I had two new contenders in my search for an AOTB dress waiting for me when I got back in town to try on today. Both are from my new retail BFF -- WH/BM Seriously, I never find anything there that floats my boat, but this spring I've gotten a couple of winners there. 

You may have seen that I already tried the floral lily print dress with the white background. I really like it, even though the size that works best is a bit dependent on my losing a few pounds to make it fit a bit easier. I also have a Tadashi Shoji dress hanging in my closet with tags on (no longer available so it's in my photo here, not in Finds). I like it pretty well, but it doesn't excite me, so I've been keeping an eye out for other options. 

I decided to try the Nicole Miller high-low dress from WH/BM, and then at the last moment as I was ordering, noticed the sleeveless embroidered sheath on sale and decided to throw that in my order as well. 

I tried them on quickly this morning, and the sleeveless lace sheath is really nice! It's a definite possibility. I could use the shoulders taken up a bit (darn short torso), but that's an easy alteration. I actually think I like it more than the Tadashi Shoji -- the fit is nice, the shades of blue are pretty, and it looks really nice with silver shoes and accessories. It feels a bit more "special" than the TS dress, but at less than half the price. 

I like the Nicole Miller dress, and I think the style itself is actually really nice on me, but there are a few things that bother me:
1) The fit is not perfect. The waist is OK, but it's big in the bust (rarely happens!) -- actually a little big throughout the whole top, as it's a little long in the torso as well. It could be altered, but I suspect the alteration would be more involved and more expensive. I would try a size down, but it's now sold out. 
2) It would require a strapless bra (ugh, a 32G strapless bra sounds miserable).
3) But the oddest thing is that the lace, which is lovely, is actually not FLAT. There are bits that stick out. They are not stitched down, and it's by design, and it's...interesting, but not necessarily flattering. It ends up making the top look a little lumpy, and I do not need any help looking lumpy. ;-D So, sadly, I think it's going back. 

I'll try to take pics and add them at some point.