I, much like a lot of you girls on here, fell head over high heels in love with PUG at first sight.  Of course, at the time it was a theoretical love, because my poor art school grad budget didn't really have room for fancy dresses and high heels.  Even though I couldn't have them in my closet I spent many lunch breaks admiring the dresses, and wishing I had places to wear those fancy shoes.  My job has me running around enough that sneakers are a must, and the threat of having to climb through dirty crawl spaces to fix broken fog machines means that dresses are off the menu.

My first purchase was the Iron Fist All Hope Abandoned peep toe platform heels, still one of my favorites pairs of shoes ever. Still, it wasn't quite as exciting as all those beautiful dresses I had no reason to own/wear.

But then I was invited to a wedding.  The moment I opened the invitation, I decided it was time to invest in a dress.  I had obviously done a lot of thinking on this subject already, and knew without a doubt that I would be purchasing the Ava dress in teal to showcase my 5'9" 200 lb frame.  A curvy lady needs the right dress, and I had a feeling this was it.

If you can't tell, that's me looking goofy, second from the right.

I am so glad I bought this dress.  For the price and the quality this dress is an absolute steal.  The color and the fabric are exquisite (looked great with my not-so-natural red hair).  It is now my go to dress when ever I need to look fancy for a few hours (it has seen a few weddings and a party or two at this point).  I can see now the benefits of having at least one great dress at hand.  I never have to struggle with the "what will I wear?!?" question on important days anymore, I just reach for Ava.

I can see a few potential problems for some with dress, including one that I ran into personally.  

It is VERY low cut.  I'm a busty lady, and in this dress the girls are strapped in, but very much on display.  I'll admit that that is one reason I bought this dress.  My 36 DD's weren't in danger of popping out or anything, but if you like a more modest neckline, this may not be fore you.  If you scoff at the sight of a plunging V and dare it to go deeper, then grab this dress right away.

If you're a larger lady, then some control top hose at the least are a good plan.  The bottom can be a little clingy (not to mention the tulip skirt can slip open occasionally), and a good set of shaping hose really pulled the whole thing together for me.  Very clean lines, and I felt pretty darn good.

The one issue that did actually bother me a tiny bit, was the wrap around sash.  I had no issues figuring out how it should work, I even watched the handy how-to video on youtube, but it just felt too short.  I ordered this dress in a 2XL, and the first time I tried it on I was worried it was too loose in the shoulders and back, but it turned out okay.  I was worried that I might have gone a size to big at first.  But the sash...  I could barely get  two inches hanging down after pulling it through the loop.  Certainly nothing close to the pictures.  I managed to wrap it, and then tuck under the other piece, so it wasn't too bad.  Not ideal, but not unwearable.

All in all, none of these slight imperfections detracted from the dress enough that I would consider it anything less than the best thing in my closet.  It's a beautiful piece that I am certain will last me for years to come, and be the center of attention at many more weddings, so much so that brides may stop inviting me all together.

Oh, there I go again.  What a goof.  But smoking hot, am I right?