Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

So I'm going to write a 2 part review for this dress because my event isn't until November 11th and I won't have my full look together until then. With that being said here is my intial review. As a plus size woman my constant worry and question is always "will this flatter my figure". My body is never going to change, so my goal is always to find things that will flatter me. However, when shopping I am a triple negative: I am large chested, my weight sits in my stomach area, and I'm short. I don't have a lot time to shop for a dress or for alterations if I find 1. So I'm looking at off the rack things to fit my chest to stomach ratio, and dress length. This dress hit the mark on all my concerns. 1st of all it's a gown to be woren to a ball. So it will be long. But what I don't want is something wedding dress long. I don't want people to step on it, and I don't want it to be heavy in case I have to lift or carry the bottom. This is perfect on me. At 5'3, my puddle barefooted was not so bad. Being an A lined dress meant the extra fabric would surround the entire bottom of the dress in a circle, not just the back. Creating a puddle/pool (of fabric) versus a train. I say all of that to say this: when standing a puddle looks beautiful, but can be difficult to walk in or with. Most of time you will carry an end of the dress so you don't trip and fall. This puddle is excellent. My 2nd concern was the fit. Because I normally wear a range in sizing from 18 to 22, I wasn't sure how this would fit. It is a form fitting gown. And sometimes that can mean too fight. Too tight on me means it shows my gut and my bust and looks too little. I have a small waist, but can pull it in to create that coke bottle effect (that women love) with great shapewear. This dress did that. I tried it on with my statement and it actually turned out to be too big. The dress is made of a light weight sturdy fabric with some stretch. Which means it's not too hot or too heavy. But it's thick enough to not see your shapewear or bra lines. And it has some give once you put it on and move around. I bought a 3x based on the measurement chart, however I may send it back and get a 2x. When I tried it on, it fit perfectly. But after dancing around in it (cause I thought I was cute), the fabric loosened up and started to pucker. I want the dress to be form fitting tight not too little tight. The V cut out in the bust is high enough to not reveal too too much, but the dress can be pulled down slightly if you do want to show more skin. The cap sleeve is sheer so you will still need a strapless bra. But it can be opened up to sit higher on the arm. The absolute only thing that I did not like about this dress was the gold zipper. And my trick for that is a sharpie pen. I plan on coloring in the gold so that it doesn't jump out at me if I take pictures of the back of the dress. I am now super excited about my ball and can not wait to wear this dress! Side Note: horrible phone camera...yuck! Will load better pictures at a later date. Picture 1 closed sleeve Picture 2 open sleeve