Silver shoes?

Not sure about the necklace....I'll need to think for a bit. I like this dress though, and it seems your style. :)

Silver shoes sound good.

I'm not sure if it would fit me though, I'm afraid that I'm buying something that I like but doesn't fit me, and it could look too young on me. But for $27 I'd like to give it a try.

Really? Well, I do associate you with giraffes now. :) But maybe I sort of associate you with Maya too since you guys are body doubles, and it seems like something both of you would wear--very graphic. It's worth a shot though, and I don't think it looks too young at all! :)

Hmm that's tough. That bluish gray is throwing me off. Normally I'd pair yellow with pink but I dont think that would work here. I think I'd just go with black shoes and let the dress be the focal point.

I tend to like the look of bracelets or cuffs with 3/4 sleeves. Instead of a necklace, I might just go for a chunky bracelet.

BTW I plan to wear my colorblock dress for as long as I stay the same size (or as long as it lasts before falling apart...it IS H&M after all).

i think you could try a bright chunky beaded necklace with this dress - even tho it does have several colors in the dress already, they're all pretty subdued. so you could try orange, green, red, or white for a necklace. i think i would wear black shoes with it, though, if you do a colorful necklace.

I'll be interested to see how the inverted empire line falls on the bustline. Sweet dress! My vote is silver or black shoes too. How about hoop earrings instead of a necklace?

How about black chunky beads--what do you guys call them? Gumball? But ones that are way oversized and get progessively larger in the center.

I think the dress needs to be shorter than the model length though.

I like the ideas of cuffs and hoop earrings. I was not sure if necklaces would ruin the color block look and that's why I asked.

Ana I love animal prints. My favorites are giraffe, zebra and pony especially in unexpected color. I don't like leopard though, they are too predictable. I hope that I don't sound like Cruella Devil, I would never wear real furs in that matter. :)

I do love the color combos of this dress Maya, yellow and pink sounds yummy and young and suits you very well.

Angie I hear you, I'm not sure about the inverted empire line either. Maybe I can try a minimizer bra to see if it would work?

Shell and Nicole, I don't have any gum ball necklaces, but a chunky one does sound better than a dainty one since the color block is bold and simple.

I'll let you know when I get it!

I have got the dress for a while. It's been a hectic week for me and finally I had a chance to get the picture. I have it altered. Here it is:

http://s282.photobucket.com/al.....t=6-22.jpg

Angie, the empire line hits just below my chest so I decided to keep it. What do you think?

LOVE it on you! Very funky and stylish! I think it's a definite keeper!

Very cute dress, Julia! I looks great on you.

Fabulous! LOVE it! You are ready for Hong Kong. Knock 'em dead sunshine!

I love this dress on you, Julia! It looks better than it did even on the model in the photo--very flattering and funky!

The dress fits you perfectly and it's a refreshing style. It's very fun and youthful.

Super dress! Fun, funky, stylish - and very unique. Looks great on you.

Yay! I love it too. Great length for your shapely legs.

I love it too!

I've been wondering about the new petite sophisticate. Can you tell us more about that... you mentioned you had the dress altered. What does that indicate about their sizing? How is the quality? Is it comparable to the old petite sophisticate? How was the shipping/customer service/etc?

Thanks everyone! I'm so happy to get all of your blessings. Angie, yes I'm ready for Hong Kong and I'll hold my head high in the most fashionable city in the world. I credit it to you and the fabulous gals here.

Shiny, I had it shortened 4 inches in the length and 1 1/2 inches in the sleeves. I ordered size S, as you can tell it fits well everywhere else except for the length. The material for this dress is 93% polyester and 7% spanx. It has a lining waist down. Since I want to bring it with me on the trip I didn't mind the material. The workmanship is nice, I'd say that the quality is the same compare to the old petite sophisticate. I ordered another dress for a friend so I got free shipping because the total is more than $50. I haven't had any issues with the customer service yet but this is the first order I have so I can't say much about it.

I have to say that I don't like most of their styles, they look matronly to me, but once in a while, there is a good one like this with decent quality and good price, I wouldn't cross it off from my shopping list.

I agree with the matronly comment, but then again I have been wondering if it is just the way the photos are taken. I often think ATL clothing looks much better in real life, than it does on their web site. I can't tell you how many times I have seen something on ATL site and thought "no way" but then when I saw it in the store I had a completely different reaction.

PS is a brand that has been around for.... 20-25 years? I remember it was the FIRST petite store and I shopped there for my post-college work wardrobe. I am wondering if they are trying to target women in their 40s and above, who grew up with the brand? Maybe they deliberately make the photos look matronly, thinking that would appeal to someone like me (it *doesn't.*)

Shiny, good point about the pictures not reflecting the clothes well. I agree with what you said about ATL, even the displays in my local store's window look much better than the pictures on their website.

In my opinion, ATL has a much younger/edgier style than PS, I equate PS to Talbots style wise, the old PS has more career wear than the new one. I was their loyal buyer before because we didn't have as much petite choices at that time. I heard that Talbots is trying to revive their image with edgier, younger look, maybe PS is trying to do the same.

If the average American female height is 5'3'', shouldn't more stores offer petite clothes? I've been to the Club Monaco store and adored their clothes but everything was too big on me. Sigh.

The dress looks fantastic on you Julia - I wonder if you could also try red shoes or accessories with it - I"m thinking a bold color in contrast to the colors in the dress.

Thanks Sihaya for the suggestions. I have a pair of silver hoop earrings that I plan to wear it with, also I'll carry my white tote with it. I know that they are not bold enough like red shoes but that's how much I can handle at this time. Remember I'm a virgo. :)

Nice, Julia!

So am I :-) A Virgo that is. And I consider red and yellow as basic colors in my wardrobe. If you're the Julia I think you are, we might have to compare colors so I can nudge a fellow Virgo in the Seattle area!

Which Julia do you think I am, Sihaya?