Oh, I'm mad for Josephine! The shape has that sexy/ladylike retro quality that is so hard to find in dresses for grownups, and the polished cotton in that deep blue and white dot--so fresh and classic! I would be strongly inclined to keep, even if it means raising the shoulders a pinch and stitching a snap or a square of velcro between the buttons, because it's really heavenly on you.

Super cute dresses! High five for gingham! I have been wearing mine every weekend.
Love the second and third dress although I think I would pass on both of the ones that don’t fit correctly as I’m sure you can find others with a better cut for you that are just as nice.

Beautiful dresses, Suz, I especially love #1 and #3 , the white sandals are very nice.

Just thought I’d chime in and say it took me two years to find my “hospital gown” dress lol. White boho dresses that flatter are a hewi! You’d think they’d be easy to find but no.

Ah Suz, you look fantastic in the Emory dress! My other favourites are the checked one and the white one (beautiful !), too bad it doesn't fit.

Two out of four ain't bad! I love the first two, but I'd pass on the third. It's nice enough but looks a bit "mother of the bride" for your sharp style. That last one seems to be a very strange cut - what were they thinking?

Dresses 1-2 are gorgeous on you. They are YOU.
Dress 3 is a departure from your usual style. It's fun, and from the pics, looks like it fits you super well (aside from the gaping issue you mention). It has a more girly vibe. I would definitively try it with booties and cropped bomber (à la Madonna-circa-1986), to try to infuse some badassery in it. But then again, would it be really you?

#1 is my absolute favourite and I can see you in the CM dress. #2 and #3 are also lovely - but if keeping these means a no to the CM dress, then my vote is try the CM before keeping these.

#4 does not look too bad - but given how amazing most things look on you, it is nice to know that even you can have fit issues from time to time!

I actually like the polka dot dress a lot- it’s hard for me to judge fit well in the photos so if it’s too big all over — as sometimes flared skirts on me are “too much skirt” even though I’m Pear— then pass but I’d be willing to alter otherwise. At any rate the color and length are much better than the prior floral dress, so this is closer to the direction.

( corrected the weird words my phone put in)

Did you get the grey or the blue in the Emory? I order a US 6 and 8. The 8 is definitely too big, and the 6 is slightly more close fitting in the upper back than I would prefer, but I think I will keep it because it's just so cute otherwise. I got the light blue.

Thanks all for your comments and suggestions. Very helpful.

Liz, I got the Emory in "Hazy Sky Fallen Blossom" which is a sort of light blue-grey with white, blush, and red dots.

Decisions made: I'm keeping Emory and Eleanor (the first two) and sending the others back. With my Topshop asymmetrical dress, that is four casual summer day dresses -- more than I've had in years. I also have a Comrags handkerchief hem cotton batik print which is slightly dressier -- can swing from day to night. And a dressy sheath, and dressy drop waist dress.

While I love the idea of a fit and flare for me, and they look nice enough (aside from the fit issues), somehow I don't feel quite right in the ones I've tried. I won't stop trying them. Eventually, the perfect one may come along. But it's not a need, whereas casual, easy-to-throw on day dresses are.

I'll probably try the dressier CM asymmetrical dress, too, because I typically have good luck with them in terms of fit. (Not always with the styles, which for at least a year were so cluttered with ruffles and furbelows I had to shield my eyes!) But asymmetry is my friend and I'm a sucker for silk. So...

My only minor irritation here is that I was not able to branch out more in terms of colour. Blue and white, blue and white, blue and white....seems like I never wear anything else! But I guess if it's not broken, don't fix it, right? Maybe next year we'll have a summer of berry tone items or blue reds, and I can stock up some more.

Great choices Suz. I actually thought the fit and flare dress looked fantastic on you, when you hiked it up. But all of the alterations seemed like too much work, and fixing button gaping might not be possible. I have a fit and flare dress on my HEWI list. If you find one cut for petites, let me know!