The Perfect Holiday Party Dresses

I love Christmas time and all of the parties and celebrations that come with it leading up to New Years.  While attending a dozen events can be tiring, I think every female would agree with me that we enjoy the opportunity to get dolled up more than a normal night out.  The holidays allow us to wear bright reds, glitter, and sequins or even more neutral tones with big sparkly jewelry.  It's fun!

You may have read a little bit about the fabulous red dress I wore to a gala in my recent "What's Up Wednesday" post that I purchased on Amazon of all places!  Well, that purchase caused me to embark on a little journey / experiment with other similar dresses to it to test the waters on just how lucky I got with the first purchase versus the possibility that more of those types of dresses would work for me.  I loved the way the gown fit, great material and impressive quality for a reasonable price tag considering you truly only wear something like that once or twice.

Today I'm sharing a quick post about these specific types of dresses but in the cocktail dress version, not the gown version because if you're anything like me, you have a bunch of holiday events coming up to prepare for.

My seflie game hasn't gotten any stronger...but I'm officially OK with my awkward photos just being as they are!

My seflie game hasn't gotten any stronger...but I'm officially OK with my awkward photos just being as they are!

1) I purchased this Meilun Women's Rayon Strap Stretch Sleeveless Bandage Bodycon Midi Prom Dress in beige in a size small based on their size chart as well as the red dress I bought from Hego's. It fit perfectly and was the exact same material and quality as the red gown.  As you can see I wore it and loved it and received a ton of compliments that evening!  The dress comes in beige, white, black, a bright light blue, and yellow. 

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I also ordered a few other similar dresses that I will share below with my feedback on their fit and why I may or may not be keeping them.  I considered trying them back on just to share the photos but I think you've already gotten the image of me in these types of dresses based on the red gown and the beige midi dress so you should have an idea on how things fit me.  I hope you'll be able to gauge based on my feedback below.  =)

2) I ordered this Alice & Elmer Women's Rayon Bodycon Strap Sleeveless Bandage Dress below in black for about $47, size small per the size chart and it fit perfectly.  This dress comes in 13 colors, too many to list out, so click the link to check out all of the colors it comes in!  I liked the fit a little better than the Meilun midi dress I first shared above because this one hit right at my knee versus the Meilun midi was more of a "tea length" cocktail dress.  I am 5'4 and 1/2" so I feel like the midi length wasn't the best for me.  Given I ordered these a few days before the event I needed it for, I didn't have time to exchange the dresses so that I could get this Alice & Elmer Women's Rayon Bodycon Strap Sleeveless Bandage Dress in "apricot" which looks like the Meilun midi dress's color in beige.  I haven't decided if I will keep the black dress yet only because I have a lot of black dresses.  Although, can a girl ever have too many?  It tends to be the color I wear most anyway! ;)

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3) I also ordered this Meilun Women's Bandage Dress Cap Sleeve Bodycon Party Dress for $49 in red, size small based on the size chart and it was true to size too.  It comes in both black and red, in multiple sizes.  I actually really liked everything about this dress and was hesitant to send it back.  It is perfect in every way, great quality and flattering in all of the right places.  The reason I decided to return it was simply because I do not wear red very often.  Dresses like these stand out and I very recently wore the red gown that is similarly made so felt like it would be overkill for me to wear something so similar again after the red gown AND the beige midi dress.  Otherwise, I would have kept it.  Who knows...maybe I'll end up ordering it again for Valentine's Day. =)))  I would recommend it though!

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4) Just prior to the dresses above this, I ordered this Hego Women's 2016 Off The Shoulder Hollow Out Bandage Bodycon Red Party Dresses (below) for $56 in red, size small based on my previous purchase of the same brand's red gown.  This package got "lost in the mail" and both the company and Amazon notified me immediately and refunded me.  However, the package arrived a day later.  I tried it on and didn't like the fit.  It was just below my knees, and fitted throughout.  However, what I personally didn't like was the cut of the top.  I didn't find it flattering for me and while my goal isn't to show everything off, I felt like where the cut out is across the chest is awkwardly placed on me so I returned it.  That being said, if may work for someone with different proportions so if you like the off the shoulder look you can try this.  Free shipping and free returns.  Why not, right?

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5) I can't say enough about this Hego Women's V-neck Backless Fishtail Bandage Red Formal Maxi dress for $90.  For me it was perfect.  In fact, it was a little too perfect.  As a girl when you find any article of clothing that fits great you tend to trust the brand and want to buy anything and everything similar out of trust and loyalty, knowing it will look amazing on you.  That is why I splurged and ordered so many of these dresses to try on!  This dress made me feel like a million bucks.  You can find a little more information on it here in my "What's Up Wednesday" post.  Based on reviews and the size chart I ordered a size small and it was magic.  The length was perfect in my 3 3/4" heels too.  No alterations needed!

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6) Because of my incredible experience with the red gown above, I went ahead and ordered this Hego Women's 2016 New V Neck Fishtail Sexy Solid Black Bandage Bodycon Formal Dresses Long in black, size small for $98 thinking I would just have a formal gown on hand that I knew fit great for the next time I may need one for an event.  I was a bit wrong unfortunately.  Same brand, a little different of a style, but same size.  This ended up being about 2 inches too long in the same heels so I would have had to get it altered.  It was also bigger in the chest circumference than the red dress so had a little bit of extra material and the v-neck showed more than I preferred.  Given that I would have to get it altered in length and the fit wasn't quite right, I decided to return it.  If you're taller than me and like to be a little more risque then you may love this dress!

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There are a ton of great and affordable dresses out there.  Given the array of colors and styles with these dresses I wanted to share so you know there's options for good quality and decent priced dresses that you may or may not wear more than once AND that you can find on Amazon!  I had no idea I could find dresses on Amazon.  Maybe you did?  Regardless, make sure to check these out and click around on other dress styles by these brands but make sure to read the reviews as they will help you navigate the fit of each style.

I hope you found this helpful and if so please share with a friend!  I'd love to hear feedback on your success stories in finding great priced holiday dresses or formal gowns so if you have tidbits to share please also comment below.  Also, don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss out on any future posts! 

Happy Shopping!  Happy Friday!  Friday Fashion!

XOXO

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