Sunday, April 30, 2017

Review: Trashy Diva Carnival Annette

By my count, I am currently five collections behind in my ongoing question to geek out over everything Trashy Diva does. This is obviously shameful, and must be remedied immediately, so today I'm taking the first step with a review of the glorious green Carnival print!

trashy diva carnival annette dress

While red is my go-to color to wear and accessorize with, green is my all-time favorite hue and the Annette is my favorite Trashy Diva style, so obviously I ordered this dress the second it hit the site. Then they updated the size chart and I panicked and ordered another size, just to play it safe. (I ate a lot of microwave burritos that paycheck...). I also had to grab the skirt. It's the high-waisted Gathered Circle Skirt, which is the same style as my beloved French Quarter skirt, and there hasn't been one of those in a dog's age!

After ordering the dress in a 10 and a 12 and the skirt in a 14 (just in case!), I settled in to wait. FYI: there is nothing quite as wonderful as coming home to a massive pile of Trashy Diva parcels. I found that this collection ran smaller than my other cotton voile Annette from the Mahjong collection: the 10 was quite tight and the 12 was a hair too big.

trashy diva carnival annette dress review
Clearly it's Haircut Season once again...
trashy diva carnival annette dress review

The size 14 skirt fit at the waistband seam but was too big through the actual waistband itself. Ideally I would have exchanged my 14 for a 12, but that was the first size to sell out, so I sent back one of the Annettes for a 10. It's a bit too small for comfort, but I'm hopeful that once I lose the extra weight I've put on in the past few months, it'll fit as well as my French Quarter skirt.

trashy diva carnival annette
trashy diva carnival annette closeup

As you can see, this print is vibrant, detailed, and absolutely stunning. (Am I a pretentious buffoon if I use the word 'painterly' to describe this collection?) The brushstroke outlines of the people and the bustling scene depicted in the print remind me a bit of French Quarter, in fact. The light and airy cotton voile is the perfect fabric choice to show off the details and gives amazing poof without a petticoat, and I think it'll be comfy and breezy once summer hits.

I've seen plenty of folks wearing this dress as a halter, which is a style I'll definitely try once things heat up in Chicago. In the meantime, all of the colors in this print make it a snap to winterize and accessorize: just add mustard tights, a cardigan in reddish-orange, purple, black, yellow, or blue, and a bangle or five, and you're good to go!

This tree matches my dress!
splendette bangle stack

Which recent Trashy Diva collection should I review next: Dogwood, Lovebirds, Berry Chantilly, or Pirate Treasure?

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29 comments:

  1. The colors! 😱 This is likely one of my favorite dresses you have, it seriously looks like it was made for you.

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    1. Thank you so much! These colors are definitely some of my all-time faves, and I couldn't believe my luck that this came in my favorite TD style AND was a border print! Now if it would only stop raining, I'd wear it to work...

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  2. I feel you on the struggles with sizing, girl! Especially with trousers and jeans - I can never find a pair that fits nicely on the waist but that is also the right length for me! I'm only 5ft 7 as well so not even massively tall! *sigh* These colours look fabulous on you, and I'm not surprised that red accessories are your favourite as you suit them so well!

    Abbey 😘 www.abbeylouisarose.co.uk

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    1. It just seems so ludicrous to me that men's trousers/jeans are sized by waist and inseam, but women's aren't. Women's legs come in different lengths, too! And thank you so much -- I'm very glad that the colors I like also work for me (with the exception of certain pale pinks!)

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  3. This is such a gorgeous dress, love the colours! Perfect for bringing in the warmer weather.
    Claire xo

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    1. I'm always hopeful that if I dress for a warm sunny day, Chicago will oblige me with some lovely weather ;). It hasn't worked so well this year, but then again, it's only May 1!

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  4. Such a cute dress! I really need to buy more novelty print dresses

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    1. Thank you so much! Novelty prints are just such a wonderful way to give yourself a bit of cheering up every time you look down at your clothes -- I think everybody should have prints in their wardrobe that bring them joy!

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  5. This dress looks super great on you! It's such a stunning dress too, sizing sucks I often have this issue too x

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    1. Thank you so much! This type of sundress is one of my favorite styles to wear. And dealing with sizing is the downside of online shopping, but it's a tradeoff I'm willing to make to have an infinite variety of dresses to wear!

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  7. This is just gorgeous! Such a lovely print, so perfect for summer :)

    Tiffany x www.foodandotherloves.co.uk

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    1. Thank you so much! I wish we'd get some summery weather here to match the print... thanks, Chicago!

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  8. These dresses you're posting about are always so pretty! They also look gorgeous on you. I wish I could pull them off...

    x Envy
    Lost in Translation

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    1. Envy, my dear, you can wear whatever you darn well please! If it makes you feel happy, it'll look great, because your joy will shine through! Anyone who tells you anything different needs to figure out what it is in their soul that makes them need to hold others back.

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  9. Oh! The color game! I love bright and warm colors to wear on summer or spring , because i feel fresh and want to smile brighter :) xx
    www.toanyoneweb.wordpress.com

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    1. I totally agree with you! But since I've lived in such a cold city, I've also loved dressing brightly in the dead of winter, when everything is dreary and depressing!

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  10. The dress looks great on you + the print is lovely. Perfect for spring / summertime! Thanks for sharing.
    -Ruminvte xo

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    1. Thank you so much! I've been waiting like six months for sundress season and now that it's so close, I'm extra excited!

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  11. Adore the print and colours, perfect for this season, I need to have a look at Trashy Diva now. Thank you for sharing such beautiful purchases and your experience.

    Tajinder | www.musicgeekonline.co.uk

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words! I absolutely adore Trashy Diva and have been wearing more dresses from there than anywhere else lately! It's definitely worth checking them out, as well as the resale groups on Facebook!

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  12. I love this! The print is so colourful and vibrant, perfect for the warmer days :D

    Sophia x http://sophiawhitham.co.uk

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    1. <3 thank you so much! I'm a big fan of Very Bright Prints, and this one is everything I'd dreamed of in a novelty print!

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  13. Look at you! This dress is so bright and perfect for this time of year. I love how you accessorized it it too. You look beautiful as always 😍

    Breanna Catharina
    toocuteforlife.com

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    1. Thank you so much, my dear! I'm really excited to wear it out for picnics and walks along Lake Michigan. After what felt like an endless winter, I'm just ready for some sunshine and outdoor activity!

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  14. Gosh what a lovely and vibrant print! It sucks that the sizing was a bit awkward for you, but it looks lovely on regardless!

    Lizzie Bee // hello lizzie bee

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  15. DOGWOOD! I have bought all of the new collections lately, except Pirate Treasure. I need to be able to talk myself down better 😂

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    1. Your wish is my command ;). I sold my Dogwood Day Dress and got the L'Amour, and this was definitely the right call. I also need to learn to talk myself down from buying all the new TD...

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  16. Oooh, this dress is so pretty! So much volume and color! I am in love! xx corinne

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