I’m going to at least three weddings this year, so I’m on the lookout for great, colorful dresses. While at Saks Fifth Avenue in San Francisco, this DVF dress looked super tiny on the hanger, had major hanger appeal, and there it was in size 0. The color is a deep purple (a bit brighter than the picture shows), which is usually a great color on my skin tone, and the fabric is a viscose/silk blend, which has the potential to be stretchy and slim fitting.
I tried it on in the fitting room, and just couldn’t decide if I liked it or not. When in doubt, I like to buy now and decide later, so here is the DVF Francia dress in size 0:
The dress runs pretty small. I could probably use the bust taken in, but overall, not too bad. It’s short and drapey, which gives the dress some interest, and I think it would look cute belted.
My favorite detail is the drape in back across the shoulder:
Little extra room in the bust:
Once I got this dress home and really inspected it, I was impressed with the quality. I wish the fabric content was a little more silk for the price (it’s 88% viscose, 12% silk), but the craftsmanship is very nice. All the pleats and drapes are well thought out, and it’s fully lined (in 95% silk!). I did have an issue keeping the neckline straight (it was straying towards one side), but fashion tape would easily keep that in place.
I was a little concerned the ruching around the lower tummy would create a “pooch” but surprisingly the fabric is thin and drapey enough that it wasn’t an issue.
What I did have an issue with was the waist placement. It’s a bit too low for me. My initial thought was, “No problem! Just get the shoulder straps taken up!”. This would also make the neckline less scandalous, and raise the arm holes, which is always a good thing. But, take another look at the back drape I like so much. The back drape starts exactly at the shoulder seam. Oh no! It can’t be taken up! Well, maybe it could, but it would be tricky, and easy to mess up.
After getting this dress home and looking at it critically, I can see this dress is not for me. I would want to get the shoulder taken up, but with the draping at the shoulder seam, this alteration becomes difficult. If you have a longer torso, or lower waist than myself, then this dress could potentially fit really nicely off the rack. Especially if you can fill out the bust better than I can! Lucky you!
PS…I guess I should fess up…I’m getting a little “boost” courtesy of my Lucia by The Little Bra Company. I wanted to see what it could do for this dress. =)
