Smocked puff-sleeve dress in indigo plaid

I loved this dress and got lots of compliments on it. Per other reviews, it did run a little small. I’m usually an XS at JCrew and bought a small which fit well. Throughout the day, I noticed a little blue tint on my hands similar to what happens if you have a brand new pair of dark wash jeans. No big deal until I took it off at the end of the day and my whole body, wherever the dress touched was blue. Not just a little blue, VERY blue. It took multiple scrubs with a loofah to get it all off. Now, I’m scared to wear it again, even after a wash! Feels like a big quality control issue.

So, dresses from J. Crew are usually hit or miss for me, but this one was a HIT! The fabric is nice and soft - not too thick or thin for this type of dress. And the cut is just sooo flattering with the smocked bodice and off-the-shoulders puffed sleeves. Very nice color too (and the plaid design isn't too noticeable). The chest area does run a bit small. My bra size is a 30F and I got a small - it fits, but only just. I probably would have exchanged for a medium if those were still available. My one criticism is I do wish this dress had pockets.

I love the overall style of this dress but there are issues. First, I worked in a buying office and this is obviously a case of buying a dress from a different company and slapping your label on it. The sizing is very small which is a big hint that it’s not there’s and then there’s the dye issue. If you get warm, the dress will bleed onto your skin and require a good scrub.

I thought the design of this dress was lovely and I liked that it is 100% cotton and I got what I thought was a great deal on it. I ordered a size up based on reviews. The fabric is a bit of a coarse weave and the size I ordered fit. I received compliments the day I wore it but when I took it off that evening my arms & torso were completely blue. The dye from the dress crocked and I looked like a Smurf. It took 3 scrubbing sessions to get all of the dye off of my skin. Luckily I hadn't sat on any of our light upholstery that day. This dress was improperly dyed and should have been pulled. I'm shocked J. Crew is selling these. Very disappointed in this purchase.

My story - picked out this dress over Black Friday Weekend and sent the link to my husband to purchase as a Christmas gift. There were, then, no reviews. In the interim, tried on the blackwatch plaid dress in-store, same size - fit great, didn't love the fabric. Looked forward to this one. Come Christmas Day, you can imagine my disappointment that the dress itself runs two sizes too small, to the point that it can't surpass the fact that the cut is by nature extremely forgiving. Also all larger sizes are sold out! So that's fun. J. Crew is one of the stores I send gift suggestions to for relatives because of size consistency, but a quality control issue like this means I won't next time. I'm not saying it ruined Christmas, but it made an already difficult Christmas really disappointing.

Bought this for my 19 yo daughter…she loves it. She is 5’7 with a smaller chest and the medium fit her fine. Even though others have said it runs small, consider your shoulder size and chest size with ordering. Happy with this purchase and considering other color ways.