Coralie Beatrix Wrap Dress Review

Roughly a month ago, I made a post about a dress that I was thinking about using for my bridesmaid dresses (Read it HERE!).  It's a handmade, original design by Coralie Beatrix that I came across on Etsy. It's a convertible "wrap dress" and claims that it can be worn in any way imaginable. Sounds great, right? I thought so too. So, I decided to order one myself so I could see how I like it. Well, I've got my dress, so it's time for a review!

First of all, here's what the dress looks like:

 

I actually ended up ordering mine in this exact color (township graphite).  I was hoping that it would look like a really "rich" color. However, contrary to the picture, the dress I ordered was the short version. It looks something like this:

My original thought for this dress was that my bridesmaids could all wrap theirs differently, in a way that would flatter them the best.

I ordered one short "township graphite" dress (one size fits most) and one "township graphite" bandeau top to go with it. The purpose is to put this on over your strapless bra, so it matches your dress. Therefore, making it so you can wear a strapless bra without worrying about it showing.

I have to say, that after having my dress for a couple weeks, I AM IN LOVE. Deeply, madly, head-over-heels in love. First of all, the second I opened the package, I was in awe of the fabric. I thought it was unbelievably gorgeous. The color looks exactly the same as it did on my computer and the texture is smooth, silky and soft. The fabric also has a very nice weight to it. It's heavy enough to where it seems expensive, but light enough to where it's cool (as in: not hot) to wear. So, immediately I thought it was beautiful.

Once I got it out of the package, I realized how strange looking it is. Imagine a skirt with two extremely long pieces of fabric coming out of the waist. That's all there is to it. The idea is to put the skirt on, and then transform these two long pieces into the bodice. Sounds hard, right? Pleasantly, not too bad.

I was actually quite surprised at how quickly I was able to learn how to wrap this thing. Granted, I did have to watch a couple videos on how to do it. But, I caught on very quickly. In fact, the concept behind it is very simple. Within a matter of 10 minutes, I was able to have my dress on, and decently presentable. If, however, you are hoping to put on the dress and make it look like the girl's in the picture on the first try,  you are sadly mistaken. It takes practice (and an extra set of hands doesn't hurt). But, I did notice that I got better at it every single time I tried. I was actually, to my surprise, able to wrap my dress fairly easily into at least 4 different styles! I'm hoping to be able to do all of these eventually:

 After wearing my dress around a bit, I think it's fantastic. However, I think for the wedding, I'll want it in the long version. The fabric drapes so beautifully that I think it will look great long. As long as my bridesmaids love it, I think it will be perfect. The bandeau top was great too. Honestly, I wouldn't have been able to wear the dress without it. Many of the styles pictured above have almost completely open backs. While beautiful, there is no way to hide a bra. But, the bandeau did so perfectly. 

In summary, I have some pro's and con's to consider.

Pros
Cheap for a bridesmaid dress ($79 for the short; $99 for the long).
Looks expensive.
Fabric is lush and rich.
Fabric hardly wrinkles.
Perfect for that "mismatched" bridesmaid look.
It really is flattering on most body types.
The bandeau top is a MUST. Hides a strapless bra perfectly.
Can be worn again.
So versatile.
Fits most. No need for alterations!
No need for a hem. Just cut it to the right length (Seriously!)

Cons
Takes a while to get the hang of wrapping.
Takes two people to do it perfectly.
Doesn't show you how to do all the styles pictured.
Bandeau must be bought too (an extra $8).


If you're looking for a convertible dress, be sure to check this one out. I know you won't be disappointed!