Free Assembly midsize dress try on | Miss Mustard Seed (2024)

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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Walmart. As always, all words and opinions shared are honest and my own.

There are times when I’ll do one of these fashion posts for Walmart and I’ll find a few things that would be fun to add to my wardrobe, but when I looked at the new Free Assembly launch, I found so many things I loved. I mean, the number of boxes coming to the house was pretty comical. I had to tell Jeff it was for a partnership so he didn’t give me a sideways glance. I loved the colors, the fabrics, the silhouettes, and the classic styling. I decided to try on a bunch of things so I could show them to you and give them an honest review. Since I got so many things, I’m breaking up the reviews into two posts. In this one, I’m sharing a line-up of some of their beautiful dresses…

Clockwise from top left – White midi dress | Navy Pleated Shirtdress | Twist-front cotton dress | Pleated Dress with Flutter Sleeves | Sleeveless V-neck Cotton Dress | Belted Maxi-Shirtdress | Denim Midi Dress | Ruffle-neck Midi Dress

First of all, I love shopping from Walmart online and trying the clothes on at home. I’m always respectful of the clothing and shoes and try them on just as I would in the store. I keep the tags on and make sure I don’t smudge any makeup on them or anything. I keep them hanging up so they stay in new condition if I decide to return them. The thing I love most, though, is that I can try them on with other pieces in my wardrobe. I can play around with different shoes, jackets, shirts, pants, etc. to see how they interact with things I already own. I feel like I’m able to make better decisions when I can do that.

I decided to keep a lot of these pieces because they are well-made, well-priced, and flattering, but I did return a few pieces that didn’t look as good on my figure. Walmart makes returns so easy and, as a Walmart+ member, I can even get returns picked up from my house, which makes the process incredibly easy.

So, let’s take a look at some of these dresses and how they look on a mid-sized body. Here is an Instagram Reel showing my try-on session, so you can see how the clothes fit and move…

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I took screenshots of the dresses so I could provide a little commentary on the material, fit, and if I kept the dress or returned it.

Before we get further into this, though, let me articulate how out of my comfort zone this is! Anytime a sponsor asks me to get in front of the camera, I feel my stomach drop. It’s not that I’m shy (definitely not) or think I’m hideous, but I didn’t start writing this blog to become a model. It’s just not my thing. I worked all that out in my theatre days and I prefer painting, writing, and being behind the camera. But, I also recognize the value of seeing clothes on a human body. I know I’m a very average size because my size in clothes and shoes is usually wiped out. The size 2s and XXS are almost always still available.

So, here we go. I’m taking a deep breath and hoping everyone realizes I’m not a fashion model, I’m not trying to be, and I probably need a haircut.

The first dress is this belted shirt dress, which I loved. I love a good button-up shirt and shirt dress. I always think of Ina Garten and how she has made an entire successful career wearing a blue button-up shirt. You just can’t go wrong. I’m just shy of 5’6 and wearing an XL Petite. (In fact, I’m wearing an XL in all of these dresses, but this is the only one that’s petite.) I always order the petite in long dresses because I tend to sit on the short side of regular and the tall side of petite. I would rather have a bit more ankle showing than have the dress touch the floor. The fabric is cotton and, since the try-on, I have washed and ironed it and it washed well.

Tying the waste on dresses isn’t super comfortable for me, but I have been convinced that it is flattering on most figures and worth a try. I tried this on with a navy jacket I already had and that looked very cute, too. The knitted navy shoes I’m wearing with all of these dresses are also from Walmart HERE. I wear them often because they are so comfortable and versatile.

I think this combo ended up being one of my favorites. I paired the sleeveless cotton dress with a ruffled-neck striped shirt (that has embroidered dots and ruched sleeves.) I wasn’t sure how the pairing would work, but I think it’s super cute. I don’t love wearing sleeveless shirts or dresses, so I usually layer a shirt under them or a jacket over them. I think I could do either with this dress. I like the classic shape and the crisp cotton fabric. It looks much more expensive than it is.

This cotton ruffled-neck dress is sort of a combo of the shirt dress and ruffled-neck shirt and I loved it as well! I’ll show it in the next try-on, but I also paired it with jeans and a white shirt and wore it more like a jacket. It had sort of an artist’s smock vibe, which I really liked. As with the shirt, the sleeves are ruched and the dots are embroidered which really elevates the look. It was a keeper, too.

I really wanted to love this pleated dress on me. The fabric has a silky feel making it feel a bit more formal. I also loved the print and the pleated skirt. It just wasn’t the most flattering on my body shape. It wasn’t horrible, but I thought other dresses worked better on me.

This last twist-front cotton dress was also so cute, but it fit me a little odd across the chest. Off the hanger, though, it was one of my favorites. I think the shape will be flattering on most people and it’s a great dress for late summer.

So, I ended up returning the last two dresses, but I kept everything else. The only other dress I tried on from the graphic above but didn’t include in the video is the white dress with the tie-on straps. That was definitely not made for me! I was skeptical when I ordered it and that was confirmed when I tried it on. It just didn’t have enough shape for me and looked like a bedsheet. I think it would look adorable on someone who can wear flowy dresses like that. It would also be a cute swimsuit cover-up.

I hope you enjoyed my try-on and commentary. As I said, I have a lot more pieces to share, so we’re going to be doing another one in a few days.

Let me know if you have any questions about any of these pieces. Free Assembly tends to sell out quickly, so I would suggest checking it out and getting what catches your eye if it’s available in your size.

I also put together a round-up of some clothes to transition from summer to fall. The palette is classic and they are great pieces to mix and match and layer. You can find links to everything HERE.

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