Mini dress with shredded side panels - mini dress discontinued by Leg Avenue - review by Owl Identified

First off, I need to apologize for the lack of photos in this review. I know that when I read lingerie reviews, I tend to prefer those that include pictures. Unfortunately, the fit of this piece being what it is? I can't find a way to photograph this that I feel comfortable with. And, lying on a flat surface, this itty bitty thing doesn't look like much of anything. So, sadly, there's nothing I can offer in the way of visuals that will be of much use. I'll do my best to paint you a picture, though!

This mini dress from Leg Avenue jumped right off the screen at me the moment I laid eyes on the product page. I spent quite a few years of my adolescence perfecting my methods of fashionable tearing and cutting, but cotton band tees are a far cry from slinky nylon dresses. I hate the idea of paying for someone to do what I can do myself; cut up a piece of fabric. However, sometimes it's worth it to spend for someone to do it well. The Shredded Mini arrives pre-hacked, with no runs, no lose threads, all ready to be stretched, yanked on and generally broken in. For anyone that's cut their own holes in stockings before, you know how short-lived homemade cuts can be due to the fragility of nylon. I was thrilled with the strength of this seemingly delicate garment. After examining the stitching and test-stretching it with my hands, I was ready to try it on.

I was a little surprised at how sheer this mini dress is. It's not entirely transparent, but you'll be able to tell the color of your bra if you wear one underneath it. If you don't wear a bra, your nipples will certainly be visible. Because of the tube style of the bust and the thin spaghetti straps, I would recommend a thin bandeau bra or pasties under this, depending on the occasion. A full cupped bra underneath this peaks out from underneath and above the bust lines, and really takes away from the look. The sheerness of the fabric is quite nice for highlighting little dips and shadows in your frame, though, from hip bones to navel. Very sexy and tempting, but not so transparent that this couldn't be made appropriate for wearing out to a casual spot.

My dress is green, and the color is fairly true to the picture. It's a bit less on the yellowy side, and more on the blueish, but still overall what I was expecting. I've heard the pink is quite a bit more vibrant than the photograph shows. In both cases, these colors are very neon, very bold, and will easily overpower and outshine pale complexions. These saturated shades work best for brown to very dark skinned complexions - really, the darker the better. I'm white, but have a slightly golden complexion. I felt that I was able to pull this color off, but it would have looked nicer on someone a few shades darker than me.



This is the kind of color combination that I see as most complimentary. This doesn't rule out other skin tones, but this is an ideal match in my humble opinion.

Of course, I never really got as far as seeing how well I'd be able to pull this one off in a public setting. One of the biggest attractions about this piece for me is its versatility. I was so excited at the idea of wearing this out. It would look amazing with some brightly colored skinny, spike heels and tight black jeans or leggings like these Wet Look Laced Leggings.



Throw in some giant hoop earrings, and you have a very flashy, very club ready look. Not exactly job interview attire, but perfect for standing out in a crowd at a party, show, bar or club. It's extremely comfortable and thin enough that it breathes well in spite of being synthetic. This is great if you plan to be dancing or otherwise just taking up space in a hot, sweaty bar. The slashed sides show off your silhouette, but the full front and rear panels keep it just modest enough to function like a shirt. One thing you won't love if you wear this out of the bedroom, is that the sheerness can lead to some weird, colliding lines when you pair this with clothing underneath. Make sure any leggings, jeans, or bottoms you wear don't dig in around the waist - all of that will be quite visible. Low rise is best. As the waist of your bottoms overtakes the slashed open sides, it takes away a lot of the effect of the exposed skin.

Sadly, I never got to take this out of the bedroom. Why? Well, it just didn't fit me. At all. This is a one size fits most deal, which generally translates to "one size fits precious few." For me, I've had decent luck with OS. It's really a coin toss any time I order, but a coin toss that lands in my favor more often than it doesn't. Sadly, this mini is not designed for breasts above B-cup range. Ideally, this would look best on slender, chic A-cup bodies, or extraordinarily firm, perky breasts. The bust of mine measured less than 5" from top to bottom, which is entirely unrealistic for me. My breasts are definitely on the smaller side of 36C, but are far from firm and perky. This top has no built-in support, so my boobs kind of peaked out from the underside. If I pulled them up using a bandeau for support, my nipples would pop out of the top. Five vertical inches just isn't enough to adequately cover my breasts.

This is, however, the only problem I have with this dress. I'm likely going to pass it along to a body that will be better flatted by it, but I do so reluctantly. The strength of the slashed sides, the flattering sheerness, the stretchy material that would willingly fluctuate with my body, the color, it's all wonderful. Sadly, this thing just doesn't do anything for my boobs. If you have a slim frame and smaller breasts, you'll look like a rock star in this. If you have firm, perky breasts - especially implants - the flexible nylon will make you look porn star sexy without any of the under-boob I suffered from. For the rest of us - including curvy gals - this probably isn't a great option.

The nylon is easy to clean. I would recommend hand washing it in cold water, carefully rinsing out all of the detergent before hanging to dry. Do not put this in a drier! I wouldn't try this in a washing machine, as I'd be afraid the spool might snag a slashed string and tear it. The nylon of this is sturdy, but sharp nails, zippers on coats and other hazardous pokey objects should be kept away. Snags certainly can occur, but don't have to if you're careful.