I bought the navy polka dot Alice dress during our visit to the new NYC Bravissimo store earlier this month. It’s a beautiful dress but every time I went to wear it for the day it ended up back on its hanger in the closet with the tags still attached.

My summer capsule wardrobe hasn’t worked as well as my winter one and this has me evaluating the clothing I add to my closet more carefully. The biggest fail of this dress was simply the polka dots. I have purchased four polka dot dresses in the last year and I didn’t end up loving any of them (one was donated at the end of winter, one was returned, one will be in a closet clear-out sale that I am planning for August and the returned dress in this post). I’m not vowing to never wear prints again but my past clearly indicates that me and polka dots are a no go.

An additional reason for returning this dress was also the fit. The dress is fitted around my full bust but is loose around my waist and hips. In the picture below, I have pinned the excess fabric at the waist to show the difference in fit.

The dress looks amazing on the Bravissimo model and most likely she has a different bust-waist-hip ratio then me.  This dress could be easily altered to fit me in the waist and hips as it has darts and a waist seam.

The longer length of this dress is great. Living car free in the city, walking up and down subway steps and sitting on the subway all make me want to own longer dresses. There are no pockets in this dress and Darlene also pointed out during our photo shoot that the armholes and straps cover my bra completely. The v-neck is flattering while also still being work appropriate.

I had planned to exchange the Alice dress for the Caitlin dress as it is definitely way more my style. The Caitlin dress looks good on me and I feel comfortable in it. I find the neckline a tad low for work but this could be fixed with a quick tacking stitch. This dress could also move easily into fall and it was a tough call not to buy it. I was totally set to bring it home until I tried on a sundress that made me stand back and say “wow”.

During my visit I chatted with Emily from Bravissimo HQ at the register. I learned that the initial design of a garment to its arrival in stores takes around two years. In discussing the fit of the different dresses, she noted that many styles are offered so that all of their customers can find a dress to fit their different proportions. This year’s upcoming new fall and winter styles are customer favorites from the past and I cannot wait to walk over to the store when the new styles arrive!

My measurements in these pictures are 47-38-45.5 and I’m 5-7. I’m wearing the 18SC (14SC in American sizing). I’m going on vacation to Los Angeles tomorrow, so you will have to wait until August to see the dress that gave me a “wow” moment.