Tunique, encolure tunique, manches courtes noir ULLA POPKEN

UPDATE: After washing, I definitely do not recommend. Unfortunately I can't return the dress now that I've washed it, but hopefully can warn others away. I washed it (cold water, tumble dry low for 15 minutes, removed while still damp) hoping the fabric would soften up. It did not! In fact, it feels even harder and scratchier now. It also shrank dramatically. It was oversized before, but now feels tight, to the point that I wouldn't want to wear it even as a swimsuit coverup. And whatever shape there was initially (I had felt that the dress was more flattering on than it's purely rectangle cutting would suggest) is now gone. So it is both uncomfortable and awful looking.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: I have mixed feelings about this dress. Caftan is definitely the operative word: it is basically a rectangle with head and arm holes, so it feels hard to justify the price, even on sale. The side slits are *much* higher than in the picture--they go up to the very tops of my thighs (I'm 5'5", with more height in my legs than in my torso). Okay for a bathing suit coverup, but not for a dress--I will have to tack the sides. The fabric is quite heavy and stiff, but that may change after a wash. I usually wear US size XL or 16-18, and ordered the smallest size.

That said, I am going to keep it, and there are some nice aspects. First, the cut is more flattering that you would expect for a rectangle (though not surprisingly less so than on the model), and the neckline is nice. The arms have strings that can be gathered; I will probably buy 4 cord stoppers, if I can find decorative ones, and cinch the strings as tight as they can go--which creates a nice gathered look at the sleeves. You can't tie the strings tightly, or there is no room for your arms to go through.