TTYbridal Off The Shoulder Velvet Mermaid Evening Gown - Long Prom Party Dresses with Two Sleeves for Women | Elegant Formal Gowns for Wedding Guest, Homecoming, Cocktail Party & Special Occasions

I ordered this dress in a panic after my work gave me just two days notice that I was required to attend a black tie event. I already owned the appropriate undergarments to make this dress work (strapless bra, corset, and compression tights) so I took my measurements based off of me wearing those, and then went down a size because I prefer my dresses a little tighter to accommodate my corseted waist. WOW, was it way too big! The arms were huge and hung off of me, the bust could fit at least two more pairs of boobs, and the hips were a tent! I didn't have time to order another dress, so on the day of the event I woke up at 6AM to tailor it myself. I had work at 11, I finished at 10! Just barely made it, and you can see from the pictures that I didn't even bother to fit the hips to accentuate the mermaid flare, (let alone have time to do my hair and makeup appropriately) but it did come out beautifully all the same. I can't be too mad because I really do love the dress now, the velvet is of good quality if not high quality, as you can see in the pictures the dress almost looks flat, like a dark void. This is due to the way velvet absorbs light, a high quality velvet will usually (But not always!) photograph very dark and flat (Batman's cape in the newer movies is made from velvet for this exact reason).If you can, order a size down well ahead of time so that it may be tailored professionally, but if you don't have the time or ability to have this dress tailored, order two to three sizes down. For reference, My measurements uncorseted are 40" 30" 43", and 40.5" 28" 44" with all the right undergarments (remember, shapewear doesn't magically make you smaller, it just moves things to provide a more flattering shape). I ordered a size 14 which according to the provided size chart is 39.5" 32.5" 42.5". I expected to have to take in the waist and possibly a little on the bust, but I had to add two 2" darts in the back, take in the sleeves by around 2" (due to the way the sleeves are made, this reduced the top circumference by quite a bit as well), and the side seams at the waist by about 3.5" on each side. Of course I had to raise the hem by several inches, but that is the case with all floor length gowns.In short;This dress is beautiful after lots of tailoring, good thing I know how to sew! Worth it for me, but don't order if you are in a pinch and need something to fit right out of the package. As a personal message, don't be upset when clothes don't fit the way they do on the models. All the clothing you see in the media, on models, movie stars, facebook ads etc., have been professionally tailored to fit. It is very rare for an off the rack item to fit correctly, even simple jeans and t-shirts will not look right without tailoring. The problem is not your body, the problem is the lie you have been told that clothing sizes mean anything. To have a perfect dress, find the widest measurement on your body, order something that matches that no matter what your other measurements may be, and have it taken in. Your widest measurement will likely be your shoulders, but it could also be your bust or hips! You can do a quick google search to find tailors near you, and it isn't an expensive thing to have done. Good luck! Exude confidence and you will look great no matter what you wear.