But I didn't wear it. The bronze lace is lovely and the dress is very well made. It's a heavy fabric. The dress has a built-in bodice that goes down to about the bottom of the ribcage and zips up separately. That's a nice feature because the dress isn't really suited to a bra. However, I couldn't get the bodice zipped in either the 40 or the 42; maybe I have a big rib cage. I got the 42 dress zipped up without closing the bodice (I didn't try the 40). But I still wasn't very happy with the fit. The straps are bulky (although now that I looks at the model's picture, they look like cap sleeves so maybe I was supposed to unroll them?) The skirt has a pleat that starts at the waist on one side and swoops down across the front to the bottom of the other side. Artistic, but not necessarily flattering: there's a lot of material in the front of the skirt and it's longer than the back. I'm 5'6" and the skirt came below my knee, not too long but it also didn't hang on me as it does on the model. This dress might work for someone, just not me.

While this is a classic Vivian Westwood design, it is VERY SNUG on the top. I would recommend getting a size larger than usual. The color is also more brown than gold. I ended up exchanging it for something else because my husband really wasn't a fan of the color, and I didn't like it enough to wear it. If you are looking for a brown dress I would rent it, if you are looking for more of a gold dress I would skip it.