Mahtab Azimi

I don’t really own “nice dresses”.

A large part of my adolescence was spent as a tomboy. Hanging out with the boys, playing sports religiously, and wearing JNCOs with Converse was a right, not a privilege. I cringed at the thought of dresses… I hated dressing up for weddings, the theatre, anything remotely involving a dress was my arch nemesis.

Then I grew up. Then I fell in love with fashion. Then I realized… I have no nice clothes.

To a newly minted fashion addict at 19, this was a big problem. First, I went through my “fast fashion” stage. Everything I wore came from the shelves and racks of Target. Then, I went through my “ultra debt and desertion” phase, where all my fast fashion purchases finally caught up with me (i.e. they fell apart), and I was left with no cash. This is what I like to call “The Reformation”.

I learned about quality, brands I could trust, independent designers, and true fashion. I learned how to “covet” as opposed to “find the knockoff, so it can fall apart in 6 months”. I looked to indie designers with open minds, and big passion instead of big box stores with open sales.

But I digress.

A few weeks ago, before my second, secret trip to Seattle (oh, I can feel the hate mail already!), indie designer Mahtab Azimi got a hold of me, and asked me to peruse her line of dresses, and choose one for review.

Now, this sounds like a simple task, but to a girl with absolutely minimal experience with dress-selecting, it was kind of daunting. Should I stay in my comfort zone? Or should I branch? My style has been on a major change-binge this fall, so I decided that out-of-comfort-zone was probably best, as I don’t really have a comfort zone right now.

I chose the Meibury dress from her collection. It’s floor-length (never had one), slit-sleeves (still never), and beautifully constructed (DEFINITELY never had that!).The day I received it, I pulled it out of the beautiful packaging, and the first thing I did (and always do) was feel the fabric. I had it in fistfuls, just feeling how thin and luxe it was.

It skims the floor when I’m not wearing shoes, but because the fabric is so wonderful, it moves perfectly with a pair of heels, despite the fact that they’re not covered by the dress. In other words, I was worried it would be awkward with heels, but instead of was glorious.

I definitely saved the best part of Mahtab Azimi for last: the price. At retail, this independently designed, high-quality, and ever-unique dress goes for $89.95. That is an absolute steal, considering how much use I will get out of it (basic with a twist, anyone?) and how amazing I feel in it.

Steal this dress here, or view her other amazing pieces on her site.

Also, if you want to see another fabulous IFB member in a Mahtab Azimi piece, check out the stunning Jennine in the perfect little black party dress.