Contour Collection Halter Embellished Cocktail Dress

In shopping for a dress to wear to my niece's upcoming wedding, I saw this dress on the Nordstrom website and fell in love. It is a combination of elegance, femininity, and sexiness in one great dress! I am 5'6" and weigh 145 pounds, so I ordered the dress in a size 8; it fits perfectly, and looks great! The rushing at the side is very flattering for those of us without the torso of a model... It is also very comfortable, as the fabric has some stretch to it. The length is just to the bottom half of my knee, and the hem is not a finished hem--it is machine cut, so it is a good thing I was happy with the length. I did take it to Nordstrom's Alterations Department, and the Seamstress said the length was perfect, and to try to cut the dress to make it shorter would be asking for trouble, so I did not want to take any chances. Also of note, this dress not unlined, though the material is a thicker material, so no slip is needed, though a pair of Spanx may be! The color is called Charcoal on the website, but is more navy with gray/steel mixed in, a perfect alternative to black. The embellishments at the neckline are a mixture of round and emerald-shaped rhinestones and navy beading. Overall, it is a fabulous dress, and I will get a lot of wear out of it!

I LOVE this dress, it is so flattering, great fabric. I planned to wear it to a holiday wedding and the charcoal color was so pretty- it's more of a blueish gray (steel blue) than charcoal, which sounds dark gray. The issue is I am 5'2" and this is a machine hem. My seamstress said she can't guarantee it if she shortens it. A machine hem is a straight cut and she said in manufacturing it is treated so it will not fray. If she cuts it, she can't guarantee it will not fray so it looks like I will have to return it. That is the ONLY reason I could not give this 5 stars.