From the Fitting Room: H&M Conscious Exclusive 2013 Collection

I was pretty excited to try on the party dresses from H&M's latest Conscious Collection. I arrived at my local store a couple of minutes before they opened and I was the first person there. I pretty much got to try on everything I wanted, with the exception of this lovely dress, which my store didn't carry. I ended up only buying one of the many dresses I tried on. My reviews are below.

Tulle Dress/Size 6/$199: I had really high hopes for this dress, but sadly I was disappointed. I normally wear a size 2 (for reference I am 5' 3" and 102 lbs) in H&M clothing, but had to size up to a 6 to get this dress to fit my waist (this seemed to be a problem with the whole collection based on the comments I heard in the fitting room). But then of course it was huge in the bust area. It also had this weird gold thread running along the seams which made it look cheap in my opinion. With all the tailoring I would have to do, this dress just wasn't worth it. The color was gorgeous though.

Satin Dress with Train/Size 2/$59.95: This two piece dress was super weird. The top part is a bodysuit and bottom is a wrap around skirt with snap buttons. The top was pretty, but I hated the bottom. No matter how hard I try, I just can't get behind the mullet skirt. The color was very pretty in person and the fabric seemed nice, if not a bit too clingy. And I really liked the bead detailing on the sleeves. 

Long Dress with Bare Back/Size 2/$59.95: This dress actually ended up looking better in person than I thought it would. The size 2 was a great fit and even hit my waist at the right spot. I thought I would hate the little waist cutouts, but they didn't end up bothering me at all. Ultimately I decided to pass on this dress. It was too long, the material was way too clingy, especially in the stomach area and I don't really think I would wear it much. If you had an event to wear it to, I think it would be a great buy.

Fringed Dress/Size 2/$199: I tried on this dress even though I had no intention of buying it. I'm just not into fringe and I don't think I ever will be. The fit was fine, but it really just made me feel like I should be on the set of the Addams Family. Not my style.

Rose-Trimmed Dress/Size 4/$129: This was one of the two dresses I was most interested in, but it was just way too costumey in person. Like the dress last year from this collection, this just made me feel like a linebacker. It's too bad too because the bottom was just lovely. The whole dress in general was constructed really well and the applique was really beautiful. I did have to size up from a 2 to a 4 in this dress. The 2 was way too tight in the thigh area.

Dress with Beaded Embroidery/Size 2/$129: This dress turned out to be a surprise winner for me. I loved everything about it, from the gorgeous bead work to the sturdy fabric, plus it has pockets! Although this felt true to H&M sizing to me, I will say many people in the fitting room were commenting on how tiny the waist was. This also seemed to be the most popular dress, almost everyone was trying it on. The store was also having an extra 25% off all dresses, so this one was definitely a keeper for me.

Patterned Dress/Size 2/$99: I didn't like this dress on me at all. It was so puffy on the hips and incredibly unflattering. I thought both the print and beading at the collar were nice, but the structure of the dress was just horrible. I really can't imagine it being flattering on anyone. This dress did fit true to size.

I also attempted to try on the Asymmetrical Dress, but after fighting to get it on for almost ten minutes, I gave up. This was one of the two major problems with the collection as a whole; the dresses were unnecessarily complicated. They also ran very, very small.