J.Crew: Dressy Jersey Belted Dress Review

This is J.Crew's Dressy Jersey Belted Dress (item #15327).  It is selling for $88 online, but according to the picture of the tag I took, it was $78 in-store.  It comes in navy, heather charcoal, and bright mango, and is alpha-sized.  J.Crew describes the dress as such:

An elegant, Grecian-inspired silhouette, in our refined, sophisticated viscose jersey. Sleeveless. Fitted bodice. Scoopneck. Removable tie at waist. Falls above knee; 21" from natural waist. Import. Machine wash.

I tried this on in an extra small, so I would say that the dress runs a little on the bigger size; however, I think that I got away with the extra small as opposed to my normal small because the dress is sleeveless, and the material is stretchy.

Like J.Crew's other "dressy" jersey dresses, the fabric on this dress is really nice - very soft, and with a substantial weight to it (but not enough weight to make it heavy).  The jersey is very smooth, and flows and drapes very nicely.  I find this dress to be a bit more clingy than say, the Dressy Jersey Ruffle V-Neck dress (whatever it is called), but I think that is because of the cut and shape of the dress.  It is about as clingy as the Dressy Jersey Strapless dress, I would say, because both are a straighter cut in the bottom.

The top of the dress has a deep scoopneck, with a small bit of banding on the neckline, and small shirring in the middle of the bodice.  I think it's a fairly cute detail, and definitely adds a little bit of interest to what otherwise might have been a boring dress.  The armholes are cut well - plenty of room for movement, but not gaping or anything.

I like the sash detail - I even think it's necessary, because the dress would be incredibly shapeless without it.  I would have preferred the sash if it were a little bit longer, but I still like.  It helps define the waist as loosely or as distinctly as you would like.

Regarding the length, I would have preferred it to be just a bit shorter, to be honest.  This is such a casual dress, and I would have liked it better if the length were just a tad shorter, a little more playful.  It's not that the length detracts from the dress or anything, but that's just my preference.

I left this dress behind, because I didn't love it.  It was cute and all, but it didn't totally wow me, and I didn't think it was anything really special.  All in all though, I think it is a cute, casual dress, and I think you could style it both super casually and a little more dressy.

What do you think?  Do you like this dress?  Do you own it?

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