Off the Rack ~ Reviewing the Pinup Girl Clothing “Dorothy” Dress

Quick and short dress review this week: The Dorothy Dress from the Junebugs & Georgia Peaches collection at Pinup Girl Clothing.

When this collection first came out, I was super excited. There were several dresses that I immediately knew I’d be buying. But by the time the first pieces started becoming available, I was less interested. Still, I ended up trying two, the Dee Dee and the Dorothy.

I received the Dee Dee first. While the construction was really stellar, featuring a lined bodice and skirt, voluminous pockets, and darts under the bust and on the sides to make it boob-friendly, it just felt way too doll-like for my taste once I had it on. Luckily, the Dorothy is actually rather similar, featuring a contrasting pointed Peter Pan collar, sleeve cuffs, and belt, but with a less full skirt and hidden pockets, for a more streamlined, grown-up look.

Also like Dee Dee, Dorothy is one of the highest quality garments I’ve ordered from PUG. The bodice is lined in satiny fabric and the belt has grommets instead of being a stupid slide belt that doesn’t stay tight.

I measure 37″-29″-41″, and it feels a wee bit tighter in the waist compared to other size medium dresses I’ve purchased, but there’s enough stretch in the fabric that it’s not uncomfortable.

As for boob-friendliness, it fits me beautifully, but I could see it being problematic for ladies with a bigger bust than mine due to the underbust seam and the way it’s gathered. The seam does remain cleanly under my bust, not resting on breast tissue, but the volume is all in the outer corners of the gathered section, so I suspect substantially more boob volume than mine might be a little squished toward the center.

My one real complaint about the dress is that the pockets stick out weirdly. I suspect it’s a combination of the stiffness of the fabric and that my hips are probably wider than the skirt is designed for. You can see the phenomenon in the model photos on the PUG site, though, so I think it’s probably unavoidable.

Lastly, it’s hard to see in the online photos, so take note of the fact that the back swoops quite low, and as such I found it difficult to get the zipper up those last two inches. And unless my husband is there to do up the hook and eye, the zipper tends to creep down those two inches throughout the day even if I manage to zip it all the way up.

In the end, I wouldn’t hesitate to say this is one of my favorite PUG pieces. I’m tempted to also order the black with cream trim, which has a cute Wednesday Addams vibe going on. I hope they continue to release more colors in future seasons!