During Labor Day weekend, I accompanied my friend to the outlet mall with no intention of buying anything. The stores were a blur to me, (with the exception of Theory, at which I pet the soft leather jackets for an extended period of time) and the merchandise quality and deals were underwhelming. I passively tried on this drapey dress at the Ann Taylor factory to kill time, and ended up really liking it.
If carefully assessed, the dress is not exceptional in quality nor fit. However, there were many aspects of it that I loved individually and saw potential in.
Fit: The outlets carry down to XXSP, of which the overall fit was roomy on me. I planned on taking in the sides from the chest and waist down to the bottom hem, however the garment construction made it more difficult than I anticipated. The skirt half of this dress is lined, and the lining is connected at the waist. I decided to leave the torso alone (and address it with a waist belt), and only slim and taper the bottom half: 
Recently, I’ve been going back to a number of my skirts and dresses and finding myself unsatisfied with the shape at the bottom. A straight-cut skirt like this one looks fine, but after a tiny bit of tapering, the resulting pencil silhouette is more feminine and shapely. I leave the excess material just in case tastes change in the future. And oops, I really need to shorten the sleeves on this jacket versus hoisting them up with large safety pins.
Quality: The material of this dress is a thin rayon/metallic fiber blend, and as mentioned previously, only the bottom half is lined in polyester knit. A slip or shapewear bottoms may be necessary despite the lining, as I noticed seams and contours showing through. I’m wearing a mid-thigh length slip in these photos and you can still see the outline of the slip hem slightly. Tag says dry clean, but I plan on hand-washing in cold water.
I’ve worn this dress to work a few times and the material does not wrinkle after a day of wear, but it does form creases when folded up in a drawer. The material is stretchy and comfortable for long work days.
Price: Factory retail was $99, marked down to $64.99. I purchased it on a 40% off day (seems to happen quite often there) and I had an extra 10% off coupon. Total paid was $35. Factory stores do take orders over the phone and ship to homes, if you have the item # (286554).
Other details: What really drew me to this dress was the Grecian-inspired draping, and the soft taupe color (with just a hint of metallic) that pairs easily. I also appreciated the not-too-low cowl neck, the dolman sleeves, and the small pleats on both shoulders. I love the silhouette of a slightly loose upper balanced out with a more fitted, tapered bottom. Cinched with a waist belt, the overall vibe of this dress feels almost glamorous.
Readers – Have you also been loving the drapey dress?
Hi Jean – Just another note in support of you and your blog. Even though others may constantly try to copy you, they CAN'T copy your creativity and individual style! Thanks again for sharing all your great ideas and advice – as one of many many readers of your blog, I really appreciate it!!
It's beyond copying though. What about all the lies? Oh I got this jacket from my parents' garage? Really?! Why lie when we can see you bought the thing on eBay!
I agree that Annie copies, but I don't think Jean is so innocent. Her gingham shirt with lace skirt outfit is a copy of Blair on Atlantic-Pacific (I guess jean couldn't find a sequin skirt). Although Jean looked like a picnic and Blair looked so glam. Jean also copies a lot from Anh and Wendyslookbook. Anh, Wendy, and Blair are the real deal, the rest are amateurs at best.
I, too, want to praise you for standing up for yourself and against plagiarism! I support you 100%!
Thank you so, so, SO much for taking a stand against the plagiarism. It puts a cloud over the entire petite blogging community and it's been bothering me that so many people were enabling such poor behavior. You have lots of supporters who have noticed but had no way to say anything because SP/RP deletes any comments that point out the problem, even tactfully. Something needed to be said, especially since other bloggers are affected too.
Good job standing up for yourself Jean.
Jean, how did you shorten the Stella & Dot necklace? I noticed that the chain is quite a bit longer on their site. I'm sure everyone would love to know your nifty tricks! Thanks in advance!
Such a great find and love the way you styled with the tweed!
A Little Piece of Fashion and Beauty
love the belt
herpersona.blogspot.com/
beautiful dress! it's a really lovely tone for autumn 🙂
Great find, Jean! You styled this so well. Your J. Crew purse is turning out to be a great pairing for your LouBoutins!
I'll always love a good draped dress, especially in a shimmery taupe hue. I live near an Ann Taylor outlet and always forget to hit it up–looks like I've been missing out! You look beautiful, Jean.
Absolutely love this! Very classy outfit.
Hi Jean, I really love your lipstick color. What shade is that ?
Love the belt! Did you buy it at a boutique or is it vintage?
I love that taupe colored sheath dress, it's so perfect for Fall. It goes great with the blazer. I wore the same Uniqueen jacket in an outfit post recently. Love!
xoxo,
Suzie Q
http://www.StyleCueBySuzieQ.com
I'm so glad you purchased this dress, it looks fantastic on you!
xo julesinflats.com
Rachel, instead of doing a search, why not just select past months that you are interested in ?
xo julesinflats.com
I love that you actually have useful information on your blog. Not just a "look at me" blog showing off designer things.
There's also EXTRA 30% OFF FINAL SALE ITEMS WITH CODE LOVEIT
🙂
Hi Jean~
Silk blouses are now on sale in petite sizing at J.Crew! I remember from your previous post that you were looking for a black or white silk blouse.
http://www.jcrew.com/womens_feature/NewArrivals/shirtstops/PRDOVR~37871/37871.jsp?srcCode=AFFI00001&siteId;=J84DHJLQkR4-V33YV3DuVdNI%2AqcBACwd4Q
The white "alabaster" colour is available in 00P
🙂 enjoy!
You are so right about the skirts with pencil fit being more body friendly. Check out a textured black dress I am very proud of at wichifashionblog.blogspot.com
Love the jacket, very nice ensemble.
xo
Rachelle
htt://pinksole.com
I also love the gentle cowl neck, as some of them are overwhelming! Great piece!
stai veramente bene! anche io ho un blog, che ne dici di passare? mi farebbe molto piacere!
I think that dress looks so chic! And I love how you styled it. I've always been a fan of neutrals with a pop of color.
I have a suggestion for overall site navigation: organize the outfit posts by season (perhaps tag them as such, in the short term). In my case, I thought "Hmmm, weather's getting chilly. I wonder what Extra Petite has come up with for fall/winter looks in the past?" and seasonal archiving would answer my question at a glance. 🙂
The dress is absolutely stunning! And yes .. I love ANYTHING (except pants) that drapes. It adds more curves to my slight curves. =)
beautiful dress and what a great deal.
I'm usually not big on the drapey dresses but with the jacket i'm diggin'
http://frenchpresstights.blogspot.com/
LOVE LOVE the dress and shoes!
http://stores.dye-ties.com/StoreFront.bok
Love the color on you..looks so elegant..esp. with my favorite belt!!
This is such a simple dress, yet you make it so gorgeous. Love the belt and the tweed jacket.
xo, Yi-chia
The dress looks gorgous on you! Beautiful color!
You are so beautiful! I am also Asian (Korean) and really appreciate your confidence that I see in your pictures.
The dress looks great always impressed by your tailoring! – after ordering some pants (inspired by your post last week from Express – the Editor pants – not 100% satisfied with the fit) I really need to go find a good tailor / learn how to sew.
Question regarding this outfit – have you ever found slips either in Boston or online to fit? There are definitely some items I own that would benefit and an extra layer come fall.
Also – wearing tights/stockings with heels – any solutions to stop ones foot slipping in the heel and rubbing all the skin off ones foot. ? Does anyone have any good suggestions – such as those extra thick tight foots ?
Yes, I have been loving the drapey dress!
Blog:http://gemmamonclus.blogspot.com.es/
Love,Gemma
love the drapey look –
this is so pretty on you!!
xox P
fantastic, so stylish and elegant
xoxo
pozdrawiam
http://thirtiesinthecity.blogspot.de/
I love your factory-store finds! But, I always fall in love with them and then I'm always calling around frantically trying to track down the dress in stores around the nation. It's totally worth it though 🙂
Now, this dress is probably next on my list…
I love how you chose a red bag with the outfit! I'm not particularly into drapey dresses, but I've said that about a lot of things and someday I suddenly fell hopelessly in love with them 😉
x
Sabrina
Hi Jean, I like the drape of the dress too. This
post make think of autum
I love how that looks on you! Great price, and the draping is so lovely.
The dress looks fabulous, Jean! I agree, the draping is very pretty. If it were floor length and bias-cut, it would look like a 1930s movie star dress! (Can't believe the $99 price for thin rayon – lucky you got it for only $35!)
great find at the outlet. it's nice that it's partially lined. i've noticed that half the time, the dresses aren't lined when they should be due to the thinness of the material. you have a great eye on what would look good on you and what you need to do to make it work for your body type. thanks for the review and you look fabulous as always!
LOFT and Ann Taylor always have amazing sales! you look great in that dress!
btw, i just love how you always include camera phone pics along with your real camera pics! =)
xoxo, jenn
the stylish housewife
You look absolutely gorgeous!! Love this dress with the Hermes belt. 🙂
xo – Sheila
http://sheislovely1.blogspot.com
Loft Outlet and Ann Taylor Outlet often have 20-40% off sales weekly and if it's a holiday, most sales will start as early as wednes/thurs if you like avoiding the crowds. I think closer to the holidays, you may see 50% off, but it's typically 40%. I believe shipping is free if you carry a loft/ann taylor card, otherwise it's about $8?
The draped bodice is lovely on you.
You make the dress look gorgeous. You are so adorable