Two Generations of Lace

On me: DVF Zarita dress (gifted & first posted here), DIY sash, Manolo Blahnik BB pumps
On my mom: Adrianna Papell lace dress in "cassis" (also in sleeveless or cap sleeve)
For the second half of my collaboration with Nordstrom holiday dresses (see part one for this $26 petite-friendly find), I chose an older piece from my closet that's become a favorite over the year. I didn't expect the "nude" pink color to be as versatile cross-seasonally as its proven to be. I wore it with white and gold back in spring, and have paired it with deeper hues like hunter green for fall events. I hope to get another wear in before winter turns me Casper-y pale and the nude disappears into my skin. For the holidays, I made this fun oversized sash to accentuate the waistline and break up the all-over lace look.

A few of you have asked about more affordable dupes for this dress, in particular the Adriana Papell version. This brand starts at size 2P so I haven't considered it personally, but was thrilled that my mom has it. While I was growing up, my parents were pretty stern and always chastised my shopping habit ("books over looks!"), so I've been secretly quite pleased in recent years to get texts from Mom on her clothing and makeup "hauls" inspired by my blog posts. It took some coaxing for her to join me in photos but my dad cracking jokes off-camera helped : )

The design of both dresses is pretty similar with the biggest difference I observed (did not try the AP on myself) being the lace materials. I can't describe it well -see above closeup- but the DVF lace is a larger, more distinct floral which I do think looks a little more higher end. It might also be accentuated though by the lighter vs darker shades here, but both dresses come in a variety of colors. Composition of the stretchy lace is 70% rayon / 30% nylon for DVF and 56% rayon / 44% nylon for AP. Lower-quality rayon and nylon can be pilling-prone but I've had no signs of that on the DVF, and can't speak to my mom's dress. Both dresses are double-lined in a soft knit material, with a zipper closure down the back. The AP is made in China and the DVF is domestically-made.

According to my mom, this ran fairly true to size if not big (she is 5'2" for reference, and 34" bust, 28.5" waist, and 35" around the hips). This dress in 2P looked like a good fit on her with some extra room in the hips. She's usually worrisome of her upper arms and tummy and I thought this look flattered both areas. I do think this type of stretchy dress would look best very fitted (looks too loose in some stock photos), so consider sizing down. I am wearing a 0 regular in the DVF which has been altered - see the original fit on me:

I had my tailor slim the sleeves through the armholes and taper the bottom of the skirt for a more fitted "pencil" silhouette. I hope these photos show how classic a lace sheath can be for women of all ages!
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This post was sponsored by Nordstrom to share holiday dressing ideas.