We Aim To Slay

At the end of last year, I was contacted by the brand Vessita asking if I was interested in beginning an ambassadorship. Intrigued, but wary – I never want to promote a brand that doesn’t reflect my values, nor do I want to sell sub-par products to you guys – I decided to look through their inventory, when a dress caught my eye.

The Dress

Called the “Ambassador Rosa,” this dress was listed for $100 – I paid $50, as I was offered a discount. From these photos I assumed it was a red dress with some sort of mesh-style over layer, aligning with my overall aesthetic. I placed my order, and in two short weeks, the dress had arrived! 

Once the dress arrived, I have to admit, it was not what I was expecting. There is only one layer, no lining, and the “fuzziness” of the roses is just part of how the pattern is printed on the fabric.

Shockingly, it fits really well! But at this point the problem I was facing was styling! After the first try on, I was picturing some sort of black [p]leather harness or corset, ala one of my favorite styling gurus, Stella Rose Cherry! But I don’t own anything like that, and I was determined to “Make it work!” ala Tim Gunn!

How I Styled It!

For my first time styling the dress, I played into my first instinct – to add some black accessories and layers. The resulting combination was a lace shawl style jacket by Vivid Importers, my black platform sandals from Steve Madden, and gold accessories including the Saga Jewels hearts, and two necklaces from a brand I’ll be reviewing in an upcoming post!

As cute as this look was, I think it’s easier to style looks to wear out at night than it is to style a daytime look. And try as I might, I could not imagine how to style this dress to wear during the day. But try as I might, I couldn’t get the image of this dress with some sort of harness out of my mind. And then all of a sudden, I saw a video of a woman in a similar style dress styling it with a sweater and boots and the lightbulb went off!

I styled four looks; two for daytime, and two that lean towards a nighttime aesthetic! 

A Cozy Autumnal Vibe

The inspiration video featured a more equestrian-style boot in a light brown leather, something I don’t currently have in my wardrobe, but I didn’t let that stop me! I pulled out my favorite cable knit sweater, used a large brown belt to crop it to waist length, and went with my classic Doc Martens boots! I chose to top this look off with my oversized denim jacket, but I think the jacket may have been too boxy for this look. 

Tropical Getaway Inspo!

I was convinced the vintage DKNY duster from Renee’s Resale would look amazing over this dress. At first I closed one button on the duster and layered a brown-bow belt over that – but it was giving me “stranded on planet Tatooine” vibes. I decided to swap the duster for the crochet tank overshirt and I think it looked super cute, and will certainly be a spring-time work look for me!

A Punk Night on the Town!

This look came together totally by chance! I started by just throwing this Chico’s leather jacket over the dress, paired with black motorcycle-style booties; it was cute but it was missing something. Similarly, after moving away from the leather jacket, I added this sheer black overdress (from Urban Outfitters) on top of the dress and I liked it, but there was something not quite right about the look.

Inspiration struck, and I combined these pieces over the dress to create a very grunge inspired night-out look! 

The Black Swan

Similar to the look above, this one started as two separate ideas. My first concept was a more “corporate inspired” look, consisting of a black blazer by Theory and a black belt by Calvin Klein.

After moving away from the blazer, I opted for this black tutu skirt from Renee’s Resale. But then inspiration struck and I layered the tutu, Theory blazer, and Calvin Klein belt! I paired this look with a pair of suede sling backs, but I think it would also look chic with a pair of black, pointed toe boots!

I’m obsessed with how this look came out!

HEADER – My Thoughts on Vessita

Am I recommending this brand to you? And, will I be starting an ambassadorship with them? Sadly, no, and there are a couple of factors that played into my decision.

Firstly, I cannot in good conscience recommend a brand that promotes the “use-it-and-lose-it” mentality. Part of why it was so important to be able to style this dress in many ways, is because I don’t agree with wearing something once and throwing it away. I try to wear my clothing until it falls apart, and then I like to use it in future crafting projects! #ReduceReuseRecycle!

Secondly – and this was the biggest turn off for me – I spotted the Lavish Ivy dress, dubbed the “Velva” and listed for $103 USD on Vessita’s website; compared to Lavish Ivy’s listing, called the “Rosalind Maxi Dress” and listed for $146.99 (I should reiterate that my mom and I both bought it during an 85% off sale, only paying about $25 including shipping and handling).

If you read my review of the Lavish Ivy dress, you’ll know that similarly to this dress, I wasn’t impressed by it until I started styling it to wear out. Unfortunately, Lavish Ivy is running some sort of scam, as they automatically enroll you into their subscription service once you’ve placed an order. My mom ended up being charged three separate times over a four week period. 

And lastly, the more I scrolled through their inventory, the less interested I was. Not only do the offered products range several categories – tops, bottoms, dresses, sets, outerwear, pajamas, etc., – but many of the product images have a distinctive “AI-generated” or “borrowed from another source” quality. And to top it off, they are charging outrageously high prices for the quality of their products. 

Because I am not recommending this brand or this dress, I found several dresses that are similar in style and color so you can style your own red dress! 

What Do You Think?

Which styled look did you think made the dress look best? Let me know in the comments below! This weekend I’m off to New York City to walk in New York Fashion Week, and I think the “Black Swan Look” will need to come with me!

I’ll be back next week to share my plans for a Valentine’s Day devoted to one of my favorite activities – a self care spa day! And for those of us who will be celebrating out on the town, I’ve got outfit, hair, makeup, and manicure inspiration!

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