Simply Be & Anna Scholz dress fest

Let me just prefix this post / review by saying that despite having nearly 100 dresses I don't own a single dress from Simply be. I've ordered many, but every single one has been sent back with me cursing their name (and postage charges!). I wish they would have options to review clothes on their website. I don't know what it is but the cut of their clothes just doesn't fit my shape properly. Something just doesn't quite... you know.... mesh. The thing is that I adore Anna Scholz, and obviously the line she does for Simply be is kinder on the wallet than her white / black labels. I can only afford the designer line when the sales are on, but the most recent batch of Anna Scholz for Simply Be made me want to apply for a loan and buy it all. I just. I mean. COME ON! Give a shopaholic a break man! I was helpless in the face of such beauty! I set my heart on the feather print maxi straight away, and then they hit me with a leopard print side-pleat dress! I quite simply didn't stand a damn chance, so I took my credit card for a spin (something which I haven't done for a long long while!) and ordered both dresses, plus 3 standard Simply be dresses that caught my eye. Honest reviews about to begin......

 God damn this dress is special - it has to be for £80! I really love it. This is a size 22 - my normal size. From the front I quite liked it but....

 ...... from the side It was just a bit too tight on my booty, which then pulled the front tight across my belly (more accurately under my belly!) and I could just feel it riding up my back. It was also quite tight on my arms, and unlike the images on the simply be website the pattern on the arms is quite pale which does change the overall look somewhat. I haven't given up on this dress because it's got such wow factor, I just think I need to go up to a size 24, as it would look better if it was looser - like on the beautiful Bella Styles. The Shoes are from Clarks last year.

What to say about dress number 2 except I'M KEEPING IT!

It is so friggin' sexy, I just wanted to growl! It has a much looser fit than the maxi although it's also a size 22, but it clings in all the right places. The cut of this dress is so similar to the side pleat dresses Anna sells in her designer line that for £70 this really is rather good value. Generally I don't like the polyester mix fabric used for Anna's Simply be line, but when the pattern is so vivid it works really well. Big thumbs up for this tasty little number. Shoes from Terra Plana.

 On to Simply Be's own range. This peplum dress (£40) looks lovely on the model. On me it looks okay from the front but again.....

..... from the side? Not so much. This is the first peplum dress I've tried (I have a couple of peplum tops from ASOS to wear with my patterned trousers but it's a different feel) and for me it just doesn't work. A dress this fitted accentuates my belly (which is fine) but the addition of a peplum just makes my middle stick out even more, so from the front it's foxy, from the side a bit frumpy. Probably good that I don't like this one because my boyfriend just doesn't understand peplums! On the plus side the fabric is thick and lovely (almost a ponte feel) and the neckline is perfect. I got this in the 'tall' version and it was knee length on me - the regular one would have been way too short. Shoes from Crocs (honestly, Crocs - leather court shoes with a small heel!)

 This floral bodycon dress size 22 (£49) just does not work for me at all. I have a fair few 'bodycon' dresses, and I love them, but this just felt a bit uncomfortable. I think this is mainly down to the super thick fabric. It does have a bit of stretch, but not enough to sculpt to the shape of my body. It really flattened my boobs, which is the last thing I want when wearing a tight dress. I want them to be like BAM!

If you compare this to the Anna Scholz feather dress side shot you can probably see what I mean. My boobs and my bum felt flattened which is a no-no in my book. A size up to accommodate my wobbly bits would leave it too loose on my waist. A bit disappointed because the pattern is lush, the colours are lush, and it would be nice and warm for winter. I Love that it has full length sleeves too. I do think this would work really well on girls with a smaller bum / boobs than me. Or of course someone with bigger and firmer boobs / buttocks than me!

 Then we have this little cutie. Shoes print dress size 22. I've been looking at this dress for ages and wondering what the fabric / fit would be like, and what size I'd need. Luckily the lovely Betty Bee came to my rescue with her review and said that it was quite generous and a soft jersey fabric.

Love the colour, love the print. Its almost a bit late for this dress now, because it's quite thin material and I think I'd get cold. I will be able to wear it to work when it gets warmer though, so I'M KEEPING IT! Simply Be like to do this really annoying thing whereby they have items in the sale, but don't change the prices in the regular categories within the site. This dress is under 'dresses' at a price of £45. Don't be fooled! Go to the sale category and you'll get it for £31.50! Please sort your site out Simply Be! Shoes from Clarks last year.

There you have it. I've gone from having 0 Simply be dresses to having 2, with a possible 3rd in the pipeline if I can size up (or if I can afford it?!). Not bad really. I'm warming to them!