We Aim To Slay

We’ve all come across an advertisement that captures our attention so thoroughly that we can’t help but place the order. And that’s exactly what happened to me last month when I came across my first ad for the brand Lavish Ivy!

Who is Lavish Ivy?

According to the Lavish Ivy website, the brand was created by Ivy Harper and Chloe Bennet who, after meeting at a fashion workshop, found that they shared similar sentiments about the disparity between designer pieces and low-cost fast fashion.

Harper and Bennet decided to do something about that growing divide by creating “a brand that offered timeless elegance at an accessible price.” The website also shares that the duo and brand are “committed to affordable luxury—providing high-quality, timeless designs crafted with care.”

My Initial Thoughts

After seeing the ad for the “Rosalind Maxi Dress” I knew that I needed to own it, so I clicked on the link and saw that the dress was listed as being on sale for 85% off – I was speechless! 

Three weeks later, I was pulling my dress out of the package – but I wasn’t particularly impressed at first glance. When I first tried it on, I was in the middle of getting ready to leave for my family’s Thanksgiving celebration so I was not wearing the correct undergarments, and I think that was a big problem.

There were some standout details that made me want to buy this dress in the first place – the very unique neckline; the seemingly mixed materials (I was guessing velvet for the skirt); and the artful ruching across my most problematic area. 

Let’s start with the neckline and bodice. The eccentric neckline is there only in spirit, as the boning is neither long enough nor strong enough to actually create the neckline seen in the advertisements. I’m not sure what material this is made out of, but it’s actually thicker than it feels like it will be which was surprising in a good way. The bodice is not fully attached to the skirt portion of the dress – the front is free standing under the skirt – which I found to be odd at first, but I think it ended up working in my favor, especially in some of the styled looks!

The sizing is actually pretty spot on; there is some stretch to the bodice, and the skirt lands perfectly at my ankle (I’m wearing a size medium). But, another downside, the zipper buckles badly in the back – even when layering pieces beneath the dress.

Determined to find a way to make this dress look as good as the ads I saw online, I decided to plan a photoshoot where I could really allow the dress to shine!

Let’s Style the Dress!

In preparation for this photoshoot I started by steaming the dress – using one of my all time favorite gadgets, the Beautural Steamer – to release the wrinkles, and that’s when I started to realize that I might like this dress. 

I ended up styling three different looks – one where the dress was the stand out item, one where the dress was my base layer, and finally, my outfit to go see the Wicked Movie!

The Dress

To keep it soft and simple, I wore the dress with a pair of black, patent leather pumps, and a rhinestone headband.

Safari Look

When I started packing for this shoot, this little cosmetic-kit-style-purse was the first item that caught my eye – and from there, this chic, safari-inspired look was born!

I started with the white button down with pearl accents – I still cannot believe I found this shirt in a Cracker Barrel in West Virginia! – which I secured by layering beneath my Spanx! Then I put the dress over that, added the silk DKNY duster, this little black Calvin Klein belt, and the coolest pair of thigh-high, peep toe, lace boots! I added a floppy hat, and this look was ready to be whisked away on an exotic vacation!

Wicked Outfit!

To finish off the night, I paired the dress with a pair of lace, cage, booties, a black faux-fur shawl, this floral printed circular purse, and one of the coolest makeup looks I’ve done this year!

I’m kind of obsessed with how this neck makeup looks, and I can’t wait for the next opportunity to wear it! I had a really intense smokey eye going for the shoot day, so I just added some green and gold accents to take this look all the way to the Emerald City! I used the Profusion Cosmetics The Emeralds palette, in the shades “Harlequin” and a mix of all three gold shades “Burst,” “Gilded,” and “Radioactive”. 

What Do You Think?

Overall, I think this dress is adorable! I’ll definitely be looking for reasons to wear it again soon! But I’m not sure if I’ll be placing another Lavish Ivy purchase anytime soon.

I’ll be back next week to wrap up this amazing year, and share some of my favorite moments and photo shoots from throughout the year!

Have a great rest of your week, and remember to SLAY!

**Edited Jan. 1, 2025**

While driving home from my Florida vacation on New Years Eve, I saw a notification for this comment on a recent Instagram post:

My mom, who also bought the dress, immediately checked her banking to see that she had been charged three separate times for the same dress! In an odd twist of fate, I was dealing with a separate breach of my account shortly after purchasing the dress, so I had already changed my account information before Lavish Ivy could charge my account multiple times.

We quickly took a detour to the bank while in New Jersey and my mom was able to rectify the situation!

You can experience the full extent of my reaction to learning about this scam in this TikTok video, and you can watch my unboxing video here!

According to some research, Lavish Ivy “offers” a subscription program, that I will admit I didn’t look into until after I learned about the “scam”. That’s my mistake. But, I think Lavish Ivy should be upfront in their advertising – when you purchase from our company, you are buying into our subscription service, whether you like it or not.

I’d love to hear your thoughts regarding Lavish Ivy – have you purchased from them? Were you aware of the “Vision Fund Subscription”? Let me know in the comments below!