Friday, May 17, 2013

Madewell Reviews - Dresses

My love affair with Madewell continues... I only make it to a store once in a while and it was part of my Mother's Day treat. I really think they are doing prints right this season especially in comparison to J Crew. I'm probably the one person who is not swooning of the Punk Floral motif. The SA's at my most local store are absolutely the best - so helpful, so accommodating, always looking to find things for you in other stores. I cannot say enough about them!

My one complaint with Madewell is the (is it possible?) even crazier pricing games they play. Items will constantly change price (on sale and then suddenly back to full price like the Billie Boots) and really old items will pop back on the website for extraordinarily high prices (hello Sketchbook Dress for $124.99!) Plus there is still final sale! Please make it go away.

Still, overall I am really enjoying getting to know the brand and appreciated the cookies and seltzer they had on the table for Mother's Day!

Silk Cami Dress in Sungarden (Size 2)
J'adore this dress. It is so adorable and the fit is spot on. I generally do not do camisole top dresses because I cannot go braless and I don't like the look of my straps peeking out everywhere. What I really want is this same silhouette but in the Flora print - so bright and springy! My normal size 2 felt good with a very slight blousiness at the sides. It's actually quite fitted on top which creates a nice balance with the skirt. 

 Laceprint Maxidress (size 2)
This was huge! I would need at least a 0.  It definitely needs a belt but it's too long on my anyway. Even the waist felt long (which is strange because Madewell's stuff is usually quite short-waisted). There are large slits at the sides which felt a bit odd to me as well.

 Tailored Silk Dress (size 0)
It's sort of hard to tell from the pictures but this dress is absolutely perfect for an LBD. I would take my usual size 2 in this (this dress is a 0). The waist is nicely nipped in and everything else drapes beautifully. I like the skirt which is almost sort of an a-line - not too full. The back opening, while a lovely detail, is not great for me.

 Striped Tee Dress (size S)
This used to be called the Striped Bookplate Dress and was sold in stores at least a year ago. I need an XS and perhaps the length to be a bit shorter. On sale in store for $89.99 - even with 20% off I couldn't justify it. It's a really simple dress and I sort of love it but that's a lot of money for a glorified t-shirt. The asymmetry is really interesting, not sure it's flattering.

 Tailored Silk Dress in Safari Sketch (size 2)
This Tailored Silk Dress silhouette is so flattering. Fully lined with a slip so the sheer parts at the top are a nice little standout. Love the flat waistband instead of all the elasticized stuff they do to other dresses. It is elasticized in the back but that doesn't bother me. The length is perfect, just above the knee. If I loved this print more I would have bought  it but the color is a bit drab. Wish they would do the Flora print in this dress shape. It would be mine!

What are your thoughts on Madewell's spring dress offerings?

2 comments:

  1. I have the Sun garden print in the top and love it. It makes a very pretty dress too.
    I agree, love the silhouette of the Tailored Silk Dress, but not the print. I really hope they offer it in another print.
    The black silk dress is very pretty on you. The back does make it more difficult to wear because of the bra issue.
    Thanks for the reviews.

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  2. Thanks for the reviews. You are not the only one who is not swooning over the Punk Floral print at J. Crew. They had the dress at my local store, and it just wasn't for me. The colours are pretty but the flowers look like large blobs from a distance. I ordered the Tailored silk dress in black, but I found it to be too short - I prefer skirts to fall to the knee or slightly below the knee. Too bad, as I thought it was nice.

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