I rented this dress for a business attire/cocktail attire party. The dress is beautiful--nice brocade fabric is heavy and forgiving. It actually helps cinch you in. The back is very beautiful (the reason I selected this dress) and as others have pointed out, is held in place so that there is no gaping. I did find the should straps a bit too long, even worn slightly off the shoulders and overall the fit was just a bit too snug for my taste and it was a bit shorter than I prefer (am in my 40's and this was a business function). I had the size 10 and 8, but the 10 was just a little bit snug. I think the 12 would have been too large, especially on the top (I am definitely pear-shaped). I ended up wearing my own LBD, which was ultimately more flattering. I returned all my dresses (first choice and back-up choice) and the staff at Rent the Runway were fantastic about the returns. I will definitely try again for another occaision.

Charmed By You Dress

Tracy Reese

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Size Worn: 10

Usual Size: 10

Height: 5' 4"

Weight: 145lbs

Bust: 34B

I really wanted to love this dress but it was ultimately my back-up dress and I only had it in one size (10). I normally wear a size 10 but the dress was too snug through the hips and thighs and very loose on top (am normally a 34B). There was also too much length between the chest and waist, which made the material bunch and sag right at the waist. Anyway, suffice it to say that the fit was not flattering and sizing up wouldn't have helped because the chest was already too big. But the condition of the dress was very good and it was pretty on the hangar!

Orion Sequin Orbit Sheath

Badgley Mischka

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Size Worn: 10

Usual Size: 10

Height: 5' 4"

Weight: 145lbs

Bust: 34B

I rented this dress for a black tie gala in Manhattan. I have to confess when I first tried on the dress I was underwhelmed, but with some tweaking and taping and the addition of accessories I think it worked very well. I normally wear a size 10 and I ordered a 46R. The fit was actually perfect through the midsection and hips and the cut and material were relatively forgiving, My issue is that I'm pretty short-waisted and not huge on top so there was a bit of extra material around the straps to deal with. I settled for doubling and pinning about an inch of the straps just behind my shoulders and then wore my long hair down so it wasn't noticeable. That little tweak gave the dress an absolutely beautiful fit and kept it from being too low in the front. If you are large busted or long-waisted you will probably not have this problem. I'm 5'4" and wore 3 1/2" heels but could have worn lower heels and gotten away with it. Somehow I didn't manage to get a photo of the whole dress during the event so I don't have a good photo to post, but I think it looked good and I got lots of compliments. I'd say it's understated and classy--not flashy. It looked expensive.

Tailor Made Gown

Narciso Rodriguez

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Size Worn: 46R

Usual Size: 10

Height: 5' 4"

Weight: 145lbs

Bust: 34B

So this was my back-up dress for a formal charity gala--I am a pretty curvy pear shape and the dress looked great from the front. I usually wear a 10 but based on other reviews ordered an 8 and the size was perfect. Very va-va-voom. I didn't think the front was too low cut and it would be easy to fix with tape or a tiny pin. I ended up not wearing the dress, however, because of the way it looked from the back--although the front is pretty forgiving due to the draping of the material, the back is not. Spanx helped, but it still just wasn't flattering. The worst and absolute deal-killer for this dress though was the buckled zipper, which others have mentioned in their reviews. The end of the zipper kind of buckles the material straight out so that it looks like you have a little prehensile tail coming out of your back side. I think this would have been less noticeable on a taller person (I'm 5'4") because the zipper would end higher up on your back and not over your rear.