It's been really starting to heat up here in the SF Bay Area lately, especially in San Jose. So when Everlane debuted their cotton poplin shirt dress I ordered it immediately, even though I had some reservations about the style. And since I wanted the free shipping, I thought I would try out their poplin square shirt as well (especially since I liked the style of the square shirt in silk--Everlane silk square shirt review here). I really like the poplin material, which I got to try out when I reviewed Everlane's poplin relaxed shirt, so I was hoping I would like at least one of these items, but unfortunately I didn't. {By the way I ordered both items in a size 2. I'm about 5'4" and usually wear a small in most tops.}
So the first thing I thought immediately after putting on the poplin shirt dress was, "Wait, am I wearing a men's nightgown?"
See what I mean?
So then I decided to try it with a belt to make it look a little less night-gowny and I think it helped:
But still I didn't love this look. I think you have to be a waif to look good in this. Otherwise it just looks like you're wearing a man's nightie. But here's my full list of pros and cons:
Pros:
-Like I said before the poplin material is really nice. It's smooth, feels durable, and of a fairly high quality.
-There's pockets at the hips. Any dress with pockets wins extra points in my book.
-I like the side slits and the fact that the dress cuts a little higher in the front than in the back.
And the Cons:
-It's a men's nightshirt.
-The cut is generally unflattering but cinching it at your waistline with a belt does help give it some definition.
-I don't like wear it cuts at the legs in the front for me because it cuts right at the widest point of my calves. It's not really a slimming look.
Here I am trying to style it with my Mansur Gavriel mini lady bag and I'm wearing Everlane's Modern Loafers
Now onto the poplin square shirt, which made me think of the sail of a sailboat (probably because I could catch some serious wind if I just held up my arms).
First the pros:
-I liked the cute mandarin collar on this shirt and prefer it over the pointed collar of the silk square shirt.
-The sleeves help cover up the chicken wings (aka flabby triceps).
-This would be a perfect shirt for buffet dining or if I was pregnant.
But the cons:
-Since I'm not really a buffet-eater nor am I pregnant, this shirt does not do me any favors. I probably could have sized up to size 4 to get a little more length in the front so it doesn't look like I have a massive belly.
-I think for the square shirt style such as this, a silk material that drapes is probably a little more flattering and not so sail-like.
In the end I ended up returning both. All my other Everlane reviews are here.