However, I recently decided to take the plunge and placed an order for a number of ASOS dresses, including the ASOS Curve Exclusive Bodycon Dress In Graphic Print (originally £28.00; now £19.50):
Image courtesy of ASOS Curve
Something about this dress really caught my imagination and I longed to see what it looked like on me. I ordered a size 18 as that was the smallest size available, and kept my fingers crossed that the waist wouldn't be too baggy.
Thank goodness it wasn't! Well, it was a bit but certainly less baggy on the waist than many of the other size 18 dresses I've tried in the past.
I was initially drawn to place my order for this dress by its pattern - it is lovely and serves to enhance figures as it highlights the points of the body where the curves are at their greatest. I think it looks great on the model in the stock photo and I can also see how it works well on me.
I should say at this point that I did not keep this dress, as much as I could appreciate how it worked on me. I felt like the dress was too much for the life I lead - I live in a fairly conservative town in south east England and the folks round here are not ready for this much glam! And, to be completely frank, I am not ready to get the amount of attention I am sure this dress would bring. If I lived in London I think I could have pulled it off but on this occasion I decided not to add the dress one to my wardrobe. That said, I am utterly envious of anyone who owns this - it really is a gem!
The dress is 95% cotton and 5% elastane. It holds its shape beautifully and clung to my curves in a most flattering way. It feels very soft and the fabric is fairly thick without being heavy. It kept me warm during these photos due to the amount of coverage so it's definitely not a warm weather dress but for sure it's one perfect for cooler months.
The length of the dress is great for me as it easily covers my knees and in fact reaches the 'midi length' of mid-calf. To complete the look the dress definitely needs killer heels - I think some brightly coloured ones in red or cobalt blue would look stunning, along with a few matching accessories such as a short bead necklace and a hair flower.
I love the three-quarter length sleeves as they are a decent length and not just elbow length, as so many sleeves described as 'three-quarter length' in fact are! The scoop neck is perfect as it is fairly wide and shows a hint of cleavage without going over the top. A dress with a loud pattern such as this can end up looking cheap if it reveals a lot of cleavage so ASOS Curve have got the balance just right with this garment.
The shape of the skirt of this dress is lovely as it is very shaped. The bottom of the dress is actually really narrow so it's definitely one to be described as a 'wiggle'! I do like this, though, as so many 'fitted' dresses lose their shape in the skirt as it is cut too wide. There's absolutely no chance of that being the case here.
Having never tried ASOS or ASOS Curve before I believe that perhaps the plus size range/Curve runs on the small side. This size 18 Curve dress was a good fit on me overall but I can get away with a size 10/12/14 in stretchy fabrics such as this so to me this fitted more like a size 14/16.
You might have noticed the absence of a belt in my photos. Due to the very particular patterned design of this fabric I feel that a belt would be completely wrong as the pattern would be broken up and the va-va-voom of this dress's impact would be lost.
All in all, this wasn't a dress I would wear on a day-to-day basis so I decided not to hold on to it. I reckon it would be perfect for a photoshoot though! And of course it would totally work for someone who lives in a more cosmopolitan area where rad fashion is more par for the course. There is a part of me that regrets not keeping this dress - what do you think, should I have bought it, after all?
