I was really excited when the Pink Clove PR team got in touch and asked if they could send me something to review. At the time they had not yet released their partywear collection so I went for something that I thought might work as an everyday dress: the Ballerina Wrap Bust Dress (£30.00, UK sizes 16-28).
Image courtesy of Pink Clove
The dress appealed to me because of the gorgeous colour and the (what I hoped would be) boob friendly bust area. Having already tried a number of Pink Clove items I knew they came up rather generously on me so I went for this dress in a size 16.
For reference, I am wearing my Ewa Michalak PL Cappuccino bra 30L/65L in these photos.
There is plenty of stretch to this dress thanks to its 96% viscose 4% elastane make-up. It is machine washable and the fabric feels buttery soft to the touch. It does crease VERY easily, however, as can be seen from my photos. I did put the dress on straight out of the packet so I think it would have benefitted from a quick wash and iron first!
This dress is a twist on a skater dress. It has a skater skirt but the difference is the bust area as it wraps over the bust. I am pleased to report that it is incredibly bust friendly so if you often struggle to find dresses that fit your bust without with need for a modesty vest then this might be just the ticket for you! I did find it slightly distracting that the crossover runs over my boobs but this is just a minor thing and definitely not a deal-breaker. The neckline is modest but flattering and I think the top half of the dress looks really great on me, if I do say so myself.
The length of the dress is slightly shorter than I'd ideally like but as it's a skater style dress this was to be expected. I feel ok wearing the dress with dark tights but really I would prefer the opaqueness of leggings. The flared skirt is pretty and feminine but it's not wide enough to blow up in windy conditions.
The sleeves are really fab. It might seem a silly thing to highlight but for me sleeves can really make or break a dress. These three-quarter length sleeves are great as they are comfortable to wear because they are fitted but not super tight, and give good arm coverage without making me overheat. Perfect!
I absolutely adore the colour of this dress. It's a wonderful dark forest green and is perfect for winter. The brown belt compliments the green very well and together they make an outfit that is in fact quite subtly festive. All I need is a sprig of holly and I'd be well away! Brown is not a colour I wear often at all and therefore I don't have any brown footwear or accessories but I think the dress would look lovely with some brown ankle or knee high boots and perhaps even some brown tights. As it is, I think it still looks quite nice with black tights as seen in my photos but I think my black shoes look rather out of place. I must add more brown to my wardrobe!
Given this, I decided to swap the brown belt for one of my black ones (an old favourite from Forever 21) to see how it worked.
It works really well! The black belt ties in with my black tights and shoes and the outfit now looks much more complete. I have to say that I am more comfortable wearing a wider belt than a thin one, and the brown one supplied with the dress was far too long for me (I am wearing it on the tightest hole in my photos).
The Ballerina Wrap Bust Dress also comes in grey here and you can read a review of it by the wonderful Danie Vanier here.
More Pink Clove reviews to come from me very soon, but I'll sign off by saying that they are a fantastic plus size brand who are bringing some superb fashion forward options to larger ladies. Well done, PC!
