Shaina Mote Tie dress | size 4, made in the US
Rachel Comey moon wedge
I have been – I hesitate to use the word “obsessed” because that makes it sound so EXTREME – “considering” how much I would love to add Shaina Mote’s tie dress to my wardrobe for a very long time. Since I first saw it online, actually, when Shaina Mote burst on the scene maybe a year or so ago?
I never had the opportunity to try it on in person, though, it NEVER goes on sale, and anyway, I had no idea what size I would be, so I’d pretty much given up hope until I found it in local made-in-the-US boutique Piermarini. BONUS: it was 30% off THAT WEEKEND. I tried it on when I was there with a friend, with some hesitation, because I was so afraid that I’d love it. And of course I did.
I spent the entire rest of the day and all night – I would say, literally, but I didn’t LITERALLY think about it ALL NIGHT; I merely fell asleep thinking about the dress, and woke up thinking about the dress. I carefully considered where I’d wear it (everywhere), how I’d wear it, if it is my style, if I’d be happy with it for a while, and if I was willing to spend the money on it. And after waiting my full mandatory 24 hour “waiting period,” I decided to go back and get the dress while it was 30% off. That, was the deciding factor. Not that I don’t think it’s “worth” the full price, but even so, I’m hard-pressed to buy much without some sort of discount…
Then, I wore it out of the store. The funny thing is, that the dress is rayon – but it’s a very different rayon that my recent Everlane dresses. It’s more finely & tightly woven, heavier, and more “substantial” – almost like a twill? It’s meant to be dry-clean only, which I will absolutely do (with Dryel in my dryer at home), and anyway would recommend, because washing in a machine can really change the shape of things, as I’ve learned over the years.
As you can see, there are quite a few ways to wear this dress. I love them all, but my favorite is this last one, with the higher neckline in the front and tied at the waist. With any of the ways, though, wearing a “traditional” bra is tough, as it’s cut rather low under the arms. For these pictures I’m wearing an old organic cotton tube top, not a bandeau bra (which I wouldn’t have a problem wearing), but a full-length tube top to provide a little more coverage. If you wear the dress with the scoop neck in the front and the ties wrapped around the waist and tied in the front, as in the first picture, a regular bra works fine, as long as it’s not very full coverage. Even so, a nice black lacey bra would be pretty peeking out from the sides.
Of course, I couldn’t tell that the models on any of the sites that sell this dress are wearing bras at all, which is rather irritating…because who can get away with that in real life??
Nevertheless, I’m thrilled that I was able to get this dress for 30% off, and look forward to wearing it for many years. As much as I love James Perse, I’d really like to branch out a bit more, and try other smaller designers I love and have always wanted to wear, so this seemed like a good opportunity to do that. And since I’m not getting my hair cut or colored this month, and I’m taking next month off of Pure Barre since we’ll be out of town for a couple weeks, I had a little wiggle room in my budget so that I could afford to get the dress.
I wonder how it will travel, though, because it would be ideal. I mean…you could theoretically wear this dress a different way every day for a week if you were so inclined. I just don’t know how this heavy rayon will travel – not that I mind a few wrinkles here and there.
Sizing – it’s “regular” women’s sizing, but obviously VERY oversized, which is why I took a size 4. If I’m sitting, it’s a bit snug at the hips, but the rest of the dress is perfect; if I’d sized up, it would have been much too big for me. And the fabric does give a bit with wear, although not enough to look “messy” so I thought this was the right size for me. Strange, because I NEVER EVER in a million years would have thought that a size 4 would work.
Also available at Shaina Mote, Founders & Followers, Need Supply (out of stock), bird, Azalea, Personnel of New York,
Grechen–This looks great on you!
I enjoyed your capsule comments the other day, but I have a Q: what number of items do you think makes sense for a 4-season climate, according to the 333 rules, approximately, for one who does not work outside the home?
I LOVE this dress on you! I’d choose this dress over the other two Everlane ones–not that you have to–but this is a perfect example of getting one GREAT thing is better than two acceptable ones.
Agree! This dress – any of the ways it is shown here – looks better on you than the two Everlane dresses from earlier this week.
I still like the long sleeve Everlane, but the grey one – that shrank in plain cold water – ugh! This black one is cuter. Plus I love the drama of the photo with the flowing fabric!
I always love when sizing is a bit ‘off’ and I can get away with a size 4 or 6 .. lol. Mind tricks, I tell ya.
Dress looks lovely on you ๐
Monica.
MonicaPยดs last blog post ..Stitch Fix No 4 รขยย Similar to No 3, but fit a whole lot better!
Love!!!! I just invested in the Rennes Meeting Dress–totally worth it. I balked for awhile at spending so much on one dress, but in the end, one amazing and versatile dress is worth more than several so-so dresses.
oh! also a very nice dress ๐
it’s true. i’m happy to have my dress; i know i will wear it a ton, and will probably get rid of a few i have that i’m on the fence about now too.
thanks kelly – yeah, the gray one is pretty ‘meh’ now, although it works for wearing around the house…
the black one i like a lot, but i’m not sure when i’ll wear it again, given that it’s in the high 90’s now – maybe fall? i’ll probably wish i had it come fall, so i’ll hold on to it.
you’re right, of course.
here’s my thing with everlane: i earn credits when someone new to everlane buys via my link, and i do love the brand, so i use those credits to get things to review here for you guys. sometimes when i KNOW i won’t wear something, and i don’t need it in my wardrobe, or i’m tired of it, i’ll give it away here, like i did with the white boxy tee, or to friends (my sister has a LOT of everlane!!). i feel like that way, generally, it’s a win-win for me and for all you guys who want everlane reviews ๐ if i had to pay cash money for those things, it would be different, and i’d probably not keep as many of the items as i do though, to be honest.
i’m torn on what to do with the long sleeve black dress. i like it a lot, actually, and want to wear it, but i’m pretty sure i won’t. at least not for a while. i’ll probably wish i had it this fall though, when the weather cools a little. so i’ll keep it. The tank dress i wear around the house now, because it’s comfortable for lounging, but it’s not something i’ll wear otherwise. and i didn’t need another around-the-house dress LOL – although i can probably give my sister away a few i’ve had for a while.
if i had to choose between the three dresses, i’d choose the shaina mote dress, no question. as it is, that’s the one i’ll wear more often. and probably keep for the longest…
I love this dress on you and think its more flattering than others you’ve featured. A definite winner – especially at 30% off. I was coveting (obsessing) over something and finally decided just to try it on. I convinced myself if I really loved it, I could still wait for a sale or coupon code but I realized it wasn’t flattering at all so I moved on. Of course the next thing I really liked, I had myself convinced I’d hate it on and ending up buying it at full price! No regrets; some things are just so special they’re worth venturing out from your usual brands, styles, etc.
In my opinion, this dress is one of those things for you. Totally worth full price, but a bonus when you can get it for less.
That is an amazing dress – and it looks perfect on you. Almost black tie, but totally appropriate for anywhere.
This looks great on you. I think the length and fit are perfect. And you’ll be able to wear it a lot; the great thing about rayon is it doesn’t feel so summery that you can’t wear it in other seasons with a cardi on top.
I’d be seriously tempted if this came in some other color (I’m kind of over black) and it wasn’t dry clean.
Wow, you look like a tall drink of water in that dress! I agree with others – this is a much better fit/style than the now-infamous shrunken Everlane dress in that you physically look great in this (not that you didn’t in the Everlane number), but you also seem to exude a certain confidence with this one. Scores high on all metrics!
Btw, t shoes with this dress are killer!
haha! thank you jane!! (and thank you for my thank you card – it’s so nice to receive “real” mail!!)
You’re welcome!
Hi Gretchen!
I just wanted to say that I’ve been a long time follower of the blog and that I think your style just keeps getting better and better- case in point- SHAINA MOTE! I opened a small shop in Portland, Oregon called Seven Sisters about 7 months ago and one of the nicest, best made brands we carry is Shaina Mote. Yes! Keep on killin’ it lady!
xx Jillian
thank you so much jillian – and now, i’m obsessed with your little boutique! wish i lived closer ๐
I love this dress! It’s so fun to try more off-beat brands. And there’s certainly more creativity in independent brands. My personal favorite views are 1 and 4, plus the back view.
As for women’s sizes…Oy vey!!!
Great point, Jen!