J.Crew: Linen Getaway Dress Review

This is J.Crew's Linen Getaway Dress (item #15610), which originally retailed for $49.50, with current colors on sale for $39.50. This dress is available in caspian blue, bright citron, dark charcoal, warm desert, fresh melon, sweet papaya, and white. This dress is alpha-sized. J.Crew describes the dress as such:

Simply slip on and go straight from beach to bistro. Linen. Straight bodice. Straight skirt. Tied keyhole. Adjustable ties at neck and waist. Sleeveless. Falls to midthigh. Import. Machine wash.

I tried this dress on in a small, in the fresh melon color. I think the dress fits true-to-size. I didn't try this in the extra small, so I can't comment on whether or not it really runs large or is more true-to-size. I will say that the small was very loose and flowy, but I think that is the cut of the dress. I would recommend starting with your regular size and sizing down for a more fitted shape.

The fabric is a very light linen. It's very breathable and a nice weight for the summer. It moves and flows fairly well. I think that is a combination of the fabric and the cut of the dress. The linen is also a bit on the thin side. It's not sheer in this color, but I would be curious if it were more sheer in the lighter colors.

The cut of the dress is fairly shapeless. It's sort of an A-line shape I would say, with its being a little more fitted at the top, and flaring out towards the bottom. You could maybe size down if you wanted to get a more fitted shape out of this dress, but overall, it is very loose and flowy. I wouldn't look to this dress to get a lot of definition out of it.

The dress does have a tie around the middle that creates a sort of drop waist. It also has a neckline tie that creates a sort of halter/keyhole neckline. I think tying both of these makes the dress look a bit more pulled together (I guess literally and figuratively), and is a nice option to have, as the untied look is extremely casual. I don't think tying the waist really creates that much more definition, but it does help break up the line of the dress a bit.

Personally, I see this dress as a really casual dress, and maybe even as a beach cover-up. The length was fine on me, but it might be on the shorter side for some of the taller ladies out there. I don't know that I would ever really wear this as a dress - maybe as a tunic-like top, say over a pair of shorts, but that is just my personal style. I think it comes in a nice range of colors that are fairly neutral, and will allow you to play with color combinations a lot. Unfortunately, I don't think there is a lot you can do to dress up this dress, given the material, weight, cut, and style of it. I think you can certainly style it a lot of different ways, but I'm just not sure it's up to the task of being dressy.

Here is a close-up of the neckline tie. The tie itself goes around to the back, and creates the same silhouette in the back. The tie itself is very thin.

I left this one behind. I thought it was cute and all, but I know I wouldn't wear it. I would consider it if it went on sale for a beach cover-up though...if I ever went to the beach, that is. :)

What do you think? Do you like this dress? Do you own it or have you tried it on? Which color do you prefer? How would you style it?