House of CB Carmen Cotton Bustier Sundress in White Rosebud Print Multi L

I bought this dress from the House of CB website. As I had never purchased from this brand before, and their dresses are not cheap, I paid close attention to their sizing guide, even getting out my measuring tape to double check that my measurements were accurate. I am right in the middle of their size small according to their sizing guide, if anything, on the smaller end of the measurements. So, imagine my surprise when I receive this dress and can barely zip it up over my waist - 26.5" when their small goes up to a 28" waist - and then could not manage to zip the dress up my ribcage at all - my bra size is a 32D, I do not have a broader than average ribcage. I reached out to their customer service to ask if this is an anomaly, or if I should exchange the dress for ... MoreI bought this dress from the House of CB website. As I had never purchased from this brand before, and their dresses are not cheap, I paid close attention to their sizing guide, even getting out my measuring tape to double check that my measurements were accurate. I am right in the middle of their size small according to their sizing guide, if anything, on the smaller end of the measurements. So, imagine my surprise when I receive this dress and can barely zip it up over my waist - 26.5" when their small goes up to a 28" waist - and then could not manage to zip the dress up my ribcage at all - my bra size is a 32D, I do not have a broader than average ribcage. I reached out to their customer service to ask if this is an anomaly, or if I should exchange the dress for a medium. Their response was completely unacceptable, I will copy a part of it here:"...our size chart is designed to serve as a guide to choose your size based on your measurements (it doesn't reflect the flat measurements of each item), the fitting can vary depending on stretch factor, internal boning, etc since each item is unique, it also depends on each body type."Essentially, they are writing that their sizing chart cannot be used to accurately gauge a size to be purchased. Also, if you know anything about sewing, you would know that stretch factor, boning, 'etc'... should be taken into account when patterning a garment. All clothes are sewn by people, there is no a machine that sews clothes, so a variance is expected, but not by this wide of a margin. However, every other brand in existence has been able to manage patterning garments that adhere to somewhat standard sizing.DO NOT PURCHASE FROM THIS BRAND. And if you do, do so from a store like Nordstrom that covers returns... House of CB does not cover return shipping and requires items be shipped signature required, so this return is going to cost me $20+... I asked for a prepaid return label, as I did everything a consumer can be expected to do to buy an item that is an accurate fit, but House of CB declined to send one.

It is evident to me that whoever designed this dress has never actually seen a woman in real life and therefore based it loosely off of princesses from old Disney movies. I am 5’6 usually a size XS/S and have a large full bust (30F). Based off of the size guide and reviews I ordered a medium in the large bust. I could not get it zipped up! The fabric is so thick, and is probably similar to the curtains that Maria used in “the sound of music” to make the Von Trapp children their outfits. There was far too much heavy fabric in the skirt and did not lay nicely which made the slit impossible to see. The dress is also way longer than the picture shows, it was down to my ankles. The bust was actually too small! If you have fullness in the top of your breast it is not for ... MoreIt is evident to me that whoever designed this dress has never actually seen a woman in real life and therefore based it loosely off of princesses from old Disney movies. I am 5’6 usually a size XS/S and have a large full bust (30F). Based off of the size guide and reviews I ordered a medium in the large bust. I could not get it zipped up! The fabric is so thick, and is probably similar to the curtains that Maria used in “the sound of music” to make the Von Trapp children their outfits. There was far too much heavy fabric in the skirt and did not lay nicely which made the slit impossible to see. The dress is also way longer than the picture shows, it was down to my ankles. The bust was actually too small! If you have fullness in the top of your breast it is not for you. If you have natural/sagging breast this actually would probably be flattering in the bust. The whole dress is a disaster and I found it to be quite confusing.

I am a 34D/36C and all of the commenters saying this is a dress for the bigger-busted ladies are off their rocker. This bust has no support, is strangely low-positioned, and made my bust look the ugliest it has literally ever looked, EVER. It just flops forward and looks like a weird floppy pancake due to the under-bust corsetry—and I’m someone who everyone always says has really perky boobs! I am so, so sad the bust is so bad because the rest of the dress is gorgeous and fulfills all my dreams.