A few weeks ago, the lovely team at Eliza Parker contacted me to see if I’d like to review a piece or two of their collection. I see reviews as a chance for me to try items from brands that I haven’t bought from yet or to try styles that I typically wouldn’t buy for myself. If I’m handed an opportunity like this, then I want to make the most of it. Eliza Parker has very high quality clothing, but their target audience seems more geared towards those who buy professional or evening wear. My lifestyle now is definitely professional student (aka kinda of academic but kind of casual), so I decided to see how I could make Eliza Parker’s professional pieces work for my somewhat casual looks.
Out of all of the dresses Eliza Parker offers, the Monaco stood out because of its full skirt and neckline. I normally would have bought this in a red or black, but decided to not play it safe and went for purple. Bright, bright purple. Warning: May blind you from the whiteness of my skin, haha. Summer, I miss your tan glow!
I’ll admit; I had a really, really hard time figuring out what to wear with this dress. Maybe it’s because I don’t have an appropriate cropped black cardi like I was hoping for or a snug leather jacket that looked perfect in my mind, but the only top I could find that I felt okay with was this gray cardi that unfortunately has been washed out by the light. It has pretty details on the shoulder that make the cardi appropriate for both dressier and more casual looks.
Eliza Parker told me to size the dress based on my bust and waist measurements, so I went down a size, and I’m really happy I did. The dress fit comfortably on the top, and obviously the full skirt completely did its job of being wonderful and swishy.
The black belt was a little overwhelming, but we all have to work with what we have. I added a big pearl-ish and rhinestone ring I bought from ASOS months ago to bring a little shine to the outfit.
Luckily, North Carolina winters are like most people’s falls, so it’s still warm enough for me to wear the dress in all of its original glory if I’d like. The dress has cool pockets, too.
I also happened to get my hair colored and cut today. Unfortunately the color really isn’t coming across well in the images, but the top layer is a darker brown with a honey brown framing my face. I was inspired to do this by seeing Pencil Skirts and Latte‘s two-toned hair. I think my stylist was a little surprised by my request since I’ve been doing the same coloring for a long time, so she didn’t do anything drastic. We’ll see how I like it over the next few months, and if so I might make the contrast a little more apparent.
So my conclusions on the Monaco dress are that you DEFINITELY want to size your order based on your bust and waist measurements. The fabric, cut, and weight of the dress is really, really lovely, and if you’re into these one-color dresses that are easily accessorized, then the Monaco may be for you. Even though I knew I wanted to step out of my comfort zone with the color, I think I would like this dress better and get more wear out of it if I had gotten it in black or red. If I had the black version, it would definitely be my new favorite LBD! The only other con is that the dress is pretty pricey at $189. Truthfully, if it weren’t for me being given this item, I wouldn’t be able to afford to buy it. Eliza Parker definitely impressed me, but I might have to wait until I have a full-time job before buying from them again.
What do you think of the Monaco? Do you buy a lot of professional clothing or is your lifestyle calling for different kinds of items?
P.S. Eliza Parker is offering 20% off through 1/6/2012 with the code: New20
Eliza Parker gifted me the Monaco dress for the purpose of a review. The above post is my honest opinion about the item.
I love the cut on you & def think it’s better without a cardi, though that leather jacket idea seems brilliant. I love that it has pockets, so smart
Thank you!! I’m currently getting my leather jacket professionally cleaned, so once that baby is out I’m going to try this out again 🙂
oh, and your hair looks gorgeous
You look so pretty in purple!! I love the dress with the sweet gray sweater.
Thank you Amy! I barely have any purple in my closet, but I’m happy that I now have this 🙂
OMG! YOU LOOK SO BEAUTIFUL!!! I love this color on you… and the style is so flattering. I’ve been admiring Eliza Parker’s dresses for SO LONG! I can just see the blog post now… lots of twirling. The skirts and dresses look perfect for twirling. =D
They are! I must wear this to a dance event some time just so I can twirl and twirl and twirl all night long 🙂 (of course I know you’d take advantage of any place to do a twirl or two :))
The color looks beautiful, I think it looks best without the cardigan, very chic and effortless looking.
Yea, I definitely agree. It shows the cut much better! Thanks, Kerry!
LOVE this dress. It makes me want to buy it, though I can’t afford it either. I love the full skirt and 3/4 sleeves.
I love the color on you as well. You look gorgeous!
Thank you! It’s definitely a “special occasion” dress. I can imagine wearing it to spring and summer weddings and feeling fab!
You look beautiful ♥. What a great colour, it really suits you well! I even prefer the version without the cardigan, the more purple the better : ).
Thank you, Satchirel! I enjoy your tumblr so much! I hope you post more OOTD!
I want this dress! I will definitely have to check out E P… This dress has so much style and class, but it is SASSY too!
I can totally see you in their clothing!
The purple looks great on you, and the dress is beautiful. I like how you kept things simple. 🙂
Thanks Dani!
This looks really good on you. The cute and the color are perfect! That’s so cool that you got to review it and it worked out so well!
– Justine
luckeysgoods.blogspot.com
Thanks Justine! I’m definitely happy to have this piece in my closet. 🙂
The dress looks amazing on you, I too had the pleasure to review one of their dresses and I’m in full agreement with everything you said. The quality really is outstanding, but a little bit out of my price range!! X x
How did I miss that post?! I’ll have to go check it out (unless I already commented and am just having memory issues!)
That purple looks so good on you!! The color just works so well with you skin complexion!
Editor & Chic
Thank you so much!
Ooh so pretty love the colour! Also loving your hair it frames your face really well and the colour is great!
w x
Thanks! It’s taken a long time to get my hair where I want it 🙂
Gorgeous! I do buy a lot of professional wear since I work as a Department Chair in a college. This sounds like a company I should definitely explore!
Yes definitely!! What department do you chair?
This dress looks amazing on you! I think it could really be styled up or down, making it incredibly versatile. And good for you for stepping out of your color-comfort zone!
Thanks! I definitely want to try it with casual and dressy accessories to see which I like best 🙂
I think you’re photogenic…the dress looks vibrant on you 🙂
Thanks so much!
awww thanks for the shout-out, sweetie! 🙂 my stylist and I are constantly battling about my hair cut/color, I’m glad I defaulted to her on the two-toned color thing last time! You look great in this dress and I love how you styled it!! 🙂 xo
-Sarah
Thanks Sarah! Your blog is one of my favorites!
the dress looks lovely on you. x
Thank you, Tracey! 🙂
I love the purple on you and actually liked it better without the sweater. I think it showed off the nice lines of the dress to a better effect. If you want to break up the dress a bit, you also might try adding some sort of scarf (I used to wear a lot of scarves), or for a more formal event, a really cool, sparkly broche (did I spell that right?) – anyway, A PIN!
Ooh! A scarf! I’ll definitely have to try that 🙂 Thanks, Jacki!
Okay, wow, wow, WOW! I LOVE this dress! I love the purple and am so happy you decided to try a different colour, it looks great on you! That dress is everything i’ve been looking for in a dress lately, colourful, pretty, great neckline and sleeves! Going to go check out the site now!
Thanks Natalie! They have great products!
Wow you look so beautiful! This colour really compliments your skin tone and makes your eyes stand out so much ♥♥
U LUK FUCKED UP …
Why are you so obsessed with my blog?
I really like the purple dress. It’s a good color. I have always liked embellished cardigans. It looks good even without the cardigan.