Just like I said in my Elizabeth Suzann Georgia dress review, I love getting ES secondhand since I don't have to wait for production and I get to see how an item wears over time. Well this ES Georgia Midi dress (link is to new Gen 4 version) is definitely old, in fact it's a Generation 1 version (so probably from around 2013 I think). And you know what? It feels as almost good and as new as my Generation 4 silk Georgia tee (I won't say it's equal but you'll see why in a bit). And actually this is a piece of ES history since I purchased this from Liz's friend and first hire Lydia thru Instagram (and I still learn about archival ES pieces from her since I'm still fairly new to ES). So this is a very special dress indeed.
First a note on sizing, this dress is an OS, which I thought I might be too long for (5'4") but I have found that it's the perfect size. On the hanger, this dress looks large and I was pretty sure it would look blah on me, but in fact when I wear it, I find it's anything but! And I think a large part of that is due to the fluidity of the silk. I added a lot of similar pictures to this post because I feel like depending on the wind direction and my stance, the dress looks different each time. And yes, at times I think I look a tad big in this dress (especially in static pictures), but that doesn't bother me because I don't feel big in it. In fact, I feel quite chic and a tad artsy, lol.
{Wearing: ES silk Georgia midi, Everlane Day Heel Mules, Celine Seau Sangle bag (reviewed here, similar here)}
The silk of this Gen 1 dress is not as thick and luxurious feeling (since it's 18mm) compared to the 23mm of Gen 4 silk (for reference Everlane and Grana usually use 16mm silk). But since it's such a loose and flowy dress, the extra thickness isn't quite needed. Also the Gen 1 neckline is a lot larger than the Gen 4 Georgia neckline. But I don't really mind since the extra room around the neck prevents me from choking myself in the front when I sit down (which is the problem I had with the regular Georgia dress, but that's also because that was an OSM which I found is too small for me). I think the Gen 4 neckline is better though if you don't want to show your bra straps (which happens time to time in this dress).
All in all, I really love this dress. It's perfect for buffet lines as well as nice dinners out. The silk material is what makes it so versatile. I don't think I would get this Georgia midi dress in any other material (like linen), because any material that's stiffer will make the dress more voluminous (and to me, less attractive). Also I think the midi dress works for me even though I'm on the petite side, because of the fact the dress is slightly shorter in the front than in the back. And thus there's enough leg showing to help make it look slimming (and also a heel helps, preferrably in a nude color).
Anyway I'm so happy to have this newest ES addition to my closet! This dress is really fueling my addiction for ES even more. For me, this midi dress is my modern day take on the Hawaiian mu'umu'u which I'm totally comfortable with (coming from Hawaii). So be prepared to see this dress all summer (and maybe even layered in the fall)!