Sadly, I think this one will have to go back to Nordstrom. It's a gorgeous, well-made dress, but it doesn't do enough for me. I was hoping to wear it to officiate at a wedding, so I wasn't going for sexy, but I was still hoping for understated figure flattery. But the dress simultaneously emphasized my lack of a waist and revealed way too much cleavage.
That's not the fault of the dress. I bet it's modest on most people. On me, pretty much any neckline that isn't completely covered to the collarbone reveals cleavage. Even when I was much slimmer and not so busty, tops that were modest on other people were too revealing on me. My theory about this is that my breasts are set higher on my rib cage, are closer together, and are fleshier on top than others of comparable size, thus making every neckline seem lower cut than it actually is.
Even though I'm 5'7" ( cm) I have found that petite dresses and tops, while usually too short at the hemline, are otherwise proportioned right for me in terms of where the bustline and waistline fall. In fact, when I pulled up on the shoulder seam of the dress and folded it a couple inches at the shoulder, not only did the cleavage problem mostly go away, but the dress was much more flattering to my waist and hips. The hem was right on the knee, so not too short. If there's a petite version of the dress in my size, it might fit me perfectly.
I could keep the dress and have a tailor take up the shoulder seam so that the bust, waist, and hips fall where they're supposed to. But I think I'll just keep looking, or wear something I already have.
I'd still highly recommend the dress to others who have a more typically feminine waist-to-hip ratio, and who don't have the same high cleavage that I do. Angie's right that it would be a wonderful, versatile dress that would flatter many plus-size women.
Other notes: I was relieved to find that these low-heeled patent pumps are still very comfortable, even though my foot and ankle problems have become significantly worse in the 2 years since I last wore them. Might have to see if the brand (Nickels Soft) is still around and if they have any new styles/colors with a similar sole and heel height. Also, my black micro-fishnet hose are much sheerer than they look in the pics. Pics make them look like opaque tights.
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