The Best Dress Review I Have Ever Read by my friend Jessica

Today I am pleased to present a dress review of the Igigi “Modena” gown. Igigi sent me this dress this past March to wear to a weekend party and I promised to provide a product review. They sent the wrong size for me but the perfect size for my sister Greek chick Jessica, and thank goodness it worked out this way because I love her writing. So witty! So descriptive! And so pretty in her new dress! Please take a moment and leave a comment for Jessica (by clicking the word “comments”) after reading and wish her a Happy Birthday while you’re at it.

My Horribly Overdue Dress Review by Jessica

Igigi “Modena” Gown

Jessica's Fairy Godmothers

I guess it is every girl’s dream that eventually, one day, she’ll be Cinderella. A fairy godmother shows up, gives you an awesome dress and shoes, and lets you blow your house-cleaning responsibilities for a night of kicking it with Prince Charming. I never thought that at 31, I’d be a living version of Cinderella with TWO fairy godmothers and my big ball being bar-hopping until the wee hours of the morning in Green Bay in the dead of winter, but I also never dreamed that MySpace would become completely irrelevant.

I guess my story is one of being at the right place at the right time. The Tribe, as we call ourselves, was preparing for our BIG NIGHT OUT at the Bad Bar. Now that I’ve officially donned the title “Old Married Lady” for almost a year, I had resigned myself to wearing a fantastically low-cut sweater, tight jeans, and boots; gone were the days of Friday Night Fuck Me Pants and barely-there tops. I noticed a bunch of lovely ladies donning these gorgeous gowns (I had missed the e-mail to order one, it seemed), and I had a twinge of jealousy, but at least I would be snuggly and warm and non-descript as I guzzled my Schlitz.

Corinna was dashing down the hallway with this pretty dress in her arms looking for Mo. I couldn’t help but notice the ooh-ahh inducing royal blue color, the way the dress swayed in the plastic wrap, and I commented on it. Her eyes opened as she said, “WHAT SIZE ARE YOU?!?!”

Oh God. Because if there’s anything us women of heft don’t want to admit out loud, let alone to ourselves, is our weight and size. Corinna is the non-judgemental type, though, so I said “Um, 22ish.”

“Great! Take this! Have it!”

What? I am not the person who gets stuff for free. I was the girl on the college campus filling out credit card requests only to be told that today’s t-shirt/bobblehead/fleece blanket has been sold out, but would I finish my application anyway please? To have a gorgeous gown (“Look at this fabric,” murmured Corinna as she showed me the dress) handed to me was something I was admittedly skeptical of since I knew it wasn’t going to fit. It couldn’t fit. Could it?

My husband’s wolf whistle sealed the deal. “Wow, babe! You look amazing!” Indeed, the dress fit and looked pretty darn good. That is the magic of this dress, ladies.

I will say initially I was not a fan of the fabric; it’s a polyesterish blend. I thought for sure that I would sweat right through it leaving unsightly stains and even worse odor. Not only did I NOT sweat through this dress, but like Under Armour, it wicked the sweat away from my body! Magic!

Corinna and Jessica drink up!

Need further proof that this fabric is magic? Since I went out bar-hopping in this dress (I KNOW), I happened to be sitting on a table that an enthusiastic and drunk young man decided to stand atop of to lead everyone in inebriated song. You can see where this is heading: the entire contents of the booze-fueled table spilled and soaked my skirt. After a bit, I noticed there wasn’t a stain on my gown. Amazing!

Jessica Dancing Queen

About the fit: the dress is fantastic for the pear shaped among us who are not built like linebackers in the shoulder department but definitely are not lacking in the hip-butt-thigh area. The wrap top perfectly accents cleavage without constant nervous adjustment and embarrassing gaps. The skirt hides the flaws and accentuates the good parts of curves, without looking deliberately like it is trying to hide anything. I also had a very drunk lesbian loudly hit on me at breakfast at three in the morning, so win-win!

As for the negatives, if you are in the 5’6” range or shorter (like me), you will most definitely need this puppy altered. It dragged on the floor for the majority of the evening, despite me wearing super-high heels (courtesty of my second fairy godmother, Susan) and my best efforts to not let it hit the bathroom floor (gross). I found the sleeve-length to be flattering, but annoying. The dress also has a slight itch factor to it; I suppose the magic fabric cannot be perfect. All in all, I’m definitely looking forward to wearing this dress again, but not to bar hop in.

Recommended for: making your high school boyfriend jealous at your reunion, going to an opera, attending an awards banquet in your honor, hot role-play with the hubby wherein you play the famous Oscar-winning actress and he’s your bodyguard, fall/winter evening wedding.

Not Recommended for: a graduation party, (despite its ability to combat errant beer and booze spills) bar-hopping in Wisconsin, wearing to sporting events, spring/summer weddings.

**Since this dress is hanging in my closet, this counts as a compensated review. Thanks to the good folks at Igigi and The Tribe, and especially my fairy godmothers for making me oh-so-pretty!

JMS new clothing line is a win for plus size women.

I was very pleased to be invited to the unveiling of the new fashion line from JMS. You are undoubtedly familiar with the exclusively plus size manufacturer. I’ve liked this company for a long time, not just because they made quality bras for my size, but because they use plus size models in all their marketing. The clothing seen in the ads is “actual size” and I applaud the company for their use of larger size models.

Maybe you already wear their bras and panties, sportswear and bathing suits? I sure do. Good fabrics, well made, and they fit well because the fit models that they use are size 18/20, not size 4 and sized up. JMS is now sharing what they know about clothing that fits a full-figure with a new line of casual wear.

Admittedly, I was a little nervous. Sure they know sportswear, but there’s a big difference between sweatpants and a well fitting maxi dress that caresses your curves and floats like a summer day on a Caribbean island from shoulder to ankle. Turns out, they know how to do that too. I am honestly very pleased with this collection.

The show was at their corporate offices in midtown Manhattan. My good friend Terri Murray, a professional plus-size model and the President of the Association of Image Consultants International (New York Tri-State Chapter), came along for the event.

After the show I was given a private exclusive tour of the clothing with Janet Freedman, Director of Design for Hanes and JMS. Besides talking about our fabulous grandmothers who taught us how to build a wardrobe, we spent time examining the product. I can tell you that the clothes look good on walking models — meaning that the fabric drapes and moves well on a body in motion, and that the pieces are well made. Seams are strong, details like beading and trim are not going to come off in the first wash and best of all each piece ranges from $6 – $22. Grandma Rose, who spent her life working as a seamstress and expert milliner in NYC sweatshops always said, “it’s better to have 5 or 6 very well made pieces in your closet and build an outfit with other, simpler pieces. Don’t break the bank bubbeleh.” Grandma Rose would approve of this new collection.

JMS has signed an exclusive with Walmart and the line will be available through the JMS website and in Walmart stores around the country. There will be new items in stores monthly. At a time when we are seeing the complete removal of plus size sections from department store selling floors, Walmart has chosen to dramatically increase the plus size section on their selling floor. The line is available in sized 16-28 and some items to 5x.

Janet, a plus size woman herself, shared with me her passion for bringing affordable contemporary casual wear to the marketplace. “Look at your budget and buy the best pieces you can afford that will mix and match with what you already have. Clothing that is made well will look good whether you are running errands or going out to dinner. I can change the entire look of my outfit with a few accessories and the basic pieces cost a total of $64. Our new line is all about celebrating our curves!” Sounds good to me. I certainly plan on wearing these clothes. I think they are perfect additions to my wardrobe and will offer affordable flexibility in outfit planning.

Janet has graciously agreed to make herself available to A Celebration of Curves readers. Here is your opportunity to talk directly to the designer of an international clothing line. She has offered (quite amazingly I think) that if you comment here on things you want from a fashion line, things that are missing in your wardrobe, fit problems, and style needs, “please let me know so that I can make it for them.” I have rarely felt such a heartfelt and personal connection between a company and their customer. Now, let’s go shopping!