This is my last Black Friday dress review. PinUpGirlClothing.com offered an unprecedented 35% off this year, and I took advantage of it to purchase the most expensive item on my PUG wishlist—the “Haunted Housewife” dress, which normally retails for $124.
I’ve had my eye on this frock since it first came out, but waffled between the black and red, as I like the red a lot more but worried that I would have a hard time finding appropriate shoes. Most of my heels are bright colors! In the end I went with the red. I’m just not a black clothing kind of woman.
My first impression of the dress was that it was laughably wrinkled. PUG’s shipping rate is a little steep compared to the low flat rates you get from most online stores (my cost was $10.20 and I know that international shoppers get positively ripped off with upwards of $75 an order to the UK and surrounding countries), so I was rather disappointed that it arrived in just a flimsy plastic envelope instead of a box. I spent close to an hour trying to get all the wrinkles out and trying to get the skirt pleats fixed. This was especially difficult on the bodice since there are two darts instead of just one, and a full-size iron doesn’t really fit in between them.
However, once I got the garment to some semblance of smoothness, I was absolutely thrilled with the dress. It’s definitely one of the highest quality items I’ve purchased from PUG to date. The fabric is nice and heavy with just a little stretch, and the craftsmanship is fabulous. It doesn’t need a button in the front because it’s designed so well that the collar just stays where it should be and doesn’t pull wide open. Kudos to designer Micheline Pitt on this one.
Next, I am beyond excited to say that the boob space is nothing short of miraculous. A size medium actually has more room than I need. There is just so much space for your bust! As the waist isn’t super tight on me, I could probably even go down a size, but I’d be worried that I wouldn’t be able to move my arms.
That brings me to my next point: The arms are definitely a little too tight. Biceps and calfs are something that I think get left out of the equation with a lot of clothes. I’m pretty slim, so I really think it’s ridiculous that I can barely get these sleeves on and off my arms and have to struggle to zip up every pair of knee-high boots I’ve ever tried. I also feel like my range of arm movement is rather limited in this dress. I’m not sure if it’s the angle at which the sleeves are attached or the tightness or what, but there is major awkward pulling when I lift my arms up any higher than parallel to the floor.
That being said, if you can squeeze your arms into this dress, then I highly, highly recommend it. The color is just as bright and vivid as it looks online, and even the belt is high quality and cute. I would actually wear it with other outfits, unlike the cheap faux patent leather one I got with an older PUG purchase and promptly threw out. I also appreciate the fact that the dress does not have belt loops. Built-in loops are always in the wrong spot for me, thanks to my long torso. Without the loops, I can place the belt at my natural waist, or I can even skip it or wear a different one for another look (maybe a thick black cincher or an animal-print).
As for my worries about shoes, well I almost forgot about my fabulous leopard-print pumps (that I got years and years ago from Payless Shoe Source, of all places). I also have a pair of black and white t-strap Spectator pumps, for a slightly less vampy look. It’s surprising how easy it is to find things that match now that I have the dress in hand.
