J.Crew describes the Villa Dress in Stripe (Item 76356; was $88.00 now $68.00), as follows:As easy as it gets. Our cotton knit dress boasts a button-up back and a fitted bodice with a flirty skirt. Done in a classic nautical stripe, this breezy little piece sails smoothly from the beach to a backyard barbecue or anywhere the day takes you. Sleeveless. Elastic waistband. Falls above knee. Import. Machine wash.This dress definitely is one of the better knit dresses I have seen from J.Crew in awhile thanks to its material which is comprised of 70% cotton and 30% rayon. It is a bit thicker than one would expect for a Summer dress, but it totally works! No need to worry about undergarments showing through. (Definite plus for me!)
This dress has a fitted top with what is like an a-line skirt. Definitely not a full or straight skirt. As a pear shape, I am always concerned about sizing. (The usual concern for me is the top portion fitting fine while it is too small on the bottom. Or the bottom fitting fine, while the top is too loose.) However, the XS fits me great on top with enough room (not clingy) for the skirt portion. (For reference, I am a size 0/2 for tops and size 6 in pants/skirts.)
The actual dress has a darling stripe pattern that winks at the nautical theme that J.Crew has been promoting this season. There are also several buttons on the back which are a nice surprise. Putting this dress on pull-over style, is super easy too.Lastly, the dress comes above the knee, but not too much. So it is definitely wearable for taller JCAs.
Overall, I {heart} this dress. It will be one of my go-to pieces this Summer thanks to its effortlessly chic style.
For more reviews on this dress, check out the following additional reviews & real life images:
- 1 More Shopping Blog:"J. Crew - April (III)"
- A JC Shopping Habit: "Dressed to the Max"
- Gigi's Gone Shopping: "J Crew - villa dress in stripe"
- Little Tin Soldier: "2012.villanelle."
- My Superfluities: "J. Crew: Whole Lot of IRL Fitting Room Reviews."
- ShopOpera: "J. Crew Reviews! Villa Dress in Stripe, Jersey Max..."
- The Handbag Aficionado: "Stripes, Leopard, Sunshine,Yoga and Flowers"
Love this dress! I've worn it about 3 times and usually wear one of my bright orange Jackie cardigan with it. I also bought the green but haven't worn it yet. I ordered the red too but had to return it. It was more of a rust and I haven't worn the green yet.
ReplyDeleteLove the look of this dress, and the material, but the high waist and low scoop are not made for me (very tall, large chested). Had to pass, but it is a great dress.
ReplyDeleteI really like the look of this dress, but when I compare the striped version to the non-striped version I see that there's gathering at the middle. You can't really see the gathering so much in the pics of the striped one. I find that such gathering only accentuate my stomach area, which is certainly not my best feature. Can anyone comment on how it is IRL?
ReplyDelete@West Coast Crew, even though the dress has gathers, the waistline hits high enough that I don't feel it accentuates the stomach area (that's my problem area too). In fact, because the upper part of the dress is fitted and the lower part is A-line, it tends to create a flattering hourglass effect, especially if you wear it with a skinny belt. Give it a try, I was pleasantly surprised!
DeleteThanks, for the link love, Alexis! I don't own this dress, but I agree it is the best jersey dress I've seen at JC this year.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review! I hadn't realized that my body shape was so similar to yours - I will pay extra special attention to your reviews from now on! I'd love to get a chance to try on this dress now.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the shout out!!! I wore this on Memorial Day.
ReplyDeleteLove this dress, it is perfect for my body shape!! I wore ti to work yesterday for the first time and I felt very comfortable in it and wore a belt and jean jacket over it!! Love it, thinking of the solid colors now.
ReplyDeleteSuch a cute dress, and it looks flattering on many different body types, too. Thanks for your review and all the links to additional reviews, Alexis! :)
ReplyDeleteI have it coming in the mail today! Excited!
ReplyDeleteThe Villa is such a great dress - it has become my weekend go-to piece. I wish J.Crew would do more pieces like this - you know, jersey pieces that come to the knee and work on us pear shapes (I'm looking at you, Jules dress).
ReplyDeleteOh, Alexis, thank you for the shout out! I am glad to see others love it just as much as I do mine.
ReplyDeleteI wore mine last weekend and put some photos of it on my blog today.
It is a truly versatile piece that can be dressed up and down.
Has anyone seen this dress in store? They only have an XLG online. TIA!
ReplyDeleteAs of last Friday they had lots of the striped villa dress in Atlanta's Lenox Square store, at full price but they honored the online 30% off promo. Had at least 8 smalls but don't know what other sizes. Good luck!
DeleteI'm a pear shape, too, and I'm 5'9". This dress is really flattering and long enough to wear to work (although I have to wear a cardigan over it). I have the striped and the green ones. The buttons on the back are such a nice touch. I hope there are more things like this to come (and fewer exposed zippers).
ReplyDeleteI picked this dress up during the recent Memorial day promo is an xs and s to see which one would work better. I'm 5'7 and 7 months pregnant and both dresses fit amazing with the empire waist seaming! I was so excited I promptly got on and ordered the navy, warm henna and emerald colors. I have yet to wear maternity clothes this pregnancy and I love that I can keep shopping at my favorite store and buy items in my regular size that I will love wearing just as much after I have this baby. :)
ReplyDeleteJust looking to get this dress and noticed the price bumped back up to $88 in a day (after restock of sizes) - any ideas on why? Do you think CS would honor the original sale price from yesterday? Curious ...
ReplyDeletemsswiss18: The dress was on promo-price yesterday, but went back up to regular price today. (I have an explanation of promo-priced items in this post on my blog, if you'd like additional information about how it all works.) It is unlikely that CS will honor yesterday's price, but you could always call and ask just to be certain.
DeleteAh - didn't realize it was a promo price! Thanks for the response, FFM! :)
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ReplyDeleteThank you for this review. It explains why this dress looked terrible on me - I'm the exact opposite of a pear figure (heavy/muscular on top and slim hips). I reeeally wanted to love it! Boo :( Oh well, just a heads up to any other girls with my shape.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Connor. I really appreciate the tip!
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