Image courtesy of Evans
Available at Evans in sizes 14-32, this dress is slightly different in design to its predecessor. The lovely people at Scarlett & Jo offered to send me the dress to share with you on my blog so once again I opted for a size 14.
For reference, I am wearing my Ewa Michalak S Pieprzyk 32KK/70KK bra in these photos, along with some black high heeled shoes from Primark. The bra still has the removable pads in place, which make the bra just a fraction to small for me, as can be seen in a few of the photos.
I'm delighted to say that the overall fit of the dress is every bit as good as the original 2 in 1 Prom Dress. The elasticated belt-like waist is superb at hugging my middle and the jersey top stretches beautifully to accommodate my boobs (just!!). I suppose it would be better if there was just a little more boob room, if only to make this dress appropriate for work, but I don't mind keeping the dress for more special occasions! The three-quarter length sleeves are great for spring and autumn temperatures, but perhaps a bit too warm for the heatwave we're currently experiencing in the UK. Thank goodness for air-conditioning - I took these photos in a hotel room last week when I was away with work and my room was like a fridge!
The poppy print fabric of the skirt is not stretchy but there is plenty of fabric to allow for curves. The design is so pretty - I am a sucker for florals at the best of times but poppies have to be one of my all-time favourites.
You might wonder what the '2 in 1' in the name of the dress refers to. The idea is that the dress can be worn either on the shoulder, as I am in my photos, or off the shoulder. I think that would be a lovely look for this dress but personally I find it doesn't really work as there are shoulder seams built in to the dress, so when worn off the shoulder there is excess fabric. Perhaps it's just me, but I just can't figure out how to make that look work.
The only difference from the original dress is that this one is longer by about 5cm. That's not a huge amount but it's enough to make the dress more than cover my knees. For me, this is a good thing, as regular readers will know I am not a fan of inadvertently flashing my knees, but it does make the dress a little more formal in appearance. This dress was originally designed without the underskirt and I wonder if it would have been better to leave it like that, as it possibly seemed to suit the length better. However, this change was made as it was decided it would be for the best and those who prefer not to have underskirts can always cut it out!
The underskirt is very simple - it's made of a shiny lining material and there is a row of netting about two thirds of the way down, which helps add volume to the skirt. It definitely adds some va-va-voom to the dress and I felt all fancy and feminine in it. So much so that I let my inner model go to town with some of these pics...
Forgive me for being so self-indulgent but if I can't show off a bit on my blog then where on earth can I?! I think it says a lot about a dress or an outfit when it makes you want to strike all manner of poses, just as I have done here.
I am over the moon with the Scarlett & Jo 2 in 1 Poppy Prom Dress - let me know in the comments below if you like it too!
