The 1970's had some amazing fashion offerings - disco (yep I said it), flares, and best of all wrap dresses*.
For the plus size figure, the wrap dress is a miracle worker. Cinching in waists (or creating the illusion of one), flaring out at the hem, and plunging v-necklines all contribute to an effortless hourglass silhouette.
Wrap dresses often feature on fashion makeover programs like Trinny and Suzanna or Gok Wan, because they do great things for the female form. And after watching these kinds of TV programs I would often find myself looking online for plus size options.
Occasionally I would find a plus size wrap dress on an overseas website, but would often be disappointed when they arrived as they were all made from synthetic fabrics which went smelly and pilled within a few months. And even though there was lots of room for pockets, they never had them.
So, we fixed that...
When designing these dresses, we realised that not all wrap dresses are made equal.
We discovered that having multiple panels that ran vertically down the dress helped the elongate the body. We looked at the proportion of the skirt part of the dress and positioning of the shoulder seams to make sure that the dress offered the most flattering silhouette possible.
And we added pockets. Proper, deep, wonderful pockets.... (*sigh of relief*)
It is not just these design features which makes this dress a staple in our wardrobes, it is the way it feels.
The fabric we use is super stretchy, and breathable. No polyester here, this dress is made from high quality viscose/spandex knit so it stretches and moves with you all day and into the night. What a relief.
When we first started, we produced the Emerald Wrap Dress - and with stunning bright colours and flattering design, this dress earned lots of positive comments.
But it seems that some of us were still hanging out for the dress in a plain fabric.
Recently a couple of our beautiful customers got in touch to ask if we would trial the dress in black too, and we gladly agreed.
Krissy (one of our beautiful models) and I sampled the dress to ensure that it worked on different body shapes and sizes and to make sure the fabric wore well, and I am pleased to say that the black wrap dress is a winner! It can be dressed up or down, tied through a bangle at the front, tied at the back or front in a bow, or worn as a coat and it rocks!
Due to our excitement, we haven't had a chance to get professional photos done of the 'Black Wrap' Dress but we hope you can see enough of the dress to get a feel for how it looks and feels.
What do you think? Are wrap dresses something you'd try? What colours would you love to see them in?
We'd love to hear what you think!
Shine on fabulous people
xx
NB: The 'Black Wrap' Dress is made to order with a six week delivery time. Email us for more information sales@fireflyrachelharrison.com or order your's here
*ps. Fun fact: Even though the wrap dress was originally created in the 1930's and 1940's, Diane von Furstenberg brought this wonder into mainstream fashion in the 1970's (but only in smaller sizes).