Brand Spanking New. (inc. Monochromatic Corset Dress reincarnation?)

Hello! Back from the blogging wilderness again! I can't even begin to tell you how much I'm looking forwards to this weekend. My plans include getting a Chocolate Manhattan at a bar in town (don't knock it until you've tried it), watching the cricket, having a horse ride and catching up on my sleep. Wild child, am I right?

Here are some extra-specially delicious reviews for you all to make up for my absence last night - I hope you missed me as much as I missed you!

Mystery Eva Franco Dress (on the Eva Franco website here)

So, is this dress reminding anyone else of the Monochromatic Corset Dress? I was so excited when I saw this hanging up, and I'm glad to report it's just as fantastic on! This dress zips up the side and the top is a soft, stretchy jersey cotton type material - it does have some substance to it though, as you can see, and pulls you in quite nicely. The skirt was essentially the same as that of the MCD but with a slightly thinner stripe. The dress comes with a belt with square studs and a stretch jersey backing so you can tie it really nicely. I have to admit this, and this feels like blasphemy coming from someone who owns the MCD dress, that I think I prefer this dress! The dress runs true to size, is comfortable and the neckline isn't too low while maintaining the mystique factor with a fantastic back. 

If you're not convinced, however, then Corey Lynn Calter have re-released their original dress on their website here!

Mullany Dress by Eva Franco

For some reason I keep reading 'Mullany' as 'Mullally', as in the legendary Megan Mullally who played Karen Walker on Will & Grace:

This dress doesn't seem a million miles from some of the clothes she wore, though this might be a little too 1950s house wife for her. I was looking forwards to trying this one on as I'm a sucker for exactly the aforementioned look. The skinny belt that came with this was much nicer than I anticipated and it didn't look like the kind that would fall apart after a couple of wears. The dress itself was a heavier construct than I had expected, but didn't suffer for it. The pleats were a nice touch and gave the dress that slight something extra. I wore my usual 6 (UK10) in this and I would stick with this size. The only slight problem was that the fabric at the very top of the neckline wasn't laying flat against my chest but I think that is down to my bust size pulling the material a bit - it wasn't noticeable enough that I would size up. Wishlisted for sale, pending deep thought over whether or not this is too similar to a black and white polka dot vintage dress I already have.

From-the-Poles Jacket by Charlie & Robin

Let me start by saying that I couldn't get the colour of this cardigan to translate properly onto the camera, it is much more of a Cadbury purple in real life than it seems here and that the belt on the mystery dress being loose is in no way the dress' fault, but mine. This isn't hugely dissimilar to my Rosy Cheeks Cardigan (which hasn't been seen in a while thanks to summer):

I love the zip combined with the sturdy material of this jacket which facilitates a slightly corset-esque look, nipping in the waist. I'm wearing a small here which fit really nicely, but I worry about what the shrinkage would be like - I washed the Rosy Cheeks Cardi and had to stretch the arms out with bootshapers for a week afterwards. I couldn't remember how they had done it up on the website so I just did it the most obvious way, next time I will do it properly! When you zip the jacket up it is quite clean looking, all smooth lines, but when left open then all the ruffles on the inside come spilling out which is great for versatility. Loved it. Wishlisted for sale!

Mallard Bay Cardigan by Monogram

Are Monogram and HWR the same thing, so far as Anthro is concerned? I swear this and other HWR sweaters I've tried on turn up online as Monogram...

I wore a small in this and I would size up to a medium because I found that the arms had almost no give at all, and I worry (again) about shrinkage. The ducks were really very cute, but I couldn't tell if I was crossing a weirdness line with them. I think I wish that the pattern didn't extend to the sleeves. I think this is a bit of a 'grandfather' cut of a cardigan - that is if grandfather were into that old SNES Duck Hunt game. The material was really very thick and woolly - you'll be waiting a long time yet to wear this - but I didn't find it particularly itchy which was a relief. A pass for me, but only because there are other HWR/Monogram sweaters I like more.

Well, that's it for now. I'll have a post up tomorrow, so keep your eyes peeled! 

What do you think of everything? What do you think of the mystery dress's similarity to the Monochromatic Corset Dress - am I crazy, or are they pretty similar?

Speak soon!