Asian persuasion - costume discontinued by DreamGirl - review by Red Vinyl Kitty

I was very excited to get this piece in the mail. It is very cute, and has a lot of pieces to it! The first thing that surprised me though, is that this isn't lingerie at all. Of course, you can wear it as such, but the packaging this comes with is a Halloween style package, and it says on it that it's best for ages 14+. As 14 isn't the legal age anywhere, I'm not sure this was intended for bedroom fun. Can you use it in the bedroom? Most definitely. There are some drawbacks to this as a bedroom outfit, but we'll get to those later. The size I ordered was a large, so all measurements will corespond to the large only.

UMBRELLA:
The packaging doesn't say what the umbrella is made out of, and there is no tag on the umbrella either. It is bright pink, and has gorgeous flowers painted on it. The pink material the umbrella has on it appears to be some type of nylon (though, I can't be sure), but as the material is glued to the "spokes" of the umbrella, it is best not to get this wet (also, I think the paint may run, if you were to get it wet). The handle of the umbrella appears to be made of bamboo, though again, I have no information on the packaging, and need to go with my gut. There is a network of string on the inside of the umbrella connecting the "spokes" to the plastic piece that allows this to open or close. While you don't want to get this wet, you could definitly use this as a parasol out in the sun. It is beautiful, and need not only be worn with this dress.

HAIR PIECE:
The hair piece looks pretty, but it is the most disappointing part of the entire thing, I think. There's a gorgeous purple flower attached with ribbon and glue to a pair of chopsticks. Unfortunately, the only way to get this to stay in your hair is with the flimsy bobby pin they attached. Not only do I find that it doesn't hold it in well, but it also pulls my hair in painful ways when I'm trying to get it out.

CORSET:
The corset that comes with this dress isn't a true corset, but it is pretty nonetheless. It won't cinch you in, but it does add a nice touch to the dress. It secures around the waist using velcro. There is a large bow (7.5" at the widest point) which adorns the back, and is meant to hang over the small of your back. The top of the bow is stiff, and the bottom tails of the bow are loose and move when you move. The entire corset measure 8" tall, and 15.5" flat. The corset is made from beautiful brocade fabric, and doesn't stretch or shrink to your form at all. You'll either fit it, or you won't. Unfortunately, there's no way to secure it tighter or to make it looser. According to the tag, it is made from 98% Polyester, and 2% spandex, and should be dry cleaned only.

DRESS:
The dress is very pretty, but also made with cheap materials. The tag says it is made from 98% polyester and 2% spandex, just like the corset, but unlike the corset, it actually is a little bit see-through. The total length of the garment is 40" in the back, and 28" in the front. The reason for the big measurement gap is that the back has a lengthened sort of "tail" that covers your bum, and looks very pretty too. The sleeves of the dress are 26" long from shoulder, and I found this to be a little bit on the long side. The bottom of the sleeves are very wide and square, and hang 14" from the wrist. The long square part which hangs is also made of a brocade type fabric. The garment has a hook and eye near the bust, and it ties with three gold ribbons. The ribbons are a bit fragile, and I've shredded the bottom of mine by accident already.

My measurements are as follows: I am 5'2", weigh 153 pounds, and have a 34D bust, a 32 waist, and a 40 hip. I found that the garment fit me comfortably, but I do wish there was a bit more adjustability to the corset, because if I gain or lose any weight, it's not going to fit anymore, which is a bummer.

One major downside to the dress is that, in order to get the corset on, you have to put it on after you've gotten the dress on (as it goes on top). Unfortunately, the material the dress is made of is very fragile and flimsy, and once you've gotten the dress on, it can be pretty difficult to close the corset without getting any fabric (from the bow on the corset or your sleeves) in the velcro. This leads to small snags in the dress easily, and is a shame. I had to have my husband put the corset part on me himself to try to cut down on snagging the dress, but we didn't keep it on for too long anyway, so it was almost a waste.

You can wear this one out in public, but I'm 5'2", and I found that it came down just past my crotch. If I was slimmer, it might cover more, but a taller girl may not have as much coverage as she likes, so that's something to watch for. I think this piece is really cute, but it is really delicate for something you'd wear in the bedroom. This one might be best on smaller girls who want to wear this to a halloween party.

The entire garment is dry clean only, and due to the brocade material, and the delicate nature of the dress, I'm too scared to try to wash it in my sink. I'd stick with the label and only dry clean this.