Meet Dress Tester #1: Ms. M

Ms. M is a colleague of mine. She told me she didn't exactly fit the size chart, but she had squeezed into some dresses while shopping for clothes and she was game. For her first Hourglass Heaven experience, I showed up with V1 and V2 to try on. Having a background in design and usability testing means that I showed up with a test script!

Measurements
At time of V1 and V2 testing:
40" bustline (33" underbust, usually wears a 34DD)
34.5" waist
40" high hip/45" low hip

As pictured in V3:
36.5" waist
42.5" high hip/45" low hip

The re-measurements were necessary as Ms. M is expecting, so when we did the photo-shoot with V3 dress she had grown a bit. The dress is designed to stretch - and it did to fit her changing curves, though it was a bit tight.

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Fit
What did she think of the fit of the dress? Was it too loose or too tight anywhere? I asked specifically about fit at the bust, waist and hips.

"This one (V1) seems too loose in the top area. The waist in the back too."

"The waist seems better on this one (V2). The top still seems too loose, and the arms seem big."

V1 & V2 had issues with the fit of the bodice, which needed a lot of adjustment. The mesh liner was also too big around the waist area and needed to be taken in considerably. For V3, both of these fit issues were improved and the skirt was taken in as well to be more pencil-like in look.

Look
What did she think of the look of the dress? Did she like the look of the dress on her? How the dress made her look?

"Yes! The V-neck is nice. I could see dressing it up for work or down for a casual look. I like the panels! It seems very flexible in the style options."

Feel
Did she like the fabric? The texture, the look, the feel? Would she prefer the dress in another fabric? Another colour?

"Nice! It seems very versatile. I like jewel tones, so I'd love to see blue or green or a pattern."

("And she did! Hourglass Heaven’s first two colours includes a bold blue.")

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Comfort
Does the dress feel comfortable? Something you could wear all day? How is the arm movement? Leg movement? Easy to walk around in? Sit down & stand up?

She took the directions quite literally and started walking around, sitting down in a chair, standing up, putting the dress through it's paces. Then she did something I didn't expect, she sat on the floor in the dress to test it.

"Sometimes there aren't enough chairs at meetings and you have to sit on the floor. I want to make sure dress has good coverage".

The dress passed the test with flying colours. Easy to sit down in, even on the floor, and no unexpected panty shots. :)

The only complaint about V2 was the lack of zipper.

"It's difficult to get in and out of...I could see that being a problem, particularly if you have to worry about make-up and hair."

Clearly the zipper needed to come back.

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Magic Wand
To finish the testing, I asked a magic wand question. The answer, "color-blocking"! That was the one thing Ms. M wanted different about the dress.

Photo Credits, Thanks & Appreciation
Model: Ms. M
Photographer: Photos 1 & 5 by Dan Liebreich, Photos 2, 3 & 4 by Peter Gordon
Jewelry: Lapis Lazuli pendant & earrings set from Wrywire
Purse & Shoes: Prada gray nylon bag & Ash black suede pumps from The Real Snob