J.Crew: Metallic-Linen Tie-Front Tank Dress Review

This is J.Crew's Metallic-Linen Tie-Front Tank Dress (item #11801), which originally retailed for $168, and is currently on sale for $119.99.  It appears to be available in this one color, light pewter.  It is the only one listed online, and I believe it was the only color I saw in-store.  J.Crew describes the dress as such:

Lightweight linen with a luminous metallic sheen. Detailed with an inset waistband and a self-tie bow front and center (we love how it accentuates the waistline). Sleeveless silhouette. Fitted bodice, gathered skirt. Scoopneck at front and back. Side-seam pockets. Side zip. Fully lined. Falls above knee; 22" from natural waist. Import. Machine wash. Available in select stores.

I tried this dress on in a size 4 in the light pewter color.  I was not really interested in this dress, but I was already on an (ugly) metallic garment streak, so I figured I'd keep it going.  As for the fit, I think the dress fits fairly true-to-size, but trends towards running a bit big.  I am a pretty solid 4 in dresses, and you can see in the picture below that there is a wee bit of gaping at the sides of the bust.  This could be a function of the armholes (maybe they are too long or wide), but I remember the dress being a tad on the roomy size.

As for the fabric, it is a surprisingly lighter-weight linen.  Just looking at the dress, I would have expected it to be on the midweight side, but it is extremely light.  The dress shine on the dress is a bit more prominent than it appears in pictures.  I wouldn't say that the dress necessarily looks shiny, but it definitely has more sheen than the pictures would make you think.  I didn't care much for the metallic element - personally, I thought it made the dress verge too close to the "trash bag" look, as opposed to a subtle hint of shine, which I think is what they were going for.

The lining of the dress was nice and soft, and the outer fabric was...I would say kind of weird.  It was smooth, but at the same time, it was a little textured because of the metallic threads (I hope that makes sense).  I think the length was nice.  As with most regular dresses, this one came to my knees, whereas on the model it's above the knee.

The tie, as with J.Crew's other tie-front dresses this season, is not really functional.  If you tried to re-tie the tie in order to tighten the dress in the middle, it would look pretty funny, because the front of the dress would bunch up on you.  I don't particularly care for the bow on this dress (and I own two different tie-front dresses from J.Crew), because I think it is too much when coupled with the metallic element.

One plus with this dress is that it is machine washable.  That's probably because the J.Crew designers knew you'd be too embarrassed to take this to the dry cleaners.  So really, they were just looking out for everyone here.

I never intended to buy this dress, and I can say that after trying it on, I was even more convinced.  I think this dress is kind of ugly, and I can't even fathom where you would wear it.  I don't think the elements work together at all, and I think the allover metallic look is too much, and no offense, comes too close to the edge of trashy for my comfort.  Not surprisingly (to me, at least), this dress is already on sale, but surprisingly (to me, at least), there are very few left in stock.  This is a dress I would have thought would linger in the sale section.

What do you think?  Do you like this dress?  Where would you wear it?