Item: River Island Ditsy Dress
Appearance: Day of the Doctor
Combined with: Belstaff Roadmaster Jacket, Topshop Alexy Boots, Hobbs NW3 Horseshoe Necklace, black tights, Topshop Mixed Outlad Earrings (studs), Dents Classic Ladies Driving Gloves
Original Retail Price: Unknown
Materials: 100% viscose
This dress came into my possession quite late and I have another cosplayer and my dear friend from England to thank for that (one for finding it on eBay, the other for bringing it over during her visit), but now I finally get to write a review.
Pricing and Materials
Among cosplayers, this dress can be quite expensive (up to £100 or more), but it can be found on eBay UK quite often and, depending on how many cosplayers are watching the auction, it can sell for under £10. The challenge here is to find someone willing to ship outside the UK (if you can’t use a UK friend’s address). I’ve seen several cosplayers struggle with that and if that is the case for you, don’t hesitate to ask a fellow cosplayer from the UK. Seriously, please don’t feel bad about it. Helping each other out is very common among cosplayers. I’ve lost count of how many things I’ve sent abroad and how many times I’ve had help from the UK. If you’re new to cosplaying Clara and shy about asking, don’t be. The majority loves helping out because we’ve all been in the situation of needing that kind of help. But let’s have a look at the dress itself.
The dress is made of a really light fabric (100% viscose), so it can be easily damaged. That is one of the reasons it’s probably a good idea not to spend £100 on it. But due to being very light, it makes for a fantastic summer dress that looks sweet and romantic. I really love the cherry blossom pattern of this one.
Finding the Right Size
It fits true to size and can be tied in the back, but Claras with a bigger cup size might want to consider sizing up. For a regular size UK8 with a European C-cup, it would probably be wise to buy a UK10 instead. The tie in the back only really affects the waist area, so go after what fits your cup size best and adjust the waist accordingly. Again, this is one of Clara’s shorter items that might bug some taller Claras. On a dwarf like me, it is the right length for a summer dress.
A skirt and a blouse have been made out of the same material and especially the skirt is a nice alt version if you can’t find the dress. Clara wears the jacket at all times during the episode except for the opening scene, so it wouldn’t really be noticeable under it. However, owning the skirt version as well, I have to admit that it wrinkles quite quickly. The dress doesn’t. I have no idea why.
There’s not much else I can say to describe the dress except maybe that it is a very iconic Clara look that is really suitable for a convention. Whether you buy the skirt or the dress, Whovians will recognize who you dressed up as and you’ll be grateful to own this dress during the warm summer months.
