Gentle Readers, it’s time for me to be back. The holidays are over, I’ve been sick but am better enough to at least type a bit, and I have a few reviews that are months overdue. In the interest of getting them up and on the ol’ brog, I’m afraid I’m going to be a bit more brief than I usually am. I hope you’ll forgive me, but business must be done, mustn’t it? With that in mind, I give you one of my absolute favorite dresses, the Mimosa Dress by DD Atelier. If you recall my review of DD Atelier’s Amazonia Dress, then you know what a fan I am of this clothing company based in Russia that caters to slim figures with big busts. The Mimosa dress is drastically different in style, but no less beloved. I have worn it as often as I could without fearing it would seem that I just wore the same dress all the time. At home, to go to a play, on the boardwalk in Atlantic City (see below!) and anywhere else that called for a bit of cheer and loveliness.
My first time shooting a crossbow! Granted it was from like ten feet away and the guy was sort of helping me (not that I wanted him to), but whatever. Victory!
When I got this dress, I was absolutely delighted and wanted to photograph it right away, but sadly my photographers were all otherwise engaged. I finally had a day planned to shoot it and the perfect setup – a sunny day in the park with my lovely little dog, Milo, and a friend and her adorable son, playing, running about, and generally having a good time. Unfortunately, while I had been trying to schedule the shoot, I hadn’t noticed that the season had changed, and it therefore didn’t occur to me that I would be completely out of daylight by late in the afternoon. After much hand-wringing and lamenting of circumstances, though, I realized that I am relatively nocturnal and should have been well aware from the start that there’s just as much fun to be had by night as by day. Sure, the lighting made shooting a challenge, but there’s a certain charm to looking at things in an unexpected way, and I hope that you’ll enjoy this scene in the park at night as much as I enjoyed being a part of it.
The Mimosa dress is 100% cotton and amazingly delicate. The lightweight fabric is absolutely perfect for the desert heat here (here in Las Vegas, dark doesn’t equal cold, even in autumn), and makes me feel feminine and spritely. There is an equally delicate sheer white underskirt built in that gives the dress an additional bit of flowy loveliness, and the ties at the waist are exceptionally long and ribbon-like, which allows me to wrap them around myself multiple times in whatever fashion I choose, and to tie in front or back, as whim dictates. I enjoy them both in the back and off to the side, and have been known to spend rather too much time arranging them this way and that to get just the look I want that day. Of course they shift about, which can be frustrating, but the overall look of the dress is well worth the need for occasional readjustment.
I usually wear a 70F in DD Atlier’s clothing, but I was advised by the always helpful staff that this dress ran a little smaller in the bust than most, and therefore sized up to 75F. It was absolutely the right decision, as the waist ties make up for any extra room in the waist and I definitely wouldn’t want the bust any more snug.
One of the only fitting issues I ran into with this dress is that as I am rather small of shoulder and short of torso, the shoulders of the dress are a bit big on me and because of this, the dress comes down a bit in front and shows bra if I am not careful. I think for many women this wouldn’t be an issue, and I plan on having the shoulders taken in a bit and will report back on the success thereof. But again, as is, it’s still one of my favorite dresses, and I just wear a bra that matches my skin tone to disguise things as much as possible when I haven’t noticed it’s slipped. I would recommend a flesh-toned bra for anyone wearing this dress regardless of shoulder size, as the fabric is a bit sheer.
In all the running around I had ignored the moving about of the waist ties; it’s more flattering there when I haven’t been rolling around in the grass, I swear. In any case, just look at how lovely the skirt is in the breeze!
I really like the back of the dress as well; the triangle of green is an unexpected and original touch.
I’m sad to say that at this point this is a last-season item and is sold out in all but a few sizes; however, the good news is that if you happen to fit in one of those sizes, it’s very much on sale! €24.00, marked down from €74.00! I fully think it’s worth the cost, especially at such a discount. To show the dress a bit more, here are a few pictures I took of it when I first got it, just to show some busty friends online:
Sorry about the weird blurring and backgrounds… I wasn’t thinking I’d be putting these on the brog, obviously, and it was laundry day. Heh.
There are more days in the park to come for me, and I hope you can pick up one of these and have some of your own. And if not, well, DD Atelier has an awful lot of lovely things that you could try instead. I am particularly saddened to have missed out on my size in the Lace Dress that came out this season –
– although I don’t think I could have afforded this special edition piece, I held out some mad hope that it would go on sale or that someone would have one in my size that didn’t fit and would somehow want to sell it at a deep discount, or… *runs off to cry for a bit*
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Sorry, I’ve pulled myself together now. Mostly. Anyway, the point is, DD Atelier is definitely one of my favorite companies and I’m really looking forward to seeing what they will come out with next. Do any of you have favorite pieces by them? What do you hope to see in future seasons? Chime in, Gentle Readers. You know I love to hear from you.
*****
Company: DD Atelier
Item: Dress Mimosa
Size: 75F, up from my usual size of 70F (or 70H when available).
Price: Currently €24.00!
Ratings:
Fit: 8/10 – Lovely in so many ways, but I wish it ran larger in the bust like some of the other sizes do. Also big in the shoulders on me, but of course your mileage may vary.
Quality: 10/10
Comfort: 9/10 – Absolutely wonderful for hot weather, feels like next to nothing on. The only point off is for needing to adjust the cleavage level and waist ties occasionally.
Fit comments: I think I’ve covered it all above, but a quick recap: smaller in the bust than some, but easy to size up in because of waist size, longish shoulders if you have small shoulders or a short torso, otherwise fabulous.
My measurements at the time of the photoshoot: 40/26/37
*****
Photography by Sage Seitz
Hair and makeup by Elaine Thomas
*****
