Image courtesy of Collectif
In all honesty, I wasn't 100% about the print when I first saw it but I was so eager to add to my Dolores Doll collection that I decided to go for it. The dress wasn't available in my preferred size 12 Medium so I went for the 10 Small instead.
As always, I absolutely adore the cut of this dress. The feminine style, with its low cut neckline, puff sleeves, close-fitting waist and huge flared circle skirt, is a winner for my hourglass shape and works so well to accommodate me.
The print is much less 'rawrrr!' in real life and I think adding some coloured accessories would help to tone it down even further. Something bright would take the edge off the dress and put the print in its place somewhat.
The length of the dress's skirt is great for me - my knees are comfortably covered and in fact the skirt goes down to my mid-calf. I am only 5'4 so this would come up a bit shorter on anyone taller than me but over the knee is the intended length of the Dolores Dolls.
Sadly for me, the size 10 Small was just too tight on this occasion. I have managed to get away with this size in some of my other dresses, although there is the compromise of the bust being too tight, but this one seemed to have a tiny bit less stretch than the others and so it felt very snug indeed. You can see from my photos just how tight the dress is on my bust, squeezing it noticeably, and even on my waist and back. I am all for the 'wench' look, but this is too much!
Just for fun, I added a belt to the dress to see how it worked:
It works well, as usual, but as this dress is already a tight fit I don't think it needs the belt. I think it would instead look great with almost any coloured shrug; in particular I think red or turquoise would work beautifully.
So, the Dolores Doll Feral Dress is one that I'll need to sell due to the fit being on the small side - and I'll be on a mission to get one in a size 12 Medium as soon as possible!
This dress is now out of stock on the Collectif website but I have recently seen them on sale in at least one of their London stores. Additionally, you may be able to find this dress retailing on other websites, such as Miss Mole or Top Vintage.
