Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Diane von Furstenberger Julian Dress in Leaf Meadow


I have received most of my Bloomingdales order!

When I placed the order,  I was kind of hoping that some of the items will not work out and I will have no regrets returning half of them.  That would make my shopaholic self feel better about the amount of money I spent.


I knew that I certainly didn't need another floral dress when I own quite a few perfectly fine dresses that don't get enough love. But when the box arrived and I took the dress out of the package, I knew I was in trouble. The print is beautiful irl. and the fabric felt wonderfully smooth but substantial.

OK, I thought, maybe it will not fit. So I put it on.


The print is gorgeous IRL
The fabric is smooth and substantial

It fits perfectly!  I wear size 6 in many J.Crew dresses and sometimes size up to 8 to accommodate my chest. I have ordered size 10 in the Julian dress and I am glad I did. Wrap dresses are adjustable and you can probably fit in about 3 sizes but I recommend the biggest size, especially if your chest is more than a B cup and you don't want to wear a cami.

Tied in the back with unrolled sleeves

I am 34D, 5'6 about 135 lbs.  I wear size 4 in J.crew pencil skirts and my hips are about 36-37 inches, but I did not find it too roomy in the hips or shoulders.

the back view
I had to get over my vanity and order the bigger size. I feels good to order size 6, but 10 just looks so much better. With the extra fabric in front you can easily pin the dress (or install a small snap) to get good coverage and modest enough neckline.

Cuff sleeves make it easy to adjust the length


The dress is unlined but the silk is substantial and does not need it. It feels so good against the skin. It does not cling for some reason. How it does not highlight every lump and bump it is a pure magic.

The sleeves are cuffed and have the printed fabric on inside and outside of about two inch wide cuff.  It makes it look much better when you want to roll up the sleeves, just turn the cuff up and you have 3/4 length sleeves converted to elbow length sleeves.  

There is some extra fabric sort of curving up towards inside around the neckline.  It is not really visible in the pictures but it makes for better coverage and easier pinning.  I may still add a tiny snap to hold the wrap at the crossing point to avoid making holes in the fabric.

Overall, I love it and I will keep it.  It is a kind of dress that makes you wish you'd bump into your High School friends and enemies.

Especially the enemies!



The colors of this scarf are beautiful. The scarf itself is gauzy and airy and can be worn tied in the small knot or big and loose.  

You can tie it pretty small


But is is a good size scarf
The scarf will transform any plain outfit into something photo worthy. The silk has slight sheen to it, which adds interest.


It is light but it also feels quite warm. I think I could wear it on a cold day and be warm around my neck.


This is similar to how they have it styled on the website

I would probably wear it like this
The only con with this scarf is that it seems very delicate. It will snag easily and the self fringe may unravel.

I am on the fence whether I should keep it.  It is truly beautiful, but I am afraid I will snag it and ruin it  quickly. 

***

Do you like the dress?
Would you keep the scarf?
Please share, it would be no fun without you!!!

24 comments:

  1. Absolutely gorgeous on you!! It's always a gamble to buy clothing items online. But you score big time, nail it on the perfect fit!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Small Town Girl! It seems like the score is almost too good, lol.

      Delete
  2. The dress looks lovely on you. Good idea about sizing up. I will retry DVF now that I am armed with this information.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would definitely size up in Julian silk jersey, at least one size from say your J.Crew size. I did not try other styles, I heard DVF is not consistent between different styles. Also, check xoxo posts, she did a great series on DVF dresses.

      Delete
  3. the dress is stunning on you. i would love a dvf. one day maybe i will own one too. the scarf is beautiful too, that's a hard call re the fragility of it. i'm kinda hard on accessories.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Janet!
      You know, with your amazing luck you will find it in the thrift store for $10 :)
      I am hard on my scarfs too so I don't know about a delicate scarf...

      Delete
  4. The dress looks amazing on you! I just ordered several DVF dresses from saks but I have a feeling I may have ordered to small now though

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. simplydreaming, you must let us know how it worked out. I am always erring on 'if in doubt, size up' side and find it working better for me, but your dresses may fit youjust fine..
      You can always exchange them if not..

      Delete
  5. You look lovely in that dress, a keeper for sure! As a 'scarfaholic' I love that scarf too I'd just be careful not to wear dangley earrings that might snag it. : )

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you lisabfashion! I LOVE the scarf, but I do snag everything, even scarfs that are not half as delicate :(

      Delete
  6. I used to wear DVF dresses all the time, I got rid of all of mine, but I always sized up as otherwise they can really grab all of your lumps and bumps, especially round the butt area, that's a great fit on you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tabitha, they must have look amazing on you! I definitely think sizing up helps.

      Delete
  7. The dress is so beautiful! Such pretty colors and print too.
    I really think the scarf is a keeper as well. It has many of the colors you have been adding in for spring and summer. You can wear it with everything. Just take LisaB's advice: no dangly earrings!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love the print Dani, it is very vibrant blue irl, but subtle at the same time.
      I am not sure if I can wear the scarf without always worrying that I will snag it, I am afraid it is too delicate for me :(

      Delete
  8. The dress looks gorgeous on you, ajc! I definitely think you should keep it! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. THanks FFM! Your opinion was one that encouraged me to go for it... Its a keeper!

      Delete
  9. What a pretty dress, I love the print and it fits you perfectly too. The scarf is really nice, too bad it is so delicate as a snag would be quite noticeable on the larger pattern.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks xoxo, I do like it a lot, even more that I thought. I think I will return the scarf as pretty as it is...

      Delete
  10. I really like both. You look awesome in the dress. I would return the scarf bc the fear of snags would ruin it for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A, I think I would be terrified of snags if I kept the scarf and then I would blame myself for spending too much money on it.

      Delete
  11. The dress fits you beautifully and I think that you won't tire of the print, which is sometimes the problem with DVF. If you have to return something I would return the scarf, it is pretty but I am not sure that it is worth to splurge on (but I am not a scarf person so
    I am biased).
    I do that BTW, hope that something will disappoint me or won't fit
    so that I don't have to take the hard decision to send back something that I love.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. THank you Ema, I was thinking the same thing about the print on the dress. It is pretty subtle while not generic, like chain link, etc. I am leaning towards returning the scarf, I have the same thoughts as you and I only wear scarfs when it is cold.

      Delete
  12. That dress is amazing on you! I found the collarless blouse in a print very like the scarf in the DVF section at Saks, it's on probation in my closet now. Wondering if it might be too memorable...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh do you mean the tank or the long sleeve blouse? I love the tank! I think it is OK because it is small amount of fabric and it can go under sweaters or blazers. The long sleeve would be very memorable imo. But it is a stunning print and perfect for an event where you don't mind being noticed.
      Do tell which one it is and if you decided to keep it!

      Delete