new dresses - opinions needed

I bought two dresses recently and would like to hear your opinions:

1. Dusty teal dress from ATL - the same one as Christine (crwilson) bought: it looked so great on her, that I had to have it. Here is the photo: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh.....directlink
A question: is it work appropriate? It is sleeveless and quite short (ends just above my knees), so is it too bare? And, is it flattering? Here it is with a lightweight cardigan in the same color from ATL as well: http://picasaweb.google.com/ha.....9347626946 (I am raising my arm to show you the sleeve detail ). It does feel a but "suit-like" with the cardigan, though ...
2. A black ruffle wrap dress from ATL (I believe Shiny has the same one, right?): http://picasaweb.google.com/lh.....directlink What do you think? I usually never wear black during the summer, and this is really a summer dress, but it was so pretty that I caved ... For this dress, I won't even ask about work - clearly it is not work appropriate. Is it too short? Is it flattering?
Seriously, what happened to hemlines this summer? I am only 5'3'', and these dresses don't even come to my knees.
Thanks!

17 years ago

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

Love the black ruffled dress- it looks great on you. The blue seems to draw attention to your bust. It's a really pretty color, though.

Elika

Active Member

Agree that the black dress looks very nice: love the ruffles! The blue one doesn't seem to have the most flattering neckline for you. It could be nice as a layering piece though.

Alecia

I love the black dress, too. Neither seem too short for you. I agree that the blue dress draws attention to your bust but that it would be good for layering. I like it with the cardi though you would definitely need a pop of color to complete that look. I bet you could find a nice patterned cardi to make things pop, if you you were so inclined.

HannahC

Hmmm ... the teal dress does draw an (unwanted) attention to my bust
I guess I will wear it with a cardi then. On the bright side, there is no danger of being to "bare" then - if my shoulders will be covered, I will be fine for work. Right?

tarzy

I agree with the others. The black dress is FAB!

Kari

Wow, Hannah, you look STUNNING in the black dress. Wow! It's so fun to see the exact same items work well on different YLF-ers with different body types.

In my non-expert opinion, I think the blue dress will be fine for work with a top layer over it. It doesn't look too short to me - from the pics you posted, it looks like the dress hits at the knee, not above it. I actually don't think the teal-on-teal looks suit-like because the construction of the cardigan is pretty loose. It would be fun to see how you can play the teal up with other colors.

shana

The black dress looks great on you! It's funny because I saw it in the store & didn't think much of it but it looks so fab on you (and Shiny) - now I wish I had tried it on!

Asha

I don't think the blue dress is as flattering as it could be - especially compared with the black dress. That looks GREAT on you!

Kristen

(website)

The black is really great on you! I was afraid to try that on one, but you are rockin' it! The teal, as others have mentioned, is not that flattering in the bust, but a cardigan might break that up.

Angie

Fashion Stylist

KILLER black wrap dress. My goodness. I mean K-I-L-L-E-R. I almost fell off my chair! WOW. WOW. WOW. I need to recover…..

Okay. I’ve recovered. I have NEVER seen you look better, HannaC. That dress is unbelievably fabulous on your hot curvy bod. And it’s really going to work in Israel. Love it!

I like the teal dress but it pales in comparison to the black wrap. Very pretty colour on you though.

Thanks so much everyone! Angie, wow - thanks!! I am planning to wear the black dress to go out with my husband on my birthday, so I am very happy it got such a high mark from you (and everyone else).

I think I will keep the teal dress too, because the color is pretty, and it is comfortable. I also like the no-danger-of-overexposure neckline. I will indeed try to layer it with a cardi of a different color (teal over teal somehow sounds boring to me).

I have to get used to the length of both dresses. I usually wear hems that just cover my knees, and these don't (they stop just above the kneecap). But I guess it still looks ok, I just have to become comfortable with this length.

lwc

I really like the black dress on you, and I think that you can do a lot with it: date night; with leggings; over jeans...Enjoy!

shiny

Hannah, we are twins in our killer black dresses!!!! You look amazing. Love it on you! I think yours hits you just a bit longer than mine does. Perfect length!

I wore mine yesterday out to brunch over skinnies, which worked great, and rec'd high marks of approval from DD16, who said I looked "very euro."

One tip: be sure to wear a cami underneath. I discovered that when you sit down, especially if you lean forward, the neckline gapes open. I am so glad I had a cami on, otherwise I'd have flashed everyone some serious cleavage!

Thanks Shiny! Yes, I suspected there is a serious danger of flashing in the black dress. I will make sure I wear a cami, or else I might use a safety pin to hold the neckline together. I am thinking a cami in a contrasting color will look nice ...

Anonymous

HannahC you look so good in the dresses. The black one is gorgeous. The teal one is also gorgeous but the black is a little bit better because it hugs your curves in all the right places. I'm glad you decided to keep both. I am learning alot here about layering something over another piece to change the shape of the whole ensemble. I never would have thought of that pre YLF.

medusa

I agree with everyone - the black dress is fantastic! I was also worried about the teal, but with a layer over it it looks good.

Vani

Hannah, you are going to ROCK your birthday dinner in that terrific black ruffle dress. I wanted it really bad but the time I got around to it it was all sold out online and in the stores.

sinead

Hannah, I also wanted to say you just look fantastic in that black dress. And I love that teal cardigan; the teal dress does need a layer. Please don't worry about these hemlines- they may feel short to you, but they don't look that way at all.

I'm with San about learning how to layer here on YLF- it's opened up so many possibilities.

Thanks so much everyone!

I will try the teal dress with the cardigans I have and also with wrap tops - I think it might work. Maybe even tomorrow if the weather cooperates (it was unusually cool here lately).

crwilson

The teal dress is super comfy too. You look great in the ruffle wrap dress - I tried it on, and it just didn't work for me. You and Shiny look super in it though.

Jaime

First of all, I agree with everyone that the black dress looks fantastic. If you don't mind I have another question - how are you shopping at ATL in Israel? Are you ordering things by mail, shopping while abroad, or is someone bringing you your orders? Hope you don't mind the question - I like a lot of the stores here in Israel, but sometimes would like to be able to order online!

Shevia, I used Mustop (www.mustop.co.il). In the hindsight, I am not sure it is worth it, though - they charge for shipping AND for customs. It might be worth it for something extra special or extra on sale.

There are very few US stores that ship to Israel, unfortunately. I know about Martin&Osa (www.martinandosa.com), and Victoria Secret (don't remember the website). The shipping charges are pretty steep, though.

I do order quite a lot from Boden, who does ship to Israel (www.boden.co.uk). There is a shipping charge, but you get a discount because you don't pay VAT when ordering from outside of UK, so it pretty much cancels each other.

I came to the conclusion that ebay might be the best place for us to shop. They have quite a lot of stuff with shipping to Israel.

Thanks Hannah! I also find ebay a good solution for a lot of smaller things - and go a bit crazy on our trips out of the country.

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