You’ve probably seen this dress (or some version) pop up somewhere on social media or Pinterest at some point… If you’re not a blue and white lover like me, it might have left you cold, while, in my case, it left me with a heavy, yet longing heart once I saw its price tag. You know, I’m pretty obsessed with blue and white anything so whenever I see a dress in this color combo, my heart skips a beat. Add to that my recent obsession with tile patterns thanks to our Italy travels and Portugal travel dreams, and, well, the love for this dress was only amplified.

I gave up on having a blue and white dress in this pattern until one day when I came across it unexpectedly. After going back and forth for several reasons, I decided to go ahead and try purchasing it; worst-case scenario, I could return it, right?

Outfit details: dress here; espadrilles here (purchased last year; this year’s version comes with straps vs. self-tie closure; try these for a similar style); sunglasses sold out, similar here; camellia earrings here (I also like these); heart necklace is vintage — if you’d like something similar check this, this, this, and this; the bag is old, available here in tan — personally, I’m happy with it.

When it comes to sizing, based on the measurements provided, I figured they are Asian-based and decided to go up two sizes just to be safe — I normally wear S but chose L for this dress. Ultimately, I think I could have fit in M as it has stretch in the back (smocking), and the L size is a tad big, though wearable. It also looks longer on me for that reason.

The dress is lined and I didn’t find it to be see-through, though if you need ideas on what to wear under see-through dresses, check out this post I wrote that details it all.

Overall, I think the fabric quality and stitches are good — everything held up great during washing in the machine and while wearing, and I think I’ll have and wear this dress for a long time. If you decide to purchase it, I’d recommend laundering it in a mesh laundry bag or hand washing as advised, for extra protection. As mentioned, I washed mine in a front-load machine without issues, however, I will be using a mesh bag when using a top-load washer just to be safe.

The only complaint I have with this dress is the built-in padded bra — not a huge fan of those as they adjust weirdly on me, but as you can see from the photos, I made it work.

*If you’re interested in purchasing the originals, check here, here, and here. For replicas, check this one (also here) and this one.