Shabby Apple Review & Giveaway! (and a coupon code for everyone!)

Ok, true confession time: last summer (as in summer 2011), Shabby Apple sent me this dress to review.  I had picked out the dress in early spring and had them send it straight to America for me so I could model it and do the review while I was home and had Susan as my photographer.  But, by the time I was finally in the same place as the dress, I had a little person taking up residence in my baby apartment and couldn't model the dress without advertising that fact.

So, here we go, one year later, with the baby weight just down enough to finally feel comfortable modeling this dress.  I'm definitely not one of those women who lose that baby weight fast.  It all comes off, it just takes closer to 12 months for me.  (sidenote: I recently saw a fb thread where a first-time mom asked how long she should expect it to take for the weight to come off, and the majority of the people responded with: About a month.  A MONTH!!!  Let's not set other women up for disappointment, hey?)

So, back to the fun stuff!  I've spent many an hour perusing the lovely clothes over at Shabby Apple.  I just love how ladylike and flattering all of their dresses are.  But they also have tops, skirts, bathing suits, accessories, girls' dresses, and now even fitness wear too.

So when it came time for me to chose, I picked one that I've had my eye on for a long time, the San Gabriel.  I've always really liked the look of the San Gabriel because it's just not something you'd find in a store.  And you could pretty much kill me with a well-placed ruffle sleeve.  I like the option to wear the sash tied in front or back, depending on what look you're going for.  I was going for the draw-as-little-attention-to-my-belly-area-as-possible look.

Who hates being photographed? (hint: it's me!)

One of the best things about this dress is it does a great job of fitting many body shapes.  It would accentuate those who have it and create curves for those who want it.  I'd post the pic of the size 000 model wearing it here for a side-by-side comparison, but it's actually written into my Craferhours contract that I'll never have to pose next to a paid model for comparison's sake.  Oh well.


Oh, and speaking of post-partum bodies, you could totally breastfeed in this dress! (provided you are good at undoing buttons with one hand).  In fact, Shabby Apple even has it listed under their recommended "new mama" clothes.  

It's also a great dress for spanning all of the social obligations: baby showers, GNOs, church, the chocolate buffet at the Mandarin Oriental (um yeah, I do that.  Did I mention it takes 12 months for me to lose baby weight?)  You can't say that about just any dress.  I'm wearing my favorite shoes for this photo shoot, but I think this dress would also match up well with a platform strappy sandal, or for cooler weather, opaque tights and a suede bootie.  And if I were the type to accessorize, I'd probably throw on a thick hammered gold cuff bracelet too.  It's very versatile (especially when you're just using accessories from your imagination, not your real closet)!

Oh, and just in case you were wondering if the dress could do this:

it totally can.

So, are you ready to win your very own Shabby Apple shopping spree?  For the chance to win a $100 gift card for Shabby Apple, just head over to their site, have a look around, then come back and leave a comment telling us what you would do with your winnings!  Comments will be closed on Midnight EST, this Wednesday July 18.  We'll announce a winner on Thursday.  So hop to it!

One comment per person please, US shipping addresses only.

For the rest of us, Shabby Apple is providing a 10% discount for the next month!  Just enter crafter10off at check out.

Thanks for the dress and all your lovely options, Shabby Apple!  Good luck everyone!