Realisation Par Dress Dupes

If one dress defined last summer, it was Realisation Par’s Alexandra – no shadow of a doubt about that. It caused headlines for being ‘sexist’, was featured on every It Girl you can name, and this year, as any item which reaches cult status on Instagram, it’s spawned plenty of dupes available on the high street and online. If you needed proof that trends can come from social media rather than the catwalks, then this dress is exactly that. It snowballed in popularity from being featured all over social feeds and celebrities, charming the majority of women with its nod to vintage charm and downright, unapologetic girlishness. The dresses are timeless – give it three years and you can still slip one on with a pair of beat-up converse and it’ll look as relevant yet ageless as ever. Not to mention, it gives flattering fit on e.v.e.r.y.b.o.d.y (just ask Diane Von Furstenberg – there’s a reason DVF built a total legacy from her wrap dresses – and it ain’t because of the cutting-edge designs season after season, y’know. Universally flattering dresses will always be destined for commercial success!) 

Although I knew there’d be plenty of dupes to choose from this year round, I simply couldn’t wait, and buckled by buying the red dress last summer (see my blog post from last year about it here!) and then purchased the navy. Now, I’m not going to sing the praises of this dress to no end because the truth of the matter is, they are very very expensive for very little material. Yes, they are gorgeous. And they are 100% silk – apparently. But, the dresses are shipped from Hong Kong (less glamorous than the California base they used to promote and kind of made you feel as though that’s where the dresses were shipping from), the label says they are made in China, and the fabric of the red dress feels a much higher quality than that of the navy, which I bought a mere couple of months later. Weird.

And the sizing. Don’t get me started on it. I looked at the size guide, measured myself up and ordered the red Alexandra in a size XS – and as you can see from the photos in the blog post, it’s a really gorgeous fit. So when ordering the navy Alexandra, I obviously opted for an XS. But on arriving and trying it on, the dress didn’t even close over my nipples. Odd, as the red one in the same size most definitely closed over my nipples. It was as if the whole dress had a very slightly different cut, with the neckline scooping much wider. After exchanging for a small, the fit was much better, although it’s still unwearable without pinning it as the neckline falls so wide I’m in constant danger of flashing my boobs to the poor unsuspecting public. 

RED REALISATION PAR DUPE DRESSES

The original dresses are gorgeous. Trust me. But, after the sizing problems, I’d err on the side of caution when ordering, and definitely size up. If I was going to order again, just to be safe, I’d pick a small or medium. And to save you any of this hassle, and, quite frankly, a lot more money, I’ve picked a nice little selection of Realisation Par dupe dresses that you can get on the high street. The best one I’ve come across is the Missguided red star dress – but it’s going out of stock so be quick about that one!