Monday, March 11, 2013

Review: ASOS A Wear Peplum 40's Dress

This review is long overdue! I've been so busy with DIY projects, I haven't had time to devote my attention to writing a review for this dress from Asos.
Lately, I've been loving orange and red hues so I was instantly drawn to this dress and thought the cheerful color + print would be a nice addition for spring. I'm kind of late on the peplum trend, but if I can recall correctly this is my first dress with a peplum frill at the waist. I also love the very ladylike 40's inspired details like the cute cap sleeves, the V-neck with fitted bodice and the slim pencil skirt on this dress.
 I normally would order from the petite section, but decided to venture out since my friend Jean has had luck with their regular sizing. I went ahead and gave this dress a chance after viewing it on the runway and the fit seemed very form fitting  on the model. My gauge for regular size clothing is that if fits tight on a model, then it might fit someone petite like me. 
I am wearing a size 2 regular here and you can tell that the cut of the dress is form fitting. I was shocked at how small a size 2 regular run because I normally wear their Petite 1. I thought about ordering a 4 regular a couple of weeks ago to compare sizes, but it was sold out. I just checked and looks like they just re-stocked the 4 regular. If anyone gets the 4R, let me know how it fits!
I also thought the length was a tad long on me so I decided to snip 2 inches off the skirt. I'm used to skirts that are above the knees and thought the shorter length would help elongate the legs. It was an easy alteration that I did and it took no more than 30 mins.

The measurements:
Shoulders: 13" | Chest: 15" | Waist: 12" | Hips: 16 | Length (before alteration): 38"

Let talk about the cons of this dress! Well the obvious one is that it's form fitting (I guess it could be a pro depending on the occasion) and I do wish it was a tad bigger to accommodate room for a larger lunch or dinner. This is the dress you wear when you know you're going to have a salad for lunch or else you're going to be very uncomfortable going back to work sitting at your desk. 
Another thing that bothers me is that the lining of the skirt is made of a  thin cotton material while the shell has a chiffon/satin finish. The issue is that the fabrics do not move in unison because the lining is stretchy while the shell has no give. The lining rides up causing bunchy-ness -- notice the ripples around the hip area in the picture below. This is a tad annoying because you have to tug and pull at the lining too ensure everything is looking nice and smooth.
c/o Asos - A Wear Peplum 40's Dress. Currently on sale!
Size 2 Regular

I haven't had time to take pictures, but I also have the Asos Tulip Dress With Waterfall Skirt (Size 2 regular) to review. Stay tuned to see if the Tulip Dress in Size 2 regular fits similar to this peplum dress!

8 comments:

  1. You look really good in red, Ping! Too bad that the dress isn't perfect. Excited to read about your next review. Midi length skirts and dresses are so tricky to wear.

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  2. I really think red is one of the most flattering colours on Asian skin tones!

    http://www.xjole.com

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  3. I like that your shortened it, looks so much better now! Great dress, looks fab on you.

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  4. I agree with Sydney...the red looks great on you! Love the delicate dragonflies.

    Good idea to shorten. Nice that it has a tie in the back...always a plus when something is slightly adjustable.

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  5. i like that the pep is minimal and subtle. mb i should give reg sizing a try too! glad you gave me some kind of confirmation that it could work.

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  6. I bought this dress after seeing your review. I just love it! I have gotten so many compliments after wearing it. The peplum at the waist rather than the hip is really nice. The only other thing that bothers me is the tie-back. To me, it always kind of cheapens the look. Do you know if that would be easy to get rid of?

    I have it in size 2 and was stalking the ASOS page for weeks until a size 4 finally became available. The 2 is a BIT tight like you said but the 4 is too big on top, especially in the bust area. It just wouldn't work and doesn't look easy/worth it to alter down.

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    1. Glad you like the dress!! I agree with you that the tie in the back totally cheapens the dress. I thought about removing it too. Since the dress is lined, I'm not quite sure if that tie is attached to the waist band. I'm also scared that if I took the dress apart, I won't be able to put it back together the same exact way. Personally I'm scared to take anything part that is lined. I'd take it to a tailor to be on the safe side.

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