What I Didn't Wear: BB Dakota and Evans

When I signed back up for Gwynnie Bee after radiation, I was doing the 3-items-at-a-time plan.  One of my May shipments had two BB Dakota items and one Evans top - brands I haven't tried yet.  None of them worked perfectly for me, so my disappointment becomes your education! lol  Here's what I didn't wear:

DivineMrsDiva.com - What I Didn't Wear: BB Dakota Bev Dress, BB Dakota Dory Dress, Evans Mirror Print Shell Top

BB Dakota Bev Dress


DivineMrsDiva.com - What I Didn't Wear: BB Dakota Bev Dress

DivineMrsDiva.com - What I Didn't Wear: BB Dakota Bev Dress

BB Dakota is a totally new brand to me.  I was excited to give it a try, as most of the items look really cute on the GB site.  While it was stretchy and comfortable, it is a bodycon dress which would require me to wear shapewear to feel more confident in it.  At first it seemed really cute (See my view in the mirror photo above), but there were a few things I didn't like.

1) It was shorter than I am typically comfortable with.  2) The bust is way too big for what I have to offer, which resulted in an ill fit. Read: bigger armholes exposing my bra because my boobage didn't fill out the dress.  3) The way the back is cut requires that you wear a strapless bra, which I am not fond of.  PS - I received this in a size 24. I am 5'9" and typically wear a 24.

If you are a curvy, busty petite girl, this will probably be awesome on you! (Or just have boobs that are bigger than a B cup and be careful when you bend down.)
This dress can be found online at Bloomingdale's, Amazon, and at Gwynnie Bee.

DivineMrsDiva.com - What I Didn't Wear: BB Dakota Bev Dress
DivineMrsDiva.com - What I Didn't Wear: BB Dakota Bev Dress


BB Dakota Dory Dress


DivineMrsDiva.com - What I Didn't Wear: BB Dakota Dory Dress

This dress had great potential.  The pattern is really cute and it would be adorable with leggings and some fun flats.  There are lots of ways you could style it...if it fit you.  This dress was also particularly short, like when I bent over you could see my underwear.  And you do not want some wind to blow it up either!  The skirted part was lined but the bust area was not.  The chiffon-like polyester is see through in the top portion of the dress.  I wore a thinner black tank underneath it for the pictures.

Which brings me to my next point, it was kind of tight fitting.  Even without a tank underneath, it was a bit snug.  The fabric has no stretch, so it is what it is.  Initially I was pleased with the bust, until I noticed all the extra fabric.  It is even bigger on the sides than the last dress.  The back fit okay I guess, but the hip portion was just a little too snug for the skirted part to flow like it should.  I admit it is hard to tell the fit of the hips from these photos, but you will have to trust me. 
PS - I received this in a size 24. I am 5'9" and typically wear a 24.

This dress can be found online at Amazon and Gwynnie Bee.


DivineMrsDiva.com - What I Didn't Wear: BB Dakota Dory Dress
DivineMrsDiva.com - What I Didn't Wear: BB Dakota Dory Dress

Evans Mirror Print Shell Top


DivineMrsDiva.com - What I Didn't Wear: Evans Mirror Print Shell Top

This is the first Evans piece I am actually trying on.  When I see things from Evans online, I usually think they are really cute.  I loved the colors in this top and was hoping it would fit like more of a flowy tunic.  While the top portion fit well, the hip area was really tight.  If you have big hips like me I would recommend ordering a size up if you can.  I think this would be really cute tucked into a chambray skirt, but I just did not have the energy to try it out.  I was kind of fed up with the ill fits at this point of my day. 

Also, pardon my sloppy house pants.  I didn't feel like changing them.  PS - I received this in a size 24. I am 5'9" and typically wear a 24.

 This top can be found online at Gwynnie Bee.

DivineMrsDiva.com - What I Didn't Wear: Evans Mirror Print Shell Top

Do you have any experience with trying on these brands? Any more insight into the fit?  Let me know!



12 comments

  1. Are those pastels in that tribal print? Le sigh. Add that one to my wishlist, which is completely out of control at the moment. Good thing my bday is coming up!


    This is about as rad and edgy as I get, too, so recreating this look is actually within the realm of possibility for me! I think you styled it perfectly. The bodycon dress with the pastels is still really feminine, but the belted vest throws things off kilter a bit. It's an interesting and awesome balance, and it's fun to see you trying a new style. I love looks that mix masculine and feminine, tough and sweet. I'm just no good at recreating them myself. lol


    I only own a (pink) moto jacket from Mynt1792, but I find their offerings really innovative and inspiring. While many are more street style and edgy than I'd wear, I still like that they're blazing their own trail in plus fashion. Their blogger jacket collaborations from last fall were so inspiring.


    And, as you said, the booties are the perfect saucy shoe. :-)


    <3 Liz
    www.withwonderandwhimsy.com

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  2. I've not heard of BB Dakota. It's a shame that the black dress with white piping didn't work out because it's super hot! It's a close fit, but you're right, it's not spot on. There's nothing worse than something "almost" fitting and having to fidget around with it all day. I don't know how many years I put up with things almost fitting. And then I started discovering more plus size brands. Thank goodness!

    I do have some experience with Evans. I ordered a dress from one of their designer collaborations last year:

    http://www.withwonderandwhimsy.com/2013/08/10/ootd-summer-sorbet/

    I had to get it altered because to make it fit in the hips, I had to get it taken in at the shoulders and waist. It was a woven, however, and I don't usually do well with those. I do much better with knits. What surprised me was that Evans categorizes their pieces by bodytype, and according to my bodytype match, the dress should have worked on me. So judging from both of our experiences, maybe their pieces run tighter through the hips?

    I have a dress on the way from Evans right now. It's from their Scarlett & Jo collection. I believe it's a knit top with an elastic waist and woven skirt. That'll probably work better for my figure since it'll be snug up top but flow freely over my hips. I'll review it once I receive it!

    I do appreciate these posts, learning about new brands, and seeing which styles do and don't work for you. Bummer these three were such a bust!

    <3 Liz

    www.withwonderandwhimsy.com

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  3. I think the last two are super cute but nothing worse then an ill fitting garment! Such a strange way for both of the first two to be off in cut - it looks like even if you are very busty the dresses would gape something fierce around the armholes. Not good. I would have thought the top would have been cut freer through the hips as well. Sorry these are such a disappointment. :-(

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  4. I think I tried that top from Evans (or another one almost like it...it may have had a smaller all-over print?), and it was so very small. Also, I tried one of the BB Dakota dresses (the fish print)...wouldn't zip. I'm bigger than you, and I knew it was a risk, but the print *was* really cute. However, it was short and completely see-through. I've had a lot of ill-fitting things from GB lately, or if they fit, they're badly made and/or terrible fabric (that would be everything from Spruce & Sage, Flor, Flutter, and Triste). Huge armholes, inconsistent sizing, bad construction on neck facings.

    The things I've been happy with: Johnny Was, X-two, the Morgan Mesh Dress from Kiyonna (I sized up, and it's a little big, but not a lot big, and I think a size smaller would be too tight in the arms & shoulders). Everything else lately has been a miss. I'm not a big fan of all the new stuff coming in, so I may be canceling. I've about had it with their selection lately.

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  5. I actually really really like this on you. The way you styled the vest, it gives the whole look a peplum silhouette. I wish I'd thought about belting this vest when I had it...I think I wore it open over a dress, but it's been a while. (It zipped on me, but barely, and I just wasn't in the mood for shapewear since that thing is already so heavy!)

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  6. I bought some things from Evans and returned them and gave one away. Their sizing is really weird.for me Thank you for sharing your "misses" because it's validating. We all over our moments where nothing fits right. I use Gwynnie Bee but only do one thing at a time. I've been doing it for 5 months and have only sent 1 thing back. I love their service. It allows me to try so many different things. Even if it is a "miss", who cares because that's how you learn what you really like/love! I appreciate your modesty greatly because some people don't care how short stuff is and I think that is so important for comfort!

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  7. Thank you! It is a pretty heavy vest. I was pretty surprised when I received it, not that I thought you were a lair, but I didn't expect it to be so heavy. lol I'm glad these two pieces came together. I liked the ASOS dress, but it was a bit out of my comfort zone. I had no idea how I was going to style the vest otherwise. It was a happy accident!

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  8. I love the moto jacket you have! It is so pretty and pink and perfectly you. I loved Allison's collab jacket too. I think those were my favorites. I've had pretty good luck with all the Mynt1792 skirts I have tried on. I am happy to branch out and try new styles from them though. It is so much fun!

    The yellow and maybe mint are pastel and the green could probably pass as pastel. It is a little brighter though. It is a really fun print! I adore the colors. Had I not been too lazy to put on shapewear, I would have taken photos sans the vest...so I will try another ASOS body con dress and see how I feel. :-)

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  9. Thank you! I am so happy that this feature is helpful. It is nice to know how things fit, good or bad, from different brands and styles. It just gives a more educated idea of the sizing, since they all tend to be pretty different.
    I just had to go back to one item at a time, so hopefully things fit a bit better. I will be excited when the shipping gets faster.
    Thank you again for the support!

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  10. I deleted all my Spruce and Sage, Flor, Flutter, and Triste picks based on your comment. I just cannot deal with having to immediately send something back right now. I had to go back to one item at a time...so we will see how that goes. The top of this BB Dakota daisy dress was completely see-through. I almost took a photo in it without the tank top to show that point, but forgot. Wait til I show the too large ASOS dress. I totally just showed my bra for kicks! lol

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  11. Thank you. Live and learn, I suppose. :-) But that is why I like doing this feature too. I like seeing how things fit, good or bad. I'd really love to see them on people with different body types to see the fit. It is really interesting to me. Hopefully someone loves them. They are cute pieces, just not for me.

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  12. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I LOVE that Evans dress on you! It is so beautiful! I hate when things have to be taken in though. I haven't found a decent place to get alterations done around here. And my craft room is still a mess. I haven't even used my sewing machine I got for Christmas.



    I look forward to hearing how the Scarlet and Jo dress works. You may have posted that already. I saw something about it on Instagram. I will definitely have to keep in mind the hip issue if I order from them.

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