This dress is stunning, no doubt - a shimmering forest green under a black teardrop motif, thick material, nicely cut, with pocket panels that are forgiving to a belly. however, the fact that this dress has zero stretch (which is fine, if that's what you're looking for), coupled with what is quite possibly the cheapest zipper ever manufactured, make this dress exhausting to put on. i'm normally a 14/16 at retailer, and i ordered the 16 just to be safe, and the waist is exactly the size of my waist