8 of the best day-to-night slip dresses - Stylist Magazine

Posted: 12 Jul 2019 03:00 AM PDT

More traditional 90s style minimal slip dresses are great for a relaxed office uniform. Opt for block colours; black and navy are timeless, while dark rust and mahogany are versatile but still on-trend. These look great with a utility jacket and more casual footwear options like the luxe leather sandal or trainers. For a more casual daytime option a high street crepe or satin maxi length slip dress looks great with a T-shirt underneath, a canvas tote bag and dad sandals. Add a crossbody or basket bag and some low key aviator shades for a more elevated weekend look.

Weddings or smart summer events are the ultimate occasion to flex a more statement slip dress. Look for floral printed, ankle grazing styles in pastel or ivory tones and wear them with a boxy blazer, minimal barely there sandals and some beaded or resin hair accessories for an effortless on-trend look. For full-on glamour wear your statement dress with a bold blazer or bright heels, a statement metallic handbag and some shell detail jewellery.

Whatever your style, there's a slip dress to suit it. Here's our edit of the eight best slip dresses available to buy right now.

Online ball dress purchase leaves student devastated - Stuff.co.nz

Posted: 04 Jul 2019 12:00 AM PDT

Stuff

Student Alyssa Houma is warning others after her dream dress fails to live up to expectations.

A dream dress has become a nightmare for one Auckland student getting ready for her school ball.

Alyssa Houma, 17, ordered a dress from online store Dreamy Dress for the July 5 event.

But what arrived in the post was not what she expected and trying to get a refund left the student in tears.

The deputy head girl at Mt Albert Grammar was looking for something different for her first and only school ball.

"I wanted something that was unique and modest. So many dresses out there, they don't really cover anything, and I wanted to make sure I was modest and comfortable."

SUPPLIED

The dress on the left is the one Alyssa Houma ordered. The dress on the right is what arrived.

The dress Houma found advertised at Dreamy Dress was exactly what she was looking for, she said.

She was sceptical about online shopping and so she researched the company.

Has this happened to you? Email newstips@stuff.co.nz

"I looked at where they were based. It said it was a New Zealand website with a store in Matapouri, in Whangarei. I also looked at reviews and it was all four out of five," Houma said.

All of the comments were positive, with reviewers saying how happy they had been with the fabric, the fit and the service, she said.

Everything she saw gave her confidence to order the custom-fit dress for $212.80 plus postage.

SUPPLIED

Alyssa Houma bought her dream dress online however what arrived was not what she expected.

Concerns only began to creep in when the dress had not arrived by the expected delivery date.

She contacted the company and it sent her a tracking number that listed the dress as being dispatched from China.

"My heart sank, they said it was a New Zealand company," Houma said.

"When the package arrived, I ripped it open and it was inside out but straight away I could see that the colour wasn't right. When I turned it the right way, there are no words, I was so disappointed. The colour was completely wrong.

"When I put it on it was completely massive, it didn't fit at all."

She emailed the company and was told the dress was custom-fit to the measurements provided.

In an email exchange seen by Stuff, a Dreamy Dress representative initially offered Houma a 10 per cent refund before upping this to 20 per cent and then dropping back to 10 on orders from the manager.

Houma wants a full refund and to warn others.

"I would tell others to be very careful. I wouldn't want people to go through what I have been through. There has been so much stress as I have tried to find something that made me as excited as I was when I ordered that dress," she said.

"I would tell others to learn from my experience and go in-store, to a boutique, is the best option."

Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment consumer protection manager Mark Hollingsworth said the Fair Trading Act applied to anyone in trade, including overseas businesses.

However, buying from overseas meant it could be harder to enforce consumer rights, he said.

"It's important to know who you are buying from online. Websites with a co.nz URL aren't necessarily based in New Zealand," Hollingsworth said.

He encouraged shoppers to investigate who they were buying from.

Attempts to contact Dream Dress through its website were unsuccessful.

The New Zealand address provided online is a rural road in Northland.

Stuff