Ad - Review of the Annalisa retro tie-waist shirt dress from Navabi

The lovely folk at Navabi recently got in touch and asked if I'd be interested in reviewing one their dresses. Well - I didn't need to be asked twice. I've ordered a number of things from Navabi over the years and while they may not be the cheapest - I've always found their quality and choice to be top rate.

Firstly, I have to say that finding dresses that fit well isn't that easy for me. I normally find I need a size smaller on top than the bottom half, so to get a dress that fits top and bottom is a bit of a miracle basically! Fortunately every dress on the Navabi website has a section with detailed measurements for that particular dress. My advice - get your tape measure out and get measuring. Even if you think you know your size, you may be surprised. I ended up ordering a size 22 and it was a perfect fit on the bottom half and only just a little big on the top. Normally I would have ordered a 24 to get the right fit on the hips which would have been way too big for this dress. They also have suggestions for which style fits which body shape.

I'm also pretty fussy. I don't like too many frills and flounces, I'm not fond of too much floral and really don't like low neck/wrap tops. However, I do love unusual prints, casual styles that can be dressed up and comfortable, easy to wear fabrics.

The style that instantly caught my eye was the Annalisa Retro Tie-Waist Shirt Dress. It ticked so many boxes for me with the print and styling. I styled it for these pictures with black trainers, but ankle boots or knee high boots would look just as good. The colours just shouted autumn to me.

Just look at the print! It reminded me of a 70's dress but with modern styling. It has a tie waist but I think it would work with a black belt just as well. I mentioned the top half was just a little big and that was most noticeable in the sleeves, but they do have button tabs so that they can be worn rolled-up as 3/4 length. The length was good for me as well. I'm 5'3 and it felt like a comfortable length that could be worn day or night.

Currently this is priced at £90, but I just know this dress is going to be a staple item in my wardrobe for years. I recently took it on holiday and it travels well - no ironing needed! When I received it and unpacked it for the first time (which was beautifully packaged btw) my other half took one look and said it was definitely me. I really like the thought of being just like a retro vibrant 70's dress!

A big thank you to Navabi & Bethany Rutter - and a little something that shows taking photos on a cold autumn day isn't always easy....

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx

(Dress was gifted for the purpose of this review)