Ship happens - costume discontinued by DreamGirl - review by Jamesey

This costume is super cute and fun! It's a great fit but be careful if you have large breasts or you might end up being a little TOO much fun! You know what they say about partying naked... "SHIP HAPPENS"!

The Design
Dreamgirl's outfit is a 2 piece set consisting of a dress with lightly padded underwire cups and a hat. Both pieces are 100% polyester and have a VERY nice stretch. The dress is put together nicely. There are a few loose strings here and there but for the most part it looks very finished and will most likely last a long time.




The hat is a thick, rough material around the outside with red striping and a red bow in the middle. It's creased on both sides, which helps it stay on your head and keep the uniform look. The center of the hat is fitted and stretchy, with loops for bobby pins on the sides.





The dress has sheer white puffy sleeves with blue, ruffled edging and a small red bow on each arm. The sheer sleeves connect to a solid white band that connect from the body of the dress in the back to the sewn-in bra on the front. The bra has a pretty large red bow on the front. There are two white flaps over the top with blue lace creating a V-shape stripe.



The entire top half of the dress is blue with white polka dots. The front has pleating down to a stripe of red ribbon across the waist that connects to the skirt, and the back has a section of blue down the center and red lace ties down the entire back to meet with the red ribbon that connects the skirt in the back.





The skirt is navy blue, making it stand out below the polka dots of the top. The front of the skirt has printed white anchor and star designs on it, with little red bows on the anchors. Underneath the designs there are two stripes of red ribbon with about an inch of polka dot fabric in between and all the way around the skirt. The back of the skirt does not have any designs, it's also the red ribbon and polka dot material.



Care
I was pretty disappointed that there are absolutely NO care instructions on either the package or a tag on the dress. But that's what I'm here for! Since this is a pretty brightly colored garment with multiple colors, I suggest washing it alone the first time. Polyester should be put on a gentle cycle. Use cold water, don't tumble dry. Hang to dry and use an iron on low for wrinkles. Luckily, Polyester fabric is durable, stain and wrinkle resistant and offers easy care and cleaning options.

As for the colors, if you're afraid of them bleeding on the first wash, there is a trick my grandma taught me- Add 1/2 cup of white vinegar and some table salt to the rinse cycle. This will help set the colors and prevent future bleeding. You can also use a Shout color catcher sheet in the wash.


Sizing
I followed the sizing chart and the dress fits me perfectly, except for the cups. I found out why after reading the product details again. Although the sizing chart recommends a certain size based on multiple factors including breast size, the page states that the cup size is one size fits most. BIG problem for me!

Cup Bust (in) Waist (in) Hip (in) Inseam (in) Rise (in) Weight (lb)
Small 2 - 6 A - B 32 - 34 24 - 26 34 - 36 34½ 7 - 7½ 90 - 120
Medium 6 - 10 B - C 34 - 36 26 - 28 36 - 38 35 7½ - 8 120 - 140
Large 10 - 14 C - D 36 - 38 28 - 32 38 - 40 35½ 8 - 8½ 140 - 150
Sm/Med 2 - 8 A - B 32 - 34 24 - 26 34 - 36 35 7½ - 8 90 - 130
Med/Lg 8 - 14 B - C 36 - 38 28 - 32 38 - 40 35½ 8 - 8½ 130 - 160
1X/2X 16 - 18 D - DD 40 - 48 36 - 40 42 - 48 36½ 9 - 9½ 165 - 225

I wear a size 6 or 8 depending on brand. I have a C cup and I am 130 pounds. That puts me right in perfect size for the medium. I'm 5'4" and the dress is a perfect length for me. It is long enough to wear out for a party, and short enough to be sexy at home.

I love almost everything about this dress. It fits nice, is very flattering, creates great cleavage and the colors are pretty. The ribbon at the waist is just the right height to hide any bulges that might be lurking around after the holidays, and the length of the skirt hits mid thigh which leaves on the most attractive and slim parts of the leg exposed.






I do have an issue with the shoulders. In the picture, the top looks like it's very tight fitting and supportive, but I had problems keeping the shoulders up. The sleeves kept creeping down my arms. While that might be a cute look, this dress was clearly not designed to be off the shoulder and in this case, it just looks silly. It makes me feel uncomfortable holding my shoulders in such an awkward way to keep the dress up. Also, the white band that holds the sleeves on it is so far over that instead of a breast hugging shape at the top, you can see some side boob and a bit of armpit. All in all, I wish the top was a little more condensed.



My other complaint is the cup size. It isn't a HUGE deal if you can manipulate and squeeze everything in there just right, but it isn't comfortable. The cup doesn't support everything, and there is pretty prominent stitching around the cup; so you can see where my boobs go down past the line. It just doesn't look like it fits. It does give me some awesome cleavage, but only from the front. From the sides you can tell I'm literally spilling out of it. I would need something a little more supportive if I ever decided to wear this out in public, especially if the night included drinking.



I do wish that this came with the red petticoat pictured. This dress looks so feminine and full in the picture. I know it still has the potential, it'll just take some extra pieces to make it look complete.