starting to get to stores, yay!Jane, I am not offended and I hear you when you say this dress might not work on me at all. sigh. I am hoping against hope that the 10 will somehow work for me I guess.Meli22 – LOL. I have asked the same of my friends with enviable closets many, many times.Naomi's mom – If I can't find the dress in-store today, that's what I will do. Thank you for the tip. :)Anon @ 10:09 – OMG, I am heading out there right now to see if it's there!!!
Stephanie brings up a very good point! If you are too impatient to wait, I would go through the store and order the 10, because then shipping will be free. Then, I would also return the size you decide not to keep to the store, as you can do that with catalog items, and that way you don't have to pay return shipping. The only thing you may lose out on is your birthday discount this way, or you may have to fight for a PA on the 10 once you've returned the 8.But I do think that the dress looks very nice on you! I have big hips also, so I understand where you're coming from. Unfortunately, considering that it's silk, that the dress is still an expensive item, I would probably stick with a dress that fits the hips and have the top altered, rather than hope for my hips and thighs to shrink 😡 (and boy do I wish mine would). Let us know what you end up doing. And Happy Birthday!
I would definitely return the 8 and order a 10 online. I end up altering at least 30% of dresses I buy, because I'm so narrow on top, but more of a regular size through the bottom. If I love something, it's totally worth the investment to me. I've never regretted any of my tailoring expenses.
Bring it to the store and see what the salespeople can do for you. I've found them willing to ship full priced items for free from other stores to theirs, or in one case directly to my door. Their customer service (where I am in Thousand Oaks, CA) is excellent.
Hi Roxy, the dress does look good on you! Get the 10 though. They always say get the dress to fit the 'widest part of your body' and then tailor. I love the dress too Roxy! I've made the mistake of keeping dresses that were a bit small in one area. They never quite work and I end up not wearing them. Hopefully you will be able to find a 10 at the Rockefeller store to try on. Good luck! Kathleen
Don't feel too bad if you decided to abandon the SCFD project. There are many other *perfect* dresses in your future!
Boo! Too bad it didn't work the first time 🙁 I would wait for the stores to get it in and try on the 10, even if you have to get the top taken in a bit it will probably be worth it.. and yay for birthday discount! :)Oh how I wish it was back to those free shipping days.. Thank you for linking to my review!
I would return it to the store. They might even have a 10 in that dress that someone else returned there. Last time I was looking for something at my local Anthro, the salewoman dragged out a bunch of online returns from the back room for me to try on.
Hi Roxy, I agree with everyone else, wait for your store to get it in, and try the 10 on. Maybe it just won't work out.I had fitting problems with the Night Blooming Dress because of my big hips, and had to pass. But if the works out, then you could just swap it out.Of course, the best thing is that you are able to find a 10 today. Good luck!
I'm so in favor of tailoring… and think how comfortable you will be with a size larger. I always feel glam when my clothing moves with me, not against me. And I also agree about waiting for it to be in stores..
Roxy, I think the dress looks lovely on you, and with some minor tweaking, I think it will work. I'd return the 8, and go to the store and ask them to order the 10 for you through stores. Then they'll waive shipping, and when the 10 comes if it's too big in the bodice, have it tailored! Good luck – I know how it is to want to love something and then have it not fit right. Make it work!
Roxy, I could be wrong, but I'm about 95% positive that I saw this at the Rockefeller store. In fact, when I got home I was going to post here that I saw it, but then I read that you had ordered it. It was on the top floor to the right after you go up that first little set of stairs, but they might have moved it. It's worth checking out, I am SO sure that it was that dress.
Woops, just saw that someone else already said that. I hope you find it!
Hi Roxy,It's obvious that you really love this dress (you've been talking about it in approximately 1/3 of your posts over the past month!) so I think that you should go ahead and order the 10 online if you don't see it show up in stores soon. I think you'll be much more disappointed if you miss out on a dress that you really love than if you spend another $15 for shipping.Here's a tip that I've learned from doing most of my Anthro shopping online:Whenever I *really* love a dress, to a point where I can't bear the idea of not having it (this happens about 2-3 times per year), I go ahead and buy 2 sizes online and then return the one that doesn't fit as well (preferably in-store, so I don't have to pay the $6 for return shipping). Sometimes the return doesn't hit my credit card until the next billing cycle, but I think it's totally worth it because I save money in the long run (by not paying the extra shipping charge) plus it's my way of guaranteeing to myself that the size that I actually need won't be sold out by the time that I return the size that didn't work.
Ack, I'm sorry that it didn't work out Roxy! I'm kind of surprised the 10 didn't work. Maybe you were put off by the top fitting too large (which you could alter)? But alas, there will always be gorgeous Anthro dresses that will be available to tempt you 🙂
Aww, I'm sorry that it didn't work for you. I hate it when I fall in love with something and wait for months to try it on, only to discover that it doesn't work on me at all. I really think that Anthro should adopt a better return policy for shipped items (like free return shipping and/or free shipping to try a different size).
Roxy: yes, sorry it didn't work out. Reminds me of how I loved the Cosgrove dress and it just didn't look right although I loved it. Jealous you got the Milady skirt, which I am going to get shortly using a gift card a friend gave me for Christmas. There will be other dresses, but I know how disappointing it is when you have your heart set on a particular item and it doesn't work.
Lauren – Perhaps, I may need to try it again later this week when I'm a little less dead set on it. I felt that the skirt portion still wasn't quite right in the 10 — there was still pouffiness in both the front and back above my curves. The top was definitely big though, almost falling off. Lola – I agree. Among other things, this experience has left me with additional empathy for those who don't live near the stores. I really wish the dress had worked, but I'm doubly frustrated that I'm out the shipping cost.Bronzi – the Milady Skirt is worth full price in my opinion. 🙂 I have reached my closet's limit of cord skirts now though. No more!
Have you been to the Anthro at Rock Center? I know i saw a bunch in the store there!
The dress is already in some stores…Chevy Chase, Md store had 2 size 10s on Saturday. Another possibility would be to get the lining redone. I have done this with two Anthro dresses recently. I bought this dress tonight in a 6 and the lining is a tad snug not the actual dress so if this is the same issue I would just take it to your tailor and ask them to just make the lining fit the shape of the dress. Hope this helps.
Actually, Anthro DOES return shipping, but only in the store. The associate has to go through a couple "steps" to do it, but a manager should be able to assist. It's definitely not out of their jurisdiction. Good luck!
In response to Meli22, 200 for a dress means it should fit perfect WITHOUT tailoring! You're spending 200 on a dress that obviously wasnt made as well as you thought it would be. Loose in the cups and tight in the thighs on a curvy woman? How strange. Not well fitted in my opinion and I honestly dont think a 10 will be any better. Yes, maybe it will be less tight on your thighs but your 200 dollar dress will become a 230 dollar dress with tailoring. Is it really worth it?I think you should return it and call it day. Eventually it will hit stores and within that time, you'll determine whether or not you still even want the dress. What if Anthro comes out with something even better by then that's constructed with precision?
I hate to sound all 1950s but have you considered shapewear? I have big thighs and I find that a pair of Spanx often does the trick and allow the dress/shirt to glide over my hips.
MichelleMyBelle – thank you! That is where I ended up finding it to try on. :)JenLynn – I hear you on the lining issue, there are a few Moulinette Soeurs dresses that have been like that for me lately. Unfortunately in this case it was the skirt as a whole. I appreciate the suggestion. artelfin – Interesting. While I'm not one to feel guilty about returning I don't want to have to ask for shipping back, you know? It should be policy to either do it or not. Your tip is very helpful though and I will keep it in mind for the future!Ashley – I agree that for $200 tailoring becomes hard to swallow. I've just gotten used to it though. Some designers fit me perfectly off the rack but many require edits to fit my shape. I don't think women should be afraid to tailor — it's rare to find a piece that is universally flattering.Anonymous @ 6:46 AM – I'm not anti-shapewear per se but it seems like a lot to go through for a day dress. I am quite sad to let this one go but it seems the most likely path.