When I was looking for something to wear to my brother in law’s wedding I knew I wanted a special dress, one that would tie in with the boys suits- they were having tweed ones, and would be comfortable enough to wear all day and night- plus not so short so that I could bend down and pick up my nephews at any given moment! Other than that I had no idea, until I casually grazed past a Phase Eight Dress in Debenhams. I touched it, thought how amazing it was and then moved on. It was only later when thinking about it- I realised it could be perfect for the wedding.
It was at that point I found out that Phase Eight went up to a size 20, I think I’d just presumed they went up to an 18 if lucky, so I went ahead and bought the dress. I was also tempted by a similar one in blue but after consulting with the MIL and Luke we all decided the green was the best choice. I was actually surprised that the size 20 was quite roomy, and actually ended up with an 18. It’s quite refreshing to see as some other occasion wear specialists (Coast cough cough) are very small fitting – I’ve no hope of fitting in their size 18’s!
I was also surprised as I’d struggled to get in the 18 in a Studio Eight Dress of a similar skater style last year whilst at CFF and it didn’t fit at all- considering they are Phase Eights plus size brand I was quite surprised at that point.
However the size 18 was perfect it was like it had been fitted for me, the crochet lace with a double layer of flowers across it ad hoc was so well made, and so thick. It meant I didn’t worry about snagging it all day. I like how the underskirt is shorter but wasn’t too short and was an ease to sit down in. I loved wearing the dress, I had so many compliments on it too as it’s quite unusual. It’s only downside was that the colour was a pain to match, even the nude coloured underslip wasn’t easy to match shoes and a fascinator to, and I stumbled upon the perfect bag whilst looking for one in Debenhams (Shout out to Debenhams as the fascinator and shoes (Faith) are from there too. But I trawled before that, if you see me on snap chat you’ll have seen how many shoes I ordered and bags just to try and match them!
Before the wedding though Phase Eight had a sale and the blue dress was in it for £50 (originally £169!) so my mum tracked it down in an 18 for me and got it me- bless her! I wore it to dinner at Ox Pasture Hall and then to the La Redoute party where again I had lots of compliments on it. I’m glad I went for the green one for the wedding though as the underskirt on the blue is slightly shorter and it’s slightly tighter on my back as you can see in the photo. I’m not about to talk loads about these dresses as they’ve long sold out, but more to say that these dresses were perfect for more formal occasions and if I’m lucky enough to get invited to any posh Christmas parties I know I’ll be checking out Phase Eight thanks to their fab fit and styles. Have you ever been surprised by a brand can what you thought about them previously? Share them in the comments below!