Devoted Shapely Prose readers (which you all are, RIGHT?) might remember that back in July, I ordered my first Igigi wrap dress. If you don't remember -- or if you're a brand new concern troll who doesn't understand that when a blogger links to something, you're supposed to go read it -- please allow me to quote myself:

Ever since I started hanging out at Fatshionista, I’ve been hearing about the miraculous Igigi wrap dresses. I mean, everybody’s been making wrap dresses over the last couple of years (hallelujah to that), and there are some great ones out there for much cheaper — I’ve got a couple from Target, and every Fatshionista except me apparently got one from Old Navy last year. But for fat girls, Igigi is the gold standard. Owning an Igigi wrap dress is, so I hear, cause to bust out the champagne and weep softly in disbelief at your good fortune. Diane von Furstenburg may not be interested in catering to us, but Igigi comes through with fantastic quality and cut for a third of the cost.

This is what I have heard. Fingers crossed that it will turn out to be true.

Tragically, it did not turn out to be true. There wasn't anything wrong with the dress, mind you -- except that I never got it. I expected it to arrive right before I went out of town, but instead, it arrived the day I left and the UPS guy tried to deliver it 3 times while I was gone, then sent it back to Igigi. At that point, I decided my bank account was better off without it anyway, so I let them keep it.

But a couple weeks ago, someone from Igigi e-mailed to ask if I'd be interested in doing a garment review. HELL YES, I said, and she shipped me out the same thing I'd ordered back in July -- the yoke wrap dress in nautical blue -- that day.

Everything they say about Igigi wrap dresses? It's true, y'all.

(Please forgive the quality of the photos. I can't find my digital camera, so I had to resort to the phone and the web cam. I figured it was more important to show the dress in action on a non-model -- wait'll you get to the gut roll pic -- than to worry about the artistry.)

For starters, this is the only wrap dress I have ever owned -- and I've owned many -- that does not require a cami under it. Not only is it actually cut to accommodate a Rack of Doom, but the edges on the parts that wrap over the boobs (man, if I'm going to write about fashion, I need to expand my vocabulary) is elasticized! Not in a puckery, noticeable way, but just enough that the neckline stays exactly where you want it, instead of gapping whenever you move half an inch, giving the whole world a clear view of your bra and the contents thereof. That is GENIUS! Such genius, in fact, I actually can't believe I've never seen this feature on another wrap dress (or top).

The dress is made of Tencel, which isn't as buttery as Modal, but I'm sitting on my couch blogging in it right now, and I might as well be wearing a nightgown; it's plenty soft. The finishing is top-notch, the wrap itself is substantial -- so the skirt truly has two full layers of fabric in front -- and it's got a much nicer drape than cheaper variations on the same theme. It's pretty damn good about clinging to the right curves and skimming the somewhat less right ones, but I would recommend wearing at least a half slip underneath. (Of course, I'd recommend wearing at least a half slip under any skirt or dress; yes, that's a relic of my very 'fifties-oriented mother's influence, but you cannot argue with clean lines, people.)

Having said that, this is pretty lightweight stuff, so when you sit down, all bets are off in the clinginess department. Behold the gut roll!

The good news is, since there's loads of fabric to shift around in that area, you can eliminate most of the clinginess even when seated, but it definitely requires manual adjustment.

My only complaint is that this is really not a dress designed for the petite fatty. I mean, I knew that going in, so it's a minor complaint, but if they made a petite version? This would be a 110% rave review. As it is, both the sleeves and the dress itself are a bit too long on me -- and if it weren't a wrap, the 14/16 would be just slightly too big everywhere, even though I should be on the high end of 14/16, size chart-wise.

So unfortunately, I can't recommend Igigi to in-betweenies -- having been one for many years, that bums me out a bit -- and I'd say anyone who's short and/or small-boned will need to choose wisely. Many of their dresses and tops look much bigger than this one in the shoulders and sleeves, so I suspect those wouldn't even work on me with alterations. (I'll probably have the sleeves and hem on this one shortened, but I could wear it out as-is without feeling frumpy.) Of course, the length and generous fit are great news for people who aren't short or small-boned, which is obviously plenty of fatties (you mean it's NOT ALL ABOUT ME?), and it's pretty awesome that their entire line goes up to size 30/32.

So, overall -- in case you weren't tipped off by the fact that I'm sitting here blogging in the dress because I can't bring myself to put my jeans back on yet -- I am giving the yoke wrap dress two thumbs way the hell up.

There are only three things that could make my Igigi experience better:

1. If they made a petite line;
2. If they pronounced their name "eye-gee-gee," like normal people, instead of "ee-zhee-zhee," like very drunk people;
3. If they would take 50% off this dress and then invite me to a party where I could wear it.