First look: Alice Cullen’s Twenty8Twelve Camella shift dress

When I was at Forever Twilight in Forks this year, my friend Jessica presented me with the most amazing gift: Alice’s Twenty8Twelve Camella shift dress, which she wore during the graduation party scene in Eclipse. As it turns out, when Jessica originally found the dress on eBay, she actually came across two – and purchased one for me as a surprise. Be still, my heart.

I’ve experienced a lot of that sort of kindness at Forever Twilight in Forks, through my Twilight friend group, and via my blog and social channels. But the generosity and kindness of this fandom somehow never ceases to amaze me.

I’m not one to hoard an amazing gift and keep it all to myself, so I decided to do a little photo shoot in the dress at Forever Twilight in Forks. I had a specific vision, which I worked with the Olympic Coven’s photographer, Andy, to bring to life: I wanted to show Alice fans how the dress looks and fits with no alterations – on me, anyway – in real life. But I also wanted to capture a playful and sometimes melancholy feeling in the photos, which the dress lends itself toward. In my opinion, it’s easy to look both playful and a little lost in an oversized, baby doll-style dress.

I really love this dress. The rouching at the sleeves and collar add interesting structure to an otherwise loose flow. But its silk content means it wrinkles easily, making it a higher maintenance look than you might initially think.

There’s no real way around this: like most things in my wardrobe – especially my Alice pieces – I’m going to need this tailored for optimal fit. From the side – not pictured here! – the dress billows around me, making it resemble maternity wear. The sleeves hang loosely on my arms, whereas they fit Ashley snugly, and the hem should ideally hit an inch or two higher on my thighs to elongate my legs. Lastly, the construction of the sheath silhouette reminds me why I tend not to wear this style in real life: it drowns me! I’ll need to have it slimmed out – without compromising the overall integrity of the style.

If you’re as small as I am and happen to come across the Camella shift dress, you may have to get yours altered, too – or hemmed, at the very least. But if you’re taller or broader than I am in the shoulders, chest and arms, you should be okay.

Overall? I love this dress, and I’m so happy to finally have it as part of my collection. With a few tweaks, it’ll be perfect.

If you’re looking to add Alice’s graduation party dress to your own collection, try looking for the following search terms on eBay and Poshmark:

• Twenty8Twelve dress
• Camella shift dress
• Blue shift dress
• Blue sheath dress
• Rouched sheath dress

Happy hunting!

xoxo,
Alice Cullen

Hair design: @jmillsmakeupandhair | Makeup design: @strainquemua | Photography: Andy Arnell