Ovate's Mathilde Washed Linen Dress Review

Photo from Cendre

Linen is breathable, cool to the touch, eco-friendly, and wrinkles easily (though the latter can be considered a charming quality if the design is right). The aesthetics of the Mathilde dress evokes feelings of nature, witchcraft, and simplicity: the perfect summer dress.

Front view of its unique crossed dart detail. The inside top is completely lined.

The fabric is slightly sheer under brighter lights. Cendre told me the fabric is not sheer, but when I bent over in front of the mirror and looked closely, I could see the outline of my black underwear.  I think a beige pair of underwear would easily disappear underneath this beautiful fabric.

I was told a strapless bra would not show (this Wonderbra Ultimate Strapless shows on the tops of the cups). My next worry was the side of the bra. Those who have a fuller cup know bras come back further to encase the breast tissue as the size increases (in general). My fear was the bra would be obnoxiously visible on the side. I explained this bra issue to Cendre, and they said this dress' fabric is so light it would not be supportive enough for my size. The fabric is more durable than it looks on the site, and, I assure you Es and Fs, this dress will fit fine so long as your bust fits within the size chart. Your bras will, however, likely show.

My measurements fell within the medium range, however it was quite baggy at the waist. I think this would be great for those who do not like form-fitting clothing.

Other than the next featured photo, all stitching was clean and even.

I returned the dress for a refund because it did not meet expectations (sheer, larger than expected, showed my bra) and the waistline was clearly mis-sewn. I was sent a partial refund. This neither included the original shipping fees nor the return fees. I contacted customer service and asked for a refund on both since I was basically charged $40 to try on a defective dress. Cendre informed me our opinions on defective were different, and that the most they could do was refund the cost of the dress. I sent them a picture of the waistline explaining why I thought the dress was not sewn correctly and opened a Paypal dispute because their site states return shipping would be refunded on defective items. I was only refunded the original shipping cost. (Oxford Dictionary defines "defective" as imperfect or faulty.)

Where do you find breathable and vampy summer clothing?

Customer Service:

The weak-point of small businesses is customer service. Returns hurt them deeper, needy customers take up precious time, and should they feel confronted about their products or shop policies, it is difficult to not take the customers' remarks personally. Many do not offer returns, remind the customer they are a small company when asked questions, and often structure emails like a carefully crafted argument if the customer presents problems. Many these were true with the Ovate service. In the end Audrey of Ovate and Cendre offered to honor a refund if I returned a dress that did not fit. This is typically standard of most companies, but after many back-and-forth emails, I was allowed this permission only because I quoted a mistake in Cendre's return policy.  Toward the end of our communications, the formalities of  "Hello ___," "All the best," and other common features of customer service emails were dropped on their end. When requesting information on how to return my defective dress, I was simply sent their address. No, "Sorry it did not work out," or, "You can return it here. Allow us to give you 10% off your next purchase," or any attempt to smooth over the issue. She has responded to all of my emails within 24 hours.