The Dress

I love, love, loved this as my wedding dress! Although hard to part with, I’m now looking to pass it on to another bride to enjoy and feel beautiful in on her wedding day.

Romantic, classic, timeless yet still modern. Elegant and also subtly sexy.

I am a standard medium in most clothing — waist 31-32”, hips around 41”, bust around 36”. This size 10 fit me perfectly right out of the garment bag (except for length, see my alterations details), and I think could also accommodate someone with slightly larger measurements even. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this dress. It’s weighty enough to feel like it’s of good quality but was still totally comfortable enough for me at my outdoor wedding in Hawai’i.

In full disclosure, I wore this for my outdoor wedding but had it professionally dry cleaned (+ $150) and it looks nearly as good as new! Still in very good condition with minor signs of wear at the bottom hem.

Signs of wear include:
- Some loose threads
- a small section where the hand rolled hem came undone (an easy hand sew)
- minor staining at the bottom hem. The ivory color of the dress helps hide this, in my opinion :)

Please feel free to ask me any questions! :)

Details From Anthro:

Style No. 51454114; Color Code: 011

Long sleeves with subtle volume and a plunging neckline strike the perfect balance between bohemian romance and sultry edge. Scattered floral appliques add a feminine finish to this easygoing gown.

Polyester; polyester lining
Maxi length gown
Back zipper
Deep-v neckline
Long full sleeves
Side slit
Professionally clean
Imported

Alterations

Only alterations done were to the hem length (in the front only) and adding a bustle. Total $350

Hem: This dress comes SO LONG! To be able to even walk in it naturally I chose to shorten the front. Shortening the dress length was done from the hem (as opposed to from the waist as some people suggest for this dress) in order to preserve the gradient detailing of the beaded details. If we had shortened from the waist it would have been significantly more expensive but also would have eliminated the smaller beaded details around the hips and lifted the heavier ones at the bottom up. I wanted to keep the delicate design of the original. My sewist is a professional with over 30 years experience and hand rolled/hand sewed the bottom hem and re-beaded it to make it a seamless transition. I am 5’6” and wore total flats with this dress. The front hem just touches the floor when I wear it and still has the original long train in the back.

Bustle: She also added a very simple French bustle system using 5 pairs ribbons located around the interior of the skirt that you just tie together to lift the skirt. The bustle is ok, honestly, and if you really want a bustle you might prefer to redo it. I needed it to be able to dance a wedding hula in this dress (see photo) and it worked and looked decent. Otherwise, the rest of my wedding I wore it unbustled. I love the romantic drape of the train! Please feel free to ask me any questions!