(My dress is the same pattern but a different style - see exhibit A).

What bj1111 said. Wear the frock and no more dilly dally about :). It looks KILLER. And is a fresh piece for your frock capsule. Nice and different!

The patterned ruching is a lot more camouflaging than you think, Una.

Nah, dude, life is too short. You look amazing. Keep the dress.

OMG, UNA. Get a grip, girl. You look fab!!

Una, I have similar belly issues. Even when I was a little girl and rail thin, I had a belly.

The dress looks super nice on you. Is this for work? Will you be wearing a blazer with it? Toppers can hide the unflattering bits.

How's the sit down test? Does it exaggerate the belly more?

In the end, you need to feel comfortable with it and decide whether that issue will make it an orphan.

I decided not to bring my pretty Max and Cleo dress on vacation because I knew I would not have enough restraint to eat healthy during the trip and the dress highlights a happy tummy.

I think the dress looks great on you, but agree with AJ that you need to feel great in it too. If you don't think you'll wear it, then it should probably go back. No, you don't look pregnant and I should know You just look normal.

Una, just focus on standing up straight when you wear this dress. You don't need to do any thing more. It looks great!

I've done this experiment (with pictures as proof) regarding side view. If I stand and focus on pulling in my gut, it looks worse. My waist looks smaller but the gut is still there and the difference between gut and small waist makes me look worse. But if I don't suck it in but stand tall and straight, it elongates my torso and the gut, while still there, looks much better.

I do believe some of this comes from being quite short waisted.

Una, I'd say no worries, you look great and it's a nice dress.

So funny about trying to hold the gut in coco - I agree, when I try to do that it is not good and I realize sometimes that if I just relax I look my best.

Una, You look FAB in that dress!!

Keep it and wear it with confidence. You look terrific, both views.

And, um, that little tummy . . . its just part of being a girl The muscles in our tummy are more cylyndrical thanmen's, thanks to childbirth. This is why men in shape have flat tummies and women don't. Some women are capable of a six pack, but they are the minority.

If I had more courage, I'd post a picture to show you what a REAL belly is! Not downplaying anyone's body issues, but seriously you look fab, Una. You really do. No one could mistake that side view for anyone preggo.

I am very sensitive to the side view, because once I was mistaken for being pregnant when I wasn't. Granted, that was shortly after I'd had a baby, but I was still mortified and vowed to dress to camouflage it as much as possible. The side view matters as much or more than the back view to me.

But this dress is very flattering and looks great on you. That's not a side view to worry about at all.

I have a tummy too. I used to super self concious about it. Now it's variable for me. Keep the dress, you look fine.

Una do you look awesome in the dress. Does it really matter if u have a small tummy ? I have it took.
When my hubby teases me about it I say too bad you married a lady with curves n not a mannequin
You are beautiful n u have nourished a life in that beautiful body of yours. Go easy on it keep that dress plz

I have a belly too, especially after eating. It bothers me loads but it is good thinking that people don't usually see you from the sides. That dress looks great on you!

I hold my belly in when wearing tight dresses. It helps with posture, since you stand straight and you exercise the muscles. Plus, after a while you are not even aware you are doing it!

Una I didn't see the pics but I have a similar issue. I have a flat butt & poochy belly. I lost 30 pounds to get rid of tummy & though it is smaller it is still there. I also have saggier boobs & skin now & I look older. My ribs show on my chest & torso & my butt is flatter. I cannot lose anymore weight without looking worse everywhere else. I guess I have to accept, my tummy. Is this why people get lipo? Because you cannot choose where the fat will come off through dieting or exercise.

I used to wear empire waist tops. Now that they are dated & my tummy is smaller I faux tuck loose t-shirts or wear woven button downs, that sit away from the body. Wearing loose BFs doesn't help. They just ride lower making more muffin top. I think you could wear spanx with bodycon dresses. I would never remember to hold it in so I won't suggest that. I could also try some exercise, like sit ups to firm it but it won't get rid of the fat. The other thing is avoiding foods I am allergic to for the bloat part of it.

I think your body looks lovely. I don't see pregnant at all.

" I'm not saying all angles need to be the most flattering, but is there a point at which it's just wrong?"

Yup, it's the point at which you just feel uncomfortable in the item. The rest of the world can give that dress a thumbs up, but, let's face it, a killer dress ought to make you feel good as well as look good. If this dress doesn't make you feel confident and attractive, why bother?

I think you look fantastic in the dress - honestly

Not pregnant at all! The front view is smoking hot and people usually see you from the front first. A little bit of belly from side view is what makes you real (what Kim said in her excerpt from the story). Please keep and wear often.

I am not keen on my side view either. In my case for nearly opposite reasons to you Una, ie a very small bust and a large bottom. I don't agree with Suz re pearish shapes, or not my own anyway I also have a very deep body so I just look larger all over from the side. It is a bone structure thing.
as to how you look in the dress, I don't see pregnant, I see womanly. Una a large bust helps with this. it is much easier for us small busted lasses to look pregnant on a bad tummy day.

Okay, you've convinced me. This is a great dress otherwise with the wrap front that ACTUALLY STAYS CLOSED. I am going to give it a go. Would like to be able to wear with and without jacket. Yeesh, professional dressing is hard, but I'm hoping to have two or three fallback outfits in my closet to avoid flailing in the morning, since I will now have to be in early!

Ok, let's get the most important bit out of the way: UNA, YOU LOOK AMAZING. Thank goodness you've decided to keep the dress. And did you say "wrap dress that stays closed"? Where is my credit card?!

Less importantly, do you happen to have a short waist or a short rise? Like you, I'm IT/hourglass and I have a bit of a belly pooch too -- I've always chalked it up to my body being disproportionately small in that area, leaving the flesh nowhere to go but out/up.

Ok, maybe this will help you feel better. Even though I have a relatively flat tummy, I have a little curve from the side in certain dresses too. This was three weeks after my surgery so not much swelly belly left.

But isn't it weird how ITish I look for the side? It's like I have two different bodies. Here's a workout outfit pic for comparison.

(The black dress pic was to see if an old, altered, orphaned dress is working for me now.)

Oh, by the way, I meant to tell you, you look fab in the dress! Keep your shoulders slightly back and down -- I always have to work on this because my scoliosis means my back actually curves forward a bit, just the opposite of Elisabeth's so-called swayback.

Here's me trying the CCV dress a year ago... the gut has only gotten bigger after stress and depression, and it's one thing I really don't care about.

The dress looks great on you! I am another keep vote.

Janet and Rae, you are so sweet ( and beautiful!)... You do look very IT from the side, Janet - only you have some booty for balance and a flat abdomen. I love your shape. And Rae, you look perfect to me. Must be that our own eyes are flaw amplifiers for our bodies.

Wear the dress! You look amazing, Una. You have an enviable and gorgeous figure!

Suz - all I see from the side is the drape of your clothes. But I have to say I love your pants! I just ordered some slouchy-ish pants kind of like that and I'm waiting with baited breath to see if they work for me.

Side view belly for sure. I'm sure you've seen it in my WIW posts, and certainly in the recent OT sports pics! Flat butt, smaller bust, short waist. Higher waisted dresses, and mid rise pants work the best, IMO. A jacket can be camouflaging. A good bra with lift can help, too.

Like others have said, you have a natural feminine curve to your belly! I think much of society has lost sight of what a "normal" tummy looks like :b

So glad you are keeping the dress -- it looks fantabulous and I hope you feel fantabulous in it!

As an apple who has that pregnant-looking tummy issue from BOTH front and side views, I completely sympathize with your concerns! But you have a great figure and look awesome in the dress and I'm glad you're keeping it!