Rasika Batik Print Long-Sleeve Dress - Starlight

I love this dress! I think this is my favourite dress! It is the perfect length.

I love the color, fit, simple but interesting design, hand work, and pockets! It's a true violet, a bit more red than a blue violet, while the blue accents match all my true indigo pieces. I wear these dresses year round, just adding wool layers under or over in the cold times. The tie back is a thoughtful touch--it looks a little more polished pulled in, but can be more relaxed with the tie loose. It's just long enough to look more formal for church, but not be too binding for a fast walk.

It's tough to buy clothes online! As I get older I tend to buy what I already know and love in different patterns/colors rather than a brand new cut. I'm not looking for the hassle and resource waste of ordering more than I need or something that I'm not sure of and then returning what I don't want. A new addition to my wardrobe needs to be hardworking in that--it works over and under other pieces, it layers lengthwise, the color(s) mesh, etc.

I went out on the limb with this dress and I'm so glad that I did. Although I prefer drop waist and no waist dresses and tunics--the waist positioning on this dress isn't troublesome. For those of us who prefer to not wear undergarments that lift us to the ceiling and wear larger sizes like 1X and are high waisted, some dresses just don't work that well in terms of fit because they rely on the chest aligning with darts, cut-ins, waistline and so forth. The fit of this dress works with all my concerns. I was also concerned about where the circles would hit on my chest--no problem there either!

This dress is a beautiful dark blue-purple that leans towards purple versus indigo blue that meshes well with the other pieces in this collection as well as pieces from years past! I've worn this dress with a MarketPlace jacket I bought about nine years ago. It feels like I won some sort of clothing consumption award--a) I still have a piece from nine years ago and b) it looks great with my new dress! That is one of the wonderful things about MarketPlace--MarketPlace pieces pair well other MarketPlace pieces!

Pockets--I must mention the pockets. The pockets are front forward pockets rather than in the side pockets--this makes them super comfy to use. And the pockets are deep while being constructed out of the same fabric as the dress. The pockets get five stars!