Review: Pretty Dress Company Priscilla

Like seemingly everyone who's put on a Pretty Dress Company frock, I'm a massive fan! Ever since I saw the yellow gingham Priscilla swing dress on the lovely Miss Amy May, I've been longing for one of my very own. So when the Pretty Dress Co. offered worldwide free shipping in May, I jumped at the chance to grab one for my own without paying close to $40 in shipping fees, and today I'm finally sharing a long-overdue review of this gorgeous sundress!

Belated spoiler alert: I love this dress. I wish I lived in the UK, so I could fill my closet with this dress in every single print. In particular, I'm eyeing the harlequin and tiki palm versions.

While my Hepburn wiggle and swing have gotten plenty of airtime at the office, the Priscilla is the perfect midcentury sundress, ideal for our weekly Chicago outings but suitable for work if I throw on a cardigan.

The fabric is quite a bit lighter than the substantial stretch cotton sateen of my other PDC dresses, in keeping with the summery silhouette. It's fully lined (woohoo! No static cling on the skirt here!), but still wearable in 90+ degree weather.

I absolutely love how the dress drapes and moves, and it seems to be quite wrinkle-resistant (a boon if you, like me, absolutely refuse to iron anything.) The pleats fall perfectly right out of my overstuffed closet, and cope extremely well with the ridiculous Chicago wind. Though I'm wearing it with a petticoat in these photos, it looks just as lovely without, as the skirt is so full.

I decided to pair this dress with olive green and coral, but I also love how it looks with red accents as well as classic white, and I might even try it with purple, for that super-subtle nod to my favorite basketball team.

Since I wanted to wear this well into my pregnancy, I sized up to the 16. According to the size chart, the 16 fits a 40" bust and a 32.75" waist, but I'm wearing this comfortably at almost six months pregnant with a 41" bust. Measured flat, my dress is 20.25" from armpit to armpit and 16.5" at the waist seam. This gives a slightly less generous bust-to-waist ratio than some of my other vintage-reproduction dresses, but it's perfect for me right now and I'm happy to add darts under the bust after the baby comes, if need be.

My only quibble with this dress is the straps. I wish they were adjustable, because I am short. But in the grand scheme of dress alterations, this is one of the easiest things to fix. Even I can add a few stitches to each strap!

After all my other Pretty Dress Company reviews, I knew I'd be happy with this dress, but after putting this one on, I'm going to have a much harder time choosing between my beloved Hepburns and this style in the future! The Priscilla fills that gaping yellow-gingham-sundress-shaped hole in my life to a T, and I've got big plans to wear this on our next Chicago adventure! What color do you think I should accessorize it with next time?

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