I prefer your Athleta dress to these and can see if you don't feel comfortable with body con dresses, that these were not a good substitute for the old one. Well worth trying and the colours were beautiful on you.

I tried on this body con dress recently and it was a winner for me. It doesn't read as too form-fitting on me and very easy to dress down (or up). Currently on sale. A good traveler too.

CJ, I actually tried on that dress (SA brought it to me, and I had serious doubts but decided to humor her and to be open to possibilities). It was not bad on me, which was a shock. The fit is nice and easy. I wasn't wild about the length on me though (preferring to cover the knees in dresses for the best proportions, and because my knees are so not pretty). I bet it would be fabulous on Kelly!

Oh, CJ, love that T-shirt dress but it's not available in my size. I, too, ordered the Halogen dress. In black. The blue was sold out in my size, and I think red would be too va-va-va-boom for my psychological comfort. I don't have high hopes as I have heavy arms, don't like bodycon, and the dress is likely to make my short legs look shorter.

Donna, that dress is not bodycon so try it if you can. IIRC it runs large as most things in WH/BM do — I think I tried it on in a S and I know I’m larger than you are, but I’m not sure what size you were looking for.

I think the Athleta dress looks great on you without a topper.

If you're looking for a change, though, Toad & Co has a good variety of well-made casual knit dresses. I believe the Muse style was included in a roundup a while back, but it may be a little longer than you're looking for.

https://www.zappos.com/filters.....AQIYCg.zso

This is not a dressy dress - very casual fabric - thank you, Smittie. You can wear it with sneaks, flats and boots, or dress it up with heels

HAH I'm a spanner this morning - I prefer the Halogen dress to the Athleta by far. Granted the Athleta is more casual. KILLER on you Kelly. I vote cobalt.

Thanks, Fabbers! I returned the dresses last night. I loved the colors but Janet summed it up perfectly--the style was just too body con for my environmental norm and comfort level. I usually go through this mental exercise on "where would I wear this" and couldn't think of one place! Anyway, returning gave me a chance to try some Boden stuff on in store. Wow. Glad that I didn't place an order. I'll elaborate on that in another thread for those with shoulders and flat chests.

@Angie and Smittie: Thanks for the thumbs up! Angie, you haven't been a spanner around here for awhile. Smittie, you are in good company.

I definitely prefer the simpler style of the Athleta dress. The ruching on the Halogen is a bit much for me, especially in the brighter colours (maybe not as noticeable in the black). If there's nothing at Athleta striking your fancy, I echo the recommendations for Prana and Toad&Co. Title Nine does some cute sporty-casual dresses as well. If you're okay with lightweight merino in the summer, check Icebreaker. I love my old Icebreaker Villa dresses -- they don't carry that style anymore but do have a tank dress and a tee dress that are similar. https://www.icebreaker.com/en/.....ses-skirts

*very sad face*

I was at Athleta yesterday and they had lots of new dress styles in. Some cute stuff!

Sidenote: my Athleta has the worst dressing room lighting ever! There were lumps, bumps, and bulges I'd never seen on my body before. It was horrifying. They could have sold me a lot more clothes with better lighting!

I was in Athleta yesterday and tried on a couple of their casual dresses. They fit like bags on me and not fun enough styles I can see myself living in. I love my Athleta midi skirt I bought two years ago. I Will check out the icebreaker option. I really wanted the Halogen dress to work out for everyone. I can see Angie’s strategies for dressing it down working well. My body type just didn’t groove with the ruching.