Summer Dress for Fall and Winter – Realisation Par Dress Review

I finally bit the bullet and bought myself the Realisation Par dress I have been eyeing for more than a year now! Review spoiler: I love it.

But there are somethings you should keep in mind before springing for a Realisation Par dress so lets do a full review.

THE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE

I cannot complain about the shopping experience since I already knew how it would work going in but there are a few things I do need to mention.

Its online only – Realisation Par does not have a physical store and as far as I am aware its not sold in a department store either. I remember them having a pop-up shop kind of a thing in Harrods or Selfridges sometime ago but I can’t be sure.

I had actually been scouring some second hand clothing site to get this dress for more than a year now. But I could never figure out which size I would need so I had to finally had to give up the idea of a second hand dress and buy directly from their online store.

SIZING AND FIT

The sizing is very small. I originally ordered size XS. I am a very small person – I am usually between size 4 – 6 and am under 5 feet tall so figured XS was the best bet. This is the usual size I buy in most other brands. But when I received the dress it was tight. It fit me but there is no way I could wear a jumper underneath the dress in winter in a size XS. I had to exchange it.

Now here is the catch: you have to pay for the return. I was aware of this and I didn’t mind since its a small brand. But I know paying for returns is something we have forgotten about so its a good point to flag up. Although I have to say it annoyed me having to pay for returns for an exchange. I am all for asking for payment for a return if I am returning the item but if I am exchanging the size maybe give me a break?

Anyway, they were really lovely processing the exchange and I got size S which then fit me almost perfectly. The only thing about size S is that its longer than it should be and I am considering having some part of it being chopped off.

And now the fit: its beautiful. I am not the curviest woman but this dress makes me look so curvy I absolutely love it.

DESIGN

This is a really versatile dress. I can see myself wearing it in summer, in fall and even in winter. It very easy to wear and looks great with summer sandals as well as boots. I am already looking forward to wearing it this summer.

Outfit details: Realisation Par dress, white turtleneck, black quilted leather jacket, Chelsea boots, sunglassses and gold hoop earrings.

QUALITY

I have heard a lot of comments on the quality and how thin the material for this dress is. Now this dress is made of silk which by itself is a thin material so this criticism seems a bit odd to me. Silk isn’t a thick material in itself so if this is something that bothers you, you need to be aware.

Like I mentioned, the actual cut and tailoring of the dress is fantastic. I think we wear so much low qualify and poorly tailored clothing we forget so much of a difference well fitted and well made clothes make.

MAINTENANCE

My love for silk is always at odds with animal welfare and environmental issues so I am trying to reduce the amount of first hand silk I buy. Silk usually needs to be dry cleaned and I am not a fan of dry cleaning. The thought of so much chemical on my body really makes me feel yuck so I don’t give anything to be dry cleaned in my normal daily life. I will probably wash this by hand in cold water which is a bit of a pain.

PRICE

I got this on a discount but even with that its an expensive dress. Also add in postage and return costs. I spent about £160 + postage costs which would be maybe about £5, so around £165. (The normal price of the dress is usually £205).

Now I though it was worth it. Its silk, well fitted, the design and pattern of the cloth is an original by Realisation Par and these details bring me a lot of joy. I can see myself wearing the dress for years to come.

NOW TO SUMMARISE – WILL I BUY AGAIN?

Yes! I would definitely buy a Realisation Par dress again but honestly, seeing how expensive they are this is probably only going to be in a few years. But next time I will probably buy it second hand since I now know my size.

Thats my review for Realisation Par. Have you heard of the brand and interested? Do you have any other questions for me? Let me know – leave me a comment below and I will be happy to answer. You can also leave me a comment on Instagram or Facebook.

– Anisha