Curvy Girl Thin: Plus Size Party Wear with Curvissa*

I'm really liking simple, elegant, timeless dressing at the moment. Nearly everything I have purchased lately has been classic lines: pencil skirts, tailored blazers, shift dresses and a-line skirts. Nearly all have also been black, meaning many recent selfies have had a floating head syndrome going on - just check out my Instagram if you don't believe me. When Curvissa asked me to review one of their dresses from the party wear range, I naturally went for a classic shift that would last forever.

Now I hummed and hah-ed over the colour of this - did I go for all over black, or branch out with the red under lining. It was the fact that Christmas is looming that made me opt for the red - after all, it's not Christmas without a flash of red - and the dress really is quite stunning.

I am completely in love with the crocheted lace over lay that definitely lifts the classic cut of the dress to something a little more special - something worthy of those festive parties of mulled wine, mince pies and plenty of fizz!

The dress is very well made and the size 18 fits very nicely across my boobs, shoulders and hips. It also sits very nicely just above my knee - I imagine it would sit on or just below the knee on smaller frames than my 5ft10.

Unfortunately, the waist is far too big on me - which isn't surprising as I have a very hourglass frame and shift dresses will rarely fit both my hips and my waist. I frequently use a belt to emphasise my waist and cinch dresses in but this just didn't look right on this dress so I decided to show the natural fit. This means that my tummy looks way bigger than it is so I will probably be getting this dress tailored so that it flatters my hourglass shape more.

I also have the problem that the back of the dress sits very high and stick out beneath my neck. Again, this is because the dress is a size 18 which frequently swamps my shoulders bit is necessary for my bust. I don't think this would happen on someone without the over-enlarged breasts that require sizing up on dresses.

Fit issues aside, I am very pleased with this dress and definitely think you should try it. I also like that the lace detail and red overlay doesn't carry onto the back of the dress. It makes it more classic and more wearable - I think a red and lace black would be overkill.

The back is more clingy than the front - I'm wearing it hear without shape wear which means you can see a few lumps and bumps. I will probably wear a smoothing slip underneath next time.

I like the modest slit at the back that allows for free movement. The dress is enclosed by a central zip on the back panel but I find I can easily slip it on and off without needing to use the zip as their is a mild stretch to the fabric.

I kept the styling simple as I don't feel this dress needs a lot - it can stand on its own. I paired it with opaque tights, simple black heels, and long silver chain earrings.

For a really fancy occasion I would switch the tights from opaque to nude and maybe pair with some sparkley shoes - we all know I like my gold shoes for evening attire!

Naturally, Fergus got very excited by the dress and decided to join in with the photo taking again.

I'm really impressed with this Curvissa dress and look forward to getting wearing it again once it has been tailored to fit me. They have a lot of other beautiful dresses in their range and for Cyber Monday they have 25% off across the range with code P4PP so get shopping - quick!

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