Fitting room fun with Madmen style

Review of Banana Republic’s Spring 2012 Mad Men collection + some J Crew

Despite the petite sizing, this dress swallows me, making it more prom dress than work attire. Aside from the taffeta, the bow and princess shape (that hides cleavage making it good as business cocktail attire) does not a ‘Betty’ make on me.
               
Like last time (here) I think this dress is more fit for a bride’s maid. Some alterations (like making the straps thinner or dropping the neck lower) could make this dress a great date night dress. The cost of alterations would be worth it for this 100% silk dress that is fully lined and reasonably priced at $150.

Here I am pulling at the extra material

If you liked the similar one from the last capsule collection but found it too big, this one (here) may be worth the try. The fit is smaller than last time (see here) but the length is still much longer than intended.
      
A better fit from this limited collection:

This dress can be also worn without the included sash belt. I am sorry that I was too excited about the polka dots to snap a picture without the belt. This stone wash color serves as a great canvas for silk scarves (as I’ve shown here, here, and here). The length of this dress is also much better than the one above.