Connect Forty Dress Review

Connect Forty Dress

Since it got marked down today, it seems like a good time to finally post this overdue review of Bailey 44's Connect Forty Dress. I tried this on the day after Christmas (when I had just eaten three Christmas dinners) so the practice of trying on such a squeezy dress seemed ill-advised. But I had just come from the Saks sale, where I bought the Pieced Column dress (which is now available at Anthro in a very similar though still not quite the same colorway) so I wasn't totally opposed to tight dresses or Bailey 44. I grabbed it because I loved the green color, the wiggle shape, and the unique length (which I think could stand to be an inch or two shorter on me). This is a size medium and it fit snugly (especially through my stomach and hips). But perhaps it is supposed to? I still wonder if a size large would have been more forgiving. With Spanx or other appropriate shapewear either size would probably look better. But the smoke and mirrors effect of the strategically staggered stripes is missing from this one. You see every curve with ease because the pattern is so uniform. The fabric is nice and much more substantial than that of the Tiered Stripes/Pieced Column/Layered Column family (speaking of, I just noticed the newest iteration featuring thicker, supersized stripes: Rugby Stripe Column). It seems very winter-friendly because it is thicker and warmer. But it is not a dress I will be buying myself.

For the complete sale roundup, which includes a number of sweaters I've long coveted (but still find to be overpriced) check out Roxy's full list.

Pieced Column Review: Tiered Stripes for the Shorties!

(size large in another colorway)

(size medium in another colorway)

I always try to make the after Christmas sale at Saks because the early morning promotion is tough to beat. This year I went a little too late for the best deals and best selection but I did find something I loved in the new arrivals. A shorter version of the Tiered Stripes dress by Bailey 44 (reviewed here). Anthropologie is calling it the Pieced Column Dress. The sales associate at Saks told me they also had it in purple and black stripes which would have been totally up my alley. Sadly, it was long sold out. She said this new version in navy and white was unlikely to last until sale time so I used a merchandise credit to buy it. I like it but I am not sure if I will keep.

I went with the large for this one even though I liked the medium better in the longer version. I'm sure the lack of shapewear and the three Christmas dinners I ate the day prior didn't help me fit into a smaller size of this already body-conscious dress. The fabric is the same as the other iterations of this Bailey 44 number. I wonder and worry about long term wear of what seems to be a somewhat delicate fabric. It is unlined but I find the construction and striping to flatter many figures. I think the placement offers a smoke and mirrors effect at least from the front. I haven't braved wearing this in public yet. Like I said above, I am still deciding.

What do you think? Do you like the long or short option? Does the longer version make it more modest, balancing out its curve-hugging?

Tiered Stripes Dress Review

Tiered Stripes Dress (Size medium)

Tiered Stripes Dress (size large)

Anthropologie heavily promoted the Layered Column Dress via email and on the website as universally flattering. And soon after, they released the Tiered Stripes Dress which was a long-sleeved version of the same. Both are made by Bailey 44 and sized in letters rather than numbers. I admit that without that additional push from marketing I probably would not have looked twice at this dress. It is stretchy, figure-hugging, with vertigo-inducing stripes, and a mid-calf length. Conventional wisdom says that none of these elements are supposed to "flatter" (in the narrow sense) a curvy and short person like me. But the boldness of their marketing claim intrigued me. So when I stopped in my local store to make a quick return, I also decided to give it a try.

I grabbed both medium and large. And although I think it is expensive for what you get, I was pleasantly surprised by how it looked. The large (bottom photo) had additional length and was a little less clingy. But the dress is meant to cling. As a result, I actually preferred the look and length of the medium (top photo). I do think this dress is outside of my own comfort zone. But it is cool and structural for a jersey knit. And I was surprised to see that the stripes added enough play to the cling that it didn't feel obscene. This dress isn't for me but I can see why Anthropologie chose to market it the way they did. It does seem to have the potential to really make a range of bodies look fantastic.

Faculty Event Outfit: Back to School

Babergh dress (Anthro 2010)

Marc Jacobs Stam Hobo

Chie Mihara t-strap pumps

Starfish cuff and bag detail shot

Every year the campus hosts an annual dinner to usher in the new semester. All the faculty and staff are invited and it is a great occasion for dressing up. I wanted to wear something special and something I hadn't recently worn so I pulled out my Babergh Dress from last year. It had just the right amount of sparkle mixed with an uncommonly figure-hugging silhouette. I was inspired by how I felt wearing a pencil shape the other week (blogged here). Branching out is fun! I gave and received many compliments that night. It was novel and great to see everyone wearing fancy clothes! We clean up well. I only wish I had some shots of me with my colleagues or Chris who was my very dapper date. Sadly I forgot to bring out my camera til the very end of the night after I got home.

My tight dress in real life

Excuse the classy throne pictured behind me. haha

I snapped this shot after eating four courses of food and drinks. And thank goodness that dress was stretchy. But I felt good. It was really fun to wear something unlike my tried and true. And I was glad to get use from something that I have owned and not worn for years. Thank you for your input.

On wearing tight dresses

Black Halo Jackie O dress

(in black or pink)

Chies

(Disregard my bedhead and lack of make up. I snapped these like Cher from Clueless to get an idea of how I'd look. 

When I feel insecure it's as though mirrors can't be trusted).

As the overwhelming majority of my outfits indicate, I tend to avoid clingy silhouettes on my lower half. I'd rather put on a tent dress that creates a potato-esque shape than wear something that hugs me all over. But tonight I am going with some friends to a place I wouldn't normally go. And both the scene and the dress code indicate that I would fit with the crowd if I wore something tight. Although my body image is usually sound, I'm also human. And on occasion (on a bad self esteem day) the mere thought of wearing something tight on my lower half gives me a pang of panic. My body insecurities stem mostly from the span of my hips and thighs, both of which are functional (making my irrationality feel even more silly when I confront it and think it through). In fact the realization that every bathing suit I'd buy would still expose those parts led me to start wearing bikinis (despite inhabiting what most would deem a decidedly un-bikini body). Realizing my own irrationality makes me interested in wearing this dress. Of course, it's possible that I will cave and wear a girlie, comfortingly full skirt. Still the opportunity to break out of my comfort zone is tempting.

I  bought this dress a few years ago when I was feeling relatively body confident. Although my shape hasn't changed that much in the interim, I never wore it out of my house. It's so silly to hang on to something because you like the idea of it more so than how it looks on you. But I can't get rid of this dress. I altered its length to my body. And I *want* to feel like it is something I can wear, regardless of the number on the scale or the size on the tag. I believe in health at any size. And I know if I saw another woman wearing it, I would think "hot dress!" It is just that I have never been the kind of gal who wears hot dresses. Plus wearing it would be in defiance of "the rules" for dressing a body my size. Rules with which I strongly disagree. Rules that make women of all sizes feel inadequate. I want to be the sort of person who is comfortable defying rules that make women feel irrationally bad about their able and healthy bodies. But can the mere act of wearing a dress (that, lets face it, conforms to sexy and even sexist standards) even accomplish such a thing? I know I am over thinking. But that is my way...

Are there shapes and silhouettes to which you gravitate or favor in your dressing? If given an occasion to try something new with little risk (beyond the confrontation of your own admittedly irrational hangups), would you take it? And can the act of wearing a tight dress on a non-model frame do anything more than conform to/confirm ideals that are sexist anyway?