Dresses!

I thought I'd do a dress review, since I had spent some time looking for a long dress for this Indian wedding I went to on Saturday.  At first I was actually going to get a sari!  But I was too out of my element with that lol.  Plus I didn't want to get something to just wear once.  So I decided to go for a long dress that I could also wear for other things later.  My only consideration was that it should not be black, because someone told me black is not appropriate to wear to an Indian wedding.

It was surprisingly hard to find a long dress that was not "prom dress" like.  Although after seeing what people wore to the wedding, I would not even have stood out in a prom dress lol.  Many dresses I saw just had way too much beading or sequins than I wanted.  So after trying on a bunch of dresses at Nordstrom and Bloomingdales, I first decided on this Eliza J Print Chiffon Maxi dress.  I wasn't really 100% sold on the dress even when I bought it, but I thought it would be an ok backup.  It was definitely the best out of the 20 or so dresses I tried on.

So I got it in size 2.  It actually is a perfect fit.  But it is just a bit too long - I'm wearing 5 inch heels in my pic!  I'm about 5'5, so that means you'd have to be above 5'10 to wear this dress with flats.  I needed another inch or so taller to wear it.  I think Nordstrom probably would alter it for free, but I didn't ask.  Like I said, I got it as a back up since I wasn't 100% happy with it.  I think it's just "ok", or "not bad".  Definitely not "amazing" lol.

I really dislike the tied pink sash with this dress.  Luckily it is removable.  I think it looks much better without:

Then I figured that since the sash is so long, I could wrap it around my waist twice and then tie it in a little knot which can be hidden.  So then it would resemble a wide belt, which looks much nicer than a tied sash I think.  So this is what that looks like:

My bf said this dress is not very flattering around the hips.  He said without the sash, my hips look even wider than with the sash.  But it looked better when I was walking rather than standing still.  I don't really think this dress makes my hips look extra wide, but I can kind of see where he's coming from.  I think it's not a bad dress though.  The print/color didn't really go with what I wanted, but they seem to make this style in many different colors, which is a good thing to know for the future.

So a little while later, I found 2 more dresses that I had to order online.  The first one is actually another Eliza J dress - the Beaded Neck Jersey Gown in royal, which is a dark blue.  I thought that both the style and color were more appropriate for the wedding.  I was actually pretty happy with this find.  

I got it in size 2 as well.  But when it arrived, it turned out to be even longer than the first Eliza J dress!  Since it arrived only a couple days before the wedding, I wouldn't even have had enough time to get it shortened.

Side view is not the most flattering either:

I think the size 2 is ok in the waist and hips... even a bit loose.  But the armpits are cut really tight for my body.  So if I put down my arms, it kind of looks like I have armpit fat spilling over the sides.  Not a good look.  So even if the length was ok, I probably would not have made it work either.

My 3rd dress turned out to be the winner.  It is the Nicole Miller Key Hole Chain Trim Slit Gown in blueberry, which is very similar to the color of the dress above.  I got this dress for a steal at only $180!  Bloomingdales was having a special.  The retail price is $440 and now it is on sale for $352.  

When I got it, they only had one size left (4).  Having never tried any Nicole Miller dresses before, I was unsure whether that would be my size or not.  But it turned out to be pretty good though!  I was hoping it would be the perfect length too since it looks kind of short on the model lol.  Well, no luck with that.  It's a couple inches too long on me after I put on my 5 inch heels.   There's a slit on the front where the left leg is.  But you can't really see it when it's on.

The slightly longer length actually works with the material of this dress though, since it is quite light and flowy.  But I also figured out at the last minute that I can tuck some of it under the "belt" portion of the dress and make it look shorter!  Since it is rather fitted around the waist, it stays up quite well.  I did this for the whole night and barely had to fix it.

Here's a close up of the beading on the front.  It also comes with padded cups, so you don't need to wear a bra with it which is always a huge plus with dresses.

I think this dress is pretty nice, and I got it for a great price.  But I don't think it's worth the full retail of $440 though.  I actually would be kind of disappointed if I spent that much money on it.

Nordstrom has the same dress in black, but it's not on sale.  These models they use must be 6 foot talls!

And that ends my dress shopping adventures!  =)  I am happy to have the Nicole Miller dress in my wardrobe.  I think the style is a good mix of simple and glam.  I may actually get it shortened though!