Back in April I put in my order for my first Dia&Co. box and I received a beautiful windowpane print ELOQUII dress that I loved but would did not fit very well. Devastated I asked my friend, Jonquel, body positive plus size fashion illustrator of JonquelArt, if she wanted to try it on only to find that it fit her perfectly.  That particular dress was a more conservative style than what she normally wears so even though it fit her very well, we ended up sending it back anyway. Needless to say this started our semi-monthly Dia box parties. We now order our boxes around the same time so that we can go through our individual pieces together, giving our honest opinions on how things fit, providing style recommendations as well as giving each other the opportunity to try anything that interests us from the other’s box.

I can honestly say that getting Dia boxes only gets better when you have a friend who wears the same size and has similar taste to yours . For instance,  I had requested that some maxi dresses be included in recent box because it is a style that hadn’t really tried. (I’m 5’3″ so as a petite plus size woman maxi dresses are pretty much a “no-go” style for obvious reasons. However, this style of dress is such a summer staple, I just had to give it a try.) I got two very London Times printed maxi dresses* in my box and we each tried both of them. Jonquel ended up with the blue tile maxi and I with the royal blue and coral Persian paisley.

The box pleat crew neck of the blue tile dress was very snug on my bust, but worked really well for Jonquel who instantly fell in love with the colors and overall textile design. The best part of maxi dresses is the fact that they provide effortless elegance as well as ease which is great for summmer, however, Jonquel styled the dress with a vibrant red head-wrap and caged stretch belt which takes this dress up to a different level.

~Get Jonquel’s look~

London Times Calista Pleated Neck Maxi Dress (Size 18)| Dia&Co. (similar here)
Caged Stretch Belt | Rainbow  (similar here and here)
Block Heel Sandals | DSW (similar here)

When I tried on my dress Jonquel suggested I style it with a belt as well, but I felt it would look better with a denim vest. Rather than have me do some more shopping, Jonquel pulled out this studded number from her own closet for me to use. The light denim compliments the bold royal blue and coral print that covers this dress and the studs match well with the hardware of my gladiator sandals to add a hint of edge to the overall look. I did have to tie the end of my dress in order to not have it drag on the floor (#petiteplusproblems) yet it did create an interesting draping effect that I am currently loving.

~Get my look~

London Times Stefania Maxi Dress (Size 18) | Dia&Co. (size 14 on sale here)
Studded Denim Vest (Size 18/20) | Ashley Stewart (gift, similar here)
Hardware Gladiator Sandals | Lane Bryant (similar here)

Jonquel and I just received two new Dia boxes that we have to go through this week, so we know that there will be another round of trading that we will share very soon. I can’t wait to show you what else we got from shopping each other’s boxes.

---

Have you tried Dia&Co. yet? If you have, will you be creating your own Dia box parties like Jonquel and I?

Like our dresses? Request them in your next Dia&Co box!

*Style notes: Jonquel’s dress has a inner lining, while mine does not. She is also 2 inches taller than I am which is why her dress doesn’t drag as mine does.