Dresses similar to Palava

[Amrapaali]

Am looking for an interesting Xmas lunch dress. Not too keen on scratchy lace or weird florals and sequins. And it's going to be a lunch as well so would like a toned-down yet interesting dress.

I really like Palava dresses- have been eyeing them up since I saw Sara Pascoe wear one in her comedy show. I'm happy to shell out 100+ for the dresses but the cut or the sizing looks quite weird. I mean many of them are modelled by size 10 models but the dresses look huge! Almost tent-like especially around the hips.

Anyone has a Palava dress and can tell me what the sizing is like? Is it really thick cotton and stands out quite stiff? I am size 14 hourglass with ginormous breasts so don't want to look even bigger IYSWIM

The prints are amazing though- Here they are.

Any suggestions for brands similar to Palava also very welcome. I mean you can't have too many dresses. Or at least window shop!

Anyone? Please? Any dresses with quirky prints? Or delicate illustrations?

I haven't tried Palava but would be interested to know too. I know their captions say the model is wearing a size 10, but the models look like quite big size 10s... Not what the youth brands would call a 10. Or is it just the dresses making them look bigger?!

The size chart for the Cynthia style of dress - if I've decoded it correctly - says the bust measurement for size 10 is 40", which seems on the generous side. Although they do stress that's the fabric measurement and we're to "leave room for ourselves"!

I think Kirsty wears these and they're not entirely flattering on her

Alsopp?

Ignoring some of the prints, Collectif do a few that are similar. I like the ones you posted.

I have the Palava Yorkshire Dales dress. To answer your question, yes the fabric is thick cotton and quite stiff, but i love the colours - so rich. I also wear a lot of Emily & Fin, which are similar shapes but use thinner fabrics so dresses drape more smoothly. They have lots of different prints and there's a very healthy swap and sell group on FB as well for second hand / past seasons. You could try those instead?

I put this on and looked like Kirsty:

www.zara.com/uk/en/printed-shirt-dress-p08214053.html

I have three Palava dresses and I'm glad I got them on sale because the stitching is poor quality and comes apart at the seams really easily.

Oh yay replies!! Thank you so so much. So the consensus seems to be Palava is not be worth the palaver

@WTF475878237NC that is shocking for £150 a pop. I have la redoute dresses for 30 quid that look really rich

As an update - I ordered one of their dresses in a 10 (I'm more of a 12 but wanted to test the theory that their sizes run bigger). It fit pretty well, a 12 would have been too roomy. I ordered a Cynthia dress in Tencel fabric and it wasn't too bulky, though that gathered skirt style will always add a bit of bulk. However, I didn't find the dress too flattering - not Palava's fault, I just don't think that style suits my figure nowadays. I looked a bit frumpy and lumpy in it. I'm sending it back. By the way, they don't do free returns, and the value of the dress meant I had to pay around £8 for special delivery tracked postage.