Help me look cute while not getting the evil Grandma eye!
April 25, 2011 5:23 PM   Subscribe

Find me a dress, chubby tattooed girl version.

I've been through Modcloth, Etsy and Nordstrom and am coming up empty. Help!

Budget: about $200ish
Size: About 14-16. I'm 5'4" if that helps and will wear low-ish heels.
Requirements: empire waist / babydoll cut, sleeves to elbows OR a sleeveless dress with a matching jacket / shrug (I have half sleeves on both arms and a conservative family), lightweight fabric (it's New Jersey in July), suitable for a black-tie wedding, not too conservative (I'm only 29!)

Help!
posted by youcancallmeal to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (23 answers total) 31 users marked this as a favorite
 
Don't have any specific recommendations, but the folks at Fatshionista excel at requests like this.
posted by ottereroticist at 5:34 PM on April 25, 2011


You might try eshakti.com. Every dress is customizable (for sleeves, neckline, length, and size). Well within your budget. They have a zillion lightweight summer dresses right now.
posted by rumposinc at 5:36 PM on April 25, 2011


Response by poster: I've read bad reviews of eshakti. Has anyone has actual experience with them?
posted by youcancallmeal at 5:39 PM on April 25, 2011


some of my pals have had excellent luck with stop staring. some are revealing, but many are super polished and more modest.
posted by crawfo at 5:42 PM on April 25, 2011 [2 favorites]


I think Shabby Apple has some cute dresses and might be worth a browse, though I have not had the budget/event to order from them myself.
posted by griselda at 5:43 PM on April 25, 2011 [1 favorite]


Igigi has amazing plus-size dresses and fantastic customer service. I would start there!
posted by kate blank at 5:44 PM on April 25, 2011 [1 favorite]


Idea? Saks' Salon Z line might work - although some prices are crazy!
posted by quodlibet at 5:44 PM on April 25, 2011


Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor LOFT have a bunch of different dresses that fit the bill, and come in sizes up to 18. I think you could pair any of them with a nice cardigan from J.Crew and a little bling.
posted by cior at 5:44 PM on April 25, 2011


I have ordered from eshakti (or I would not have suggested). Take your measurements carefully, pay attention to what the fabric is and if you don't know email them (they'll write back). For example, things like voile are often more thin and sheer than folks think, and "satin cotton" is a polished cotton that's shiny. I think their pictures are fair representations, and their zoom feature tells you a lot.
posted by rumposinc at 5:48 PM on April 25, 2011


I've used eShakti and love it. I pretty much got my entire summer wardrobe from them last summer and have never had a problem. The website is a little slow sometimes, but that's about it. The fit was great and I got more compliments on the stuff I ordered from them than just about anything I've ever worn. I had one friend who had problems with something she custom-ordered in terms of overall fit, but she says they were good about the return.
posted by HonoriaGlossop at 5:48 PM on April 25, 2011


I looked at Asos - their regular sizes seem to skip 14, but their "Curve" line has a couple cute styles:

Slash neck lace dress

Scallop shift dress

Ann Taylor - this one may not have long enough sleeves
posted by Medieval Maven at 5:49 PM on April 25, 2011


I'd check out boden. I still haven't figured out the linky thing, but it's easy enough to find. Or this: http://www.bodenusa.com/en-US/Womens-Dresses.html#nav I find they run a whole size smaller. I am a 14, but I am always a 12 with them. You can also find codes for 10-15% off and free shipping. I think most of their stuff is pretty great and worth a look at least. I too am looking for a dress for an east coast wedding....Goodluck!
posted by 58 at 6:00 PM on April 25, 2011


Best answer: I know you said you'd checked Etsy, but have you seen Ureshii's made-to-measure dresses? They have some styles that would suit your needs (Tab, Marilyn, Picnic) and shrugs in coordinating natural-fiber fabrics. I haven't ordered from them myself (yet!) but they have glowing reviews all over the place.
posted by Vervain at 6:26 PM on April 25, 2011 [1 favorite]


I used eShakti for a wedding outfit. I ordered the custom tailoring plus I got to choose the kind of sleeve, neckline, and dress length I wanted (all that for only $10 extra). The dress was perfect -- I couldn't recommend them more.
posted by jenmakes at 6:35 PM on April 25, 2011


I found a fun, cool (sort of a mesh fabric) dress that was great for dancing the night away at an outdoor wedding in muggy northern Michigan at Zaftique. Good customer service, easy to order several and return the ones that didn't work.
posted by Atelerix at 6:39 PM on April 25, 2011


Are you in the NYC area? Friends of mine have great things to say about Redress. The staff are super super friendly, I'm sure they would give you a hand finding the perfect thing! As a bonus, you will save a pile of money from your stated budget.
posted by 100kb at 6:52 PM on April 25, 2011


Not a suggestion, but. . . Stop Staring has really weird fit, especially in the sleeves. Unless you can find a place and try them on, I wouldn't recommend them.

I ordered a custom dress from eShakti. I did not do the custom sizing, and while the dress wasn't terrible, I found the fabric really cheap looking/feeling, and overpriced for its quality. In addition, it was also much shorter than the "knee length" I thought it was (and I'm only 5'4'').
posted by Ideal Impulse at 7:08 PM on April 25, 2011


I've ordered from eShakti. I ordered a custom fit dress and while the fit was perfect, the fabric was....less than I expected. The neckline representations for wide V and deep V are a little off too. Wide V is MUCH shallower than their graphic suggests.
posted by PorcineWithMe at 7:20 PM on April 25, 2011


Have you looked at Kiyonna? They have many dresses with sleeves that I think would work for black tie. Here's just one.
posted by hansbrough at 7:38 PM on April 25, 2011


One good place to look might be Outblush. Their personal shopper segment has good suggestions.
posted by heliostatic at 10:00 PM on April 25, 2011


Dorothy Perkins and Wallis are both in the UK but it looks like they ship to the US for reasonable rates. Eliza Parker is another good one for curvy women and they are in CA. You might like the Frocks & Frou Frou blog for inspiration. The writer is about your size and always finds the prettiest dresses.
posted by platinum at 12:50 AM on April 26, 2011


Mrs. zooropa seconds Kiyonna. She has this dress and gets lots of compliments on it.
posted by zooropa at 4:17 AM on April 26, 2011


2nd Ann Taylor. My friend is about your size and has dug up some nice cardigans and event dresses at Dress Barn in NJ. Dress Barn is also very reasonable priced and not dowdy, but also not too trendy-fadish.
posted by WeekendJen at 10:07 AM on April 26, 2011


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