The Belle of the Ball by Adara Enthaler
Growing up with curves, it was impossible not to have them be noticed. Anything tighter than a hessian sack makes it pretty obvious to onlookers that I’m carrying around a few extra pounds in my underthings. So I leaned into it, and wore tighter clothing. I made it very clear that I knew I was bouncy, and I was damn well going to bounce wherever and whenever I pleased.
I sure as hell enjoyed the attention in my teens, but accentuating the curves comes with its downsides too. When everything is out in the daylight, it can unfortunately sometimes be the only thing people see. Of course, men should exercise self-control, but if I’m wearing a braless halter dress I can’t really blame them for struggling to maintain eye contact.
Still, it left me with a new dilemma. If I only feel attractive in figure-hugging clothing, but having people stare at my cleavage makes me uncomfortable, what do I wear when I want to look nice? At my size, it’s hard not to feel as if loose clothing turns me into a shapeless potato. That’s where The Belle Dress came in.
I visited Ponyboy in April looking for a birthday dress with my eyes set on The Trixie Doll Dress, a figure-hugging red number with a plunging neckline. I tried it on, and it did look sexy, but there was something about the tightness that made me uncomfortable. That was when the lovely Serene suggested the Belle Dress. I was dubious at first of the ruched panel across the bust; wouldn’t it completely hide my god given gifts? But I was pleasantly surprised to find that the dress actually complimented my chest: the stretchy material and sweetheart neckline conformed to my shape whilst rising high enough that I wouldn’t be showing cleavage unless I wanted to.
The circle skirt was also a huge bonus. The dress comes in at the waist and flares out from there with a beautiful swish of material that not only makes me feel excellently fancy, but also doesn’t cling to my belly at all. If you’ve ever spent a night in a dress that was half a size too small for you and you felt you had to suck your stomach in the whole time, you’ll be familiar with the sick ache it gives you. I want to be comfortable in my clothes, and I sure as hell want to be able to eat, so the Belle Dress was the perfect find. Serene also encouraged me to buy a size larger than I normally would, steering me away from my habit of only wearing clothes that cling to every curve from top to toe, and I’m much more comfortable for it.
I wore the Belle Dress to my birthday high tea the following month, and I received endless compliments for it. I now own two: one in green (a beautiful forest teal) and one in a more summery light blue with white polkadots. They’re perfect for Sunday brunches, weddings, and birthdays, and you can bet I’ll be wearing the green one on Christmas! It also comes in red, black, navy blue with polkadots, and even white with blue florals and black with pink florals. It’s an incredibly diverse dress for under $100 and I highly recommend it!
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