Yeah, I know you’re thinking, doesn’t she already have one (or more) of those? I do have a few black maxi dresses: the T by Alexander Wang asymmetrical dress, Lanston racer-back dress, and a similar one by Loup, but none of them are straight and fitted, which is what I want. I’m looking for something I can layer with a long cardigan or short sweater AND still show my shape underneath. All the long black dresses I have now have cinched in waists, or are very drapey.
Here are some I’ve found that fit my requirements (it wasn’t easy!!)
Splendid maxi tank dress | $79 (on sale) at Piperlime
Splendid ribbed maxi dress | $66 at Shopbop
Velvet slub maxi dress | $67 after TULIP code for 10% off at Revolve
Organic by John Patrick long tank dress | $108 at La Garconne (not sure this is made in the US, but I think it is, and it’s made from organic cotton)
The second Splendid dress is the closest to what I’m looking for, and I’ll probably end up with that one, honestly. It gets good reviews, and seems like it will be short enough for me without having to get it hemmed. I can see myself wearing it with my new Vince sneakers and a cardigan, or my Rag & Bone booties and a draped, cropped sweater. It should fit nicely into my wardrobe, and since I don’t already have anything similar, it fills a hole.
Which gets back to what we’ve been talking about for a while – perfection. As I mentioned, I don’t believe in striving for a perfect wardrobe anymore, or looking for THE PERFECT ________. If you use black maxi dresses as an example, you can’t just have ONE black maxi dress that suits every need unless that’s what you want. Which is fine, if you don’t play around with different looks as much as I do. Sure, I could achieve a similar look with one of the dresses I already have, but the dresses I have are more for wearing in the spring & summer with nothing over them. If I’m going to wear something on top, I’d like the dress to be more fitted, so I can show a bit of my shape underneath. Does that make sense? I don’t need 5 fitted long black dresses, one will do 😉
One thing I’m noticing now that I have been paying attention to these things you are writing about is that I tend to stick to the same shapes but play with fabric, color & pattern more, and you tend to stick to those neutrals you mentioned yesterday (black, white, grey?) but have LOTS of different shapes. In my pre-weight loss closet, I had 7 long tank style dresses – all different colors, same dress. I don’t want to rebuild THAT wardrobe, but I don’t think I’d be happy in all the various shapes you have in your wardrobe, so I have to figure out what I want now. Ain’t easy!
PS I love both those Splendid dresses and might have to order one! I like the Velvet too but think it might be a little too low for a good bra on me.
ASOS has a lot of body-con blanck tank dresses for a very reasonable price. That’s where I got mine!
yeah, i know. and i thought about trying to find one at H&M or zara or something, but i really wanted to stick with made in the US for this one – i think it’ll be something i wear all the time, so i’m willing to invest more in it…
that is such a good point!! i hadn’t thought about all my different shapes until just now…it’s like my 15 white t-shirts, they’re all white, but slightly different in shape, cut, etc. i definitely tend to stick with neutral colors, but buy different shapes to play around with.
oh, i ordered the ribbed one from shopbop after i finished the post 🙂 seems like maybe the black is gone now though! i should get it early next week if you can wait for a review…
For you and that svelte new figure, I’d go with either of the Splendid dresses, but #2 is the most sexy. I love them all, though.
i did!! that’s the one i ordered 🙂
Is the pricing you posted for the stub dress correct? I’m seeing that it cost $107 with the 10% off using Tulip = $97
at the time i posted it, it was on sale. unfortunately, i see that it’s been marked back up again!
All nice options. I’ve worn both clothing from both Splendid and Velvet labels (before I became a Rick Owens addict, ha). The fabrics they use are divine, so soft!
Oops- not *both* clothing. Well, you get my gist! 😀
i’m a huge splendid fan, i probably own nearly one of everything!! (they have a store here now, it’s dangerous to be able to try everything on…)
i’ve not had a lot of velvet, and the only rick owens piece i have is a long tunic/tee that sort of swallows me up! but i hope to be able to buy more over time, i’d love to have a closet full of rick owens…