**Here’s a more updated review since I sewed the slit up a bit, and here are some better pictures that show the texture of the dress**
Reformation dress | Made in the US of surplus fabric
Robert Clergerie Pepo sandals | several years old, in white at Amazon, some similar styles on sale at 6pm
Admonish curved open tote bag | made in the US – mine is black/gray
I’ve been wearing stretchy cotton jersey or just t-shirts for so long, I’ve forgotten what it’s like to wear substantial, woven fabric! It’s nice though. I feel all “grown up.”
So here’s the Reformation dress I bought on sale last week (It’s from their petite collection and it’s still on sale in a few sizes/colors). I got the medium petite, which is the perfect size for me. The length is good too, actually, although I’d usually err towards something longer, but I think the mid-calf length works well with this dress, and makes it more “youthful” and modern than a longer version. The side slits though. They’re WAY high.
As I wore it out yesterday (shopping…) I caught myself stealing glances in mirrors, and all I could see was my upper thigh peeking out; cellulite and all. Aside from the short running skirts I wear to walk Dagny, NO one sees my legs much above my knees out in public. So this was a bit concerning to me. But after a few times, I said to myself, “they’re just legs.” Moving on.
I’m trying VERY hard to buy more independent designers, and eco-friendlier fabrics (doesn’t get much more eco-friendly than surplus), but I’ll admit that Reformation may be just a bit too sexy for me. Her pieces are gorgeous, and I truly admire her mission and the company’s ethics at every step of the way, but many things are just a little more revealing than I prefer on me.
Anyway, I’m pleased with this purchase, and am so glad I got the dress. It’s beautifully made, with lots of great details, and an impeccable fit. For reference, I’m not wearing a slip underneath, just a regular bra and panties, and I didn’t think it was sheer at all. In fact, I made a point to look closely while I was out in different lighting situations to see if I could see through the dress, and I couldn’t. That doesn’t necessarily mean anything though; others can often see what you cannot. But again, I am not bothered too much by sheerness.
without the belt. Don’t like it much like this, surprisingly!
Hi Grechen, long time reader but just seeing this now. I’m tempted to buy this dress (with your affiliate code natch 🙂 ) -its a good price now but final sale. My question is, do you think it would be possible to sew the side panels together a bit so that the slit didn’t run so high? and is it a high/low hem? Looks like it in the pictures but I can’t be sure. tia
the slits can be sewn up just a bit before it’ll look funny. it’s not a straight slit, but a little curved, if that makes sense, so it’s not like it can just be closed up like something that’s been cut straight up from the bottom. but yes, i think it can be closed an inch or two easily, and without ruining the look of the dress.
it is a couple of inches longer in the back than the front.
the fabric is slightly patterned, an nice and substantial without being too heavy. really beautiful IMO. if you get it let us know! (I don’t get any credit for your buying through my link, but thank you for the thought 🙂 )
hey just reporting back – I ended up ordering the LP, which is odd because I’m 5’10” but with shooort legs so it hits me about where yours does in the picture. I just took it to my tailor and she said no problem closing it to the mid calf. You may be right in the long haul – I don’t know how that will affect the look or flow of the dress but I really thought it was worth a shot. You were so right on all counts, lightweight but not too thin or see-through – enough structure and perfect fabric for summer. I bought it to teach in the Middle East next week and really think it’ll work. I’ll let you know if I screw up an otherwise great dress 🙂 Thanks again for the rec. The only other very minor issue I have is how short the belt is – but again that may be more a function of petite sizing which I’ve never tried before. Really, really not a big deal.
Ok this is the last I’ll say about this dress, promise.
1. Got it back from the tailor ($5) and I think it looks great. I’m really glad sewing the sides together worked-at least by my standards.
2. hHave you washed it yet? The more i look at the fabric i don’t think it is ‘as advertised.’ The website states: “Made from surplus cotton linen blend” with no other fabic types listed. To me this means it should be just linen and cotton and I”m wondering if that’s true. The tag on the dress has no care instructions and says that because it is ‘surplus fabric’ its composition is unknown. I’ll know soon if it has poly or some other type of non-breathable fabric. If so Reformation will be off my shopping list.
Ok, end rant, thanks Gretchen!
oh my gosh! sorry i didn’t respond to your last comment either, i read it over the weekend and forgot…
i’m glad you tried having the sides sewn together and you like the results. i’m going to take mine too then; i think it will make it much more wearable!
i haven’t washed it yet, but when i did, i was going to just do it in the dryer with dryel, like i tend to do all the stuff i don’t know what to do with. honestly, i didn’t think much about the fabric after i got it, because i really like it, although now that you mention it, i wish they’d have said on the site what the label says – that the composition is unknown! i would guess that it IS a cotton/linen blend, but it has to have some poly in there i think. a small amount, though. which doesn’t bother me much at all, actually, since it is “surplus” and therefore saved from the landfill, or whatever was going to happen to it.
anyway, i also realize that i should have paid more attention to and noted those things when i posted about the dress, so that those issues were more clear, and i apologize for that. i just tend not to pay as much attention as i should in the initial, OMG, i love this, phase 🙂 – but i will now.
OH, and also on the little tag next to the contents tag at the bottom of the dress, it says S P, i wonder if that means small petite??? does yours say L P? or also S P? just wondering now if i got the size i ordered?
hey -traveling and just getting back to this now. Mine is definitely LP so either yours is mislabeled or you look great in a sp!
Love it both ways on you, Grechen – yes, the belted version is more flattering, and you look great in the other as well.
I’ll be the odd one out and say that I LOVE it unbelted even more. The way the back flows! You look great.
After seeing this, I went to snag one myself, but [un?]fortunately my size is long gone… The high slits are interesting, but I’m afraid I’d be bothered by them – but this dress over leggings would be perfect for fall!
Looks gorgeous! Thank you for commenting on the sheerness (or lack thereof 😉 Shirtdresses have been all over this summer and I think this version looks very grown-up! (not to be confused with matronly, of course!)
Sexy-grownup! 😉
I opened this and my first thought was “she looks fantastic in that dress!” Both ways. It’s very flattering on you! I just looked to order but they don’t have it in my size 🙁 I’m going to check out the rest of the site though. Thanks for the tip!
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It is SO GREAT on you! But I agree about the styles being a little too revealing…would not have guessed that those slits were so high!
Wow, this dress does look good on you ! I had the same thought as the first commenter regarding sewing up a bit the slits, I’m sure that even a couple of inches would help making you less self-conscious, because it would be too bad that they deter you from wearing the dress. I would wear it with your newer Clergerie sandals.
they’re not keeping me from wearing the dress (I’m actually wearing it without the belt today!) , but i think i would FEEL better with them sewn up a bit.
and it looks AMAZING with my new sandals, i just didn’t wear them yesterday for fear of a little rain …the patent leather handles that better!
Done! thanks for your advice, we’ll see how it goes. And I agree with Kelly about the sheerness – or lack thereof being very important. You look wonderful!
arg, replied in the wrong place but you get the idea…
Holy shizz, Batman!!! You look amazing in this dress. I agree, belted is the way to go, and I’m not usually a fan of “self-belts” but this focuses on your teensy waist and doesn’t cut the look in half. It gives you such a lean, unbroken line…fantastic. And I really like the length because it puts the focus on your ankles, which look slim. Really, just a glimpse of thigh, which is good. Those are Pure Barre thighs!!! Perfect shoes with this dress, too. A definite favorite!
This dress looks great on you! Since you do have a lovely, defined waist, something like this which manages to show off your waist while also hewing to a clean, minimalist aesthetic … it’s perfect.
When I clicked on the link you posted a few days ago I thought the dress was “meh.” But seeing it on you? Meow-zah! This might be my favorite black dress on you. It really is an art to know what looks good on oneself translated from the (most likely) stick skinny super tall model in the photo – an art form you really have mastered.
Hi, How’s the quality, like the stitching and workmanship? I’ve never heard of this line before. I have my eye on something in the sale section and can’t decide if it’s worth the gamble. Thanks
excellent – on par with the price point IMO. the material itself is woven with a subtle print, and really expensive looking (a friend even said that today…). stitching, etc., is perfect, very very well made .
Thanks for the quick response. I was going to get an anorak at Everlane but the outerwear section is tempting me
This looks great on you! I like it both ways but actually prefer it a bit without the belt, which surprises me a little. The dress has a nice, graceful body-skimming shape on its own. The sleeve length is nice too. For me, slits that high would be a deal-breaker, sadly.
Apropos of this somewhat, I broke down and got the HDH Basics V-neck dress, but made up my mind about it after the 30% promo was over so I paid full price. It’s 100% tencel now, instead of polyester. Nice fabric. I’m an hourglassy size 8 and always torn between small and medium so I ordered both, kept the small.
I love the design but I’m not sure I can pull it off as well as you can, Grechen. I’ve worn it once and found it kind of unpractical. I was hoping it could be an easy dress for going out (and work and casual – I’m not too demanding ;)) – something I could throw on and not have to think about or fuss with all day, but it’s just the opposite. It looks good when I just stand there, but the neckline is so wide on me that it rides up or slides around with just the slightest movement I was constantly pulling the dress back onto my shoulders or tugging it down. I’ll try again, maybe with some fashion tape to hold it in place, or try to see whether a tailor can come up with a fix. I think it has a lot of potential but I won’t wear something if if bugs me this much.
How are you liking yours?
hmmm…maybe that’s the tencel? the polyester has a weight to it that drapes better i think. which is sad, because i sort of hate that i bought polyester. i didn’t notice mine shifting much around the neckline though. i did only wear it once before i took it to the tailor to have the sleeves shortened (which made all the difference in how it looks on me, actually) and since i got it back, i’ve been trying not to wear it because i’m taking it for the weekend bar mitzvah (this weekend! ack!) and didn’t want to get it dirty LOL
Oh, I’d love to see it on you with the sleeves shortened. Good you were so decisive about it. Knowing me, it would sit for weeks and maybe months before I got around to it.
The tencel wrinkles really easily too so all around, you actually may have lucked out with the polyester. This fabric is weighty/drapey, so I think the issue is my anatomy. Maybe I need to bulk up my shoulders 😛
I should have considered trying an XS, maybe.
Love this dress! You look great in it! I like it both belted & unbelted – either way has it’s advantages & I’m not even a fan of belts, but I really like the easiness (is that a real word LOL) of this one.
Plus I don’t really like the color black (on me), but this dress would be a totally viable departure…but alas, sold out in my size. Now. I must stalk their site for other options!