Kitten Plus Wet Look Low-Cut Halter Dress with Mesh Insert 17-7602XK

What this dress is

The Kitten Plus 17-7602XK is a women's wet look halter mini dress made by Allure Lingerie in black, with a cut-away centre front and a single band of sheer mesh running right around the waist. Allure Lingerie packages it under the title "Wet Look Halter Dress" in its Kitten Plus line, in one size cut to plus-size proportions.

You will find it under Dresses & Bodysuits for the straightforward reason that it is a dress: one garment covering the torso and hips and ending on the thigh, worn as a single piece with nothing needed underneath it to complete the shape. Shoppers who browse by label rather than by shape will also find it filed under Kitten Plus.

Questions of fibre content and laundering are settled by the label stitched inside the dress. Where that label and this page differ, the label is correct.

How it is cut

Almost all of the 17-7602XK is the glossy wet look fabric; the sheer mesh appears once, as a horizontal band, and the openings are placed where they carry the line of the garment.

At the throat the dress is held by a narrow halter band that passes around the neck and ties at the nape, with the ends of the tie left hanging behind. That band is the only thing crossing the shoulders — there are no sleeves and no shoulder straps, and the shoulders are bare.

Below the neck band the centre front is cut away. A small keyhole sits immediately beneath the band, and beneath that is a deep rounded opening across the centre of the bust, so the front is open from the collarbone down to roughly the base of the bust. On either side of those openings the wet look fabric runs unbroken up to the neck band, and that is what frames the centre front rather than simply leaving it bare.

The armholes are cut low, dropping well below the underarm on each side, which narrows the bodice at the sides and leaves the whole upper arm and shoulder clear.

At the waist the fabric changes. One band of sheer mesh runs right around the body, joining the bodice to the skirt and sitting a little below the natural waistline. It is continuous — across the front, over each hip and straight across the back — so it reads as a stripe of transparency around the middle of a garment that is otherwise solid.

The back is covered, with one detail in it: a narrow slit opens at the top of the back directly below the neck tie and closes again between the shoulder blades. From there down, the back is unbroken wet look fabric to the waist mesh, and then the skirt.

The skirt sits close to the body and ends high on the thigh, well above the knee. A seam runs down the centre back and the sides are shaped rather than cut straight, which is how the skirt follows the curve of the hip instead of hanging off it. Apart from the tie at the neck, there is nothing to fasten at the front or the back.

The wet look and the mesh

The wet look fabric has a coated, high-shine face, and on a close-cut dress that finish does a particular job: the shape of the garment is picked out in bands of reflected light rather than in shadow, so it reads from across a room. It is completely opaque, and the gloss is directional, which means the same panel looks near-black over most of its width and much paler along whichever edge happens to be turned towards the light.

Against that, the mesh does the opposite. It is an open knit, flat and matte, with nothing woven into it by way of pattern, and it is transparent enough that skin colour comes straight through. Because there is only one band of it on the entire dress, it works as a deliberate interruption in the shine rather than as a second fabric competing for attention — a clear horizontal line drawn across the middle of a garment that is otherwise one continuous surface.

Both fabrics are black. Their composition is given on the dress's own label, which is why no fibre percentage appears anywhere on this page.

How to wear it

Undo the knot at the neck before you start, and step into the dress from the floor instead of pulling it down over your head. A coated surface catches on hair, earrings and shoulders on the way past, and going in from below keeps the glossy face clear of all three.

Bring it up and deal with the skirt first. Use the flat of your hand rather than your fingertips, working upward from the hem — gripping a coated fabric is what puts creases into it, and a crease on a shiny panel throws back light just as brightly as the panel around it, so it does not hide. Checking that the centre-back seam runs straight down the middle is the fastest way to know the skirt has gone on square.

Level the mesh band next. It is the only horizontal line anywhere on the dress, which makes it the first thing anyone reads and also the first thing to look wrong if it has twisted or climbed higher on one side. Correct it by easing the skirt and bodice away from the band, not by dragging on the band itself.

Knot the neck last, once everything below it has settled. The length you leave in the loop decides how high the front of the dress rides: take it up and the front lifts and the centre opening draws narrower; let it out and the whole front drops. As for how tight to make it, one finger should pass under the band at the back of your neck without a struggle. All the weight of the dress front hangs from that one point, so a band pulled too close becomes a nuisance well before the night is over, while a slack one lets the front hang lower than the cut intends.

Plan on resetting the hem each time you get up. A short skirt cut this close rides when you sit and does not travel back down by itself. Bring it back by smoothing downward from the waist — pulling on the hem edge itself only stretches it.

Who it is for

This dress is made for adults in a single size, cut to plus-size proportions. Because it is a complete garment rather than a frame or a set, it does something much of the Kitten Plus line does not: it can be worn out as an outfit on its own, for a club night, a costume or a party, as readily as it is worn at home. The transparent band at the waist and the open centre front place it squarely in the after-dark bracket and nowhere near daywear.

It is only fair to be blunt about one-size garments: no single cut can fit everyone, and this one is no exception. On this particular style the bust and the hip are the two measurements that decide the outcome, because the dress is close through both of them and together they govern whether the mesh band lands around your middle or strays up onto the ribs or down over the hip bone. Take a tape to both rather than reasoning from a dress size, and if you would like the maker's own figures for this style before you commit, get in touch and we will ask for them.

Height deserves a thought too, more than it would on a top or a two-piece. The hem is drawn as a mini to begin with, and a one-length dress rises on a longer body — so a tall frame should expect it to finish higher up the thigh than a mini usually does.

Good to know

• Fibre content and washing method are printed on the label sewn into the dress. That label governs; nothing on this page overrides it.
• Coated, shiny fabrics and heat are a poor combination as a general rule — skip the tumble dryer, keep an iron off the glossy face, and avoid hot water.
• An open knit this fine will catch on almost anything. Rings off before you handle it, and keep it well away from hook-and-loop fastenings, brickwork and exposed zip teeth.
• Let the dress drip or lie flat to dry, and resist wringing it out. A twist in a coated fabric can leave a crease behind that never quite settles.
• Put it away opened out, either flat or over a hanger. A fold pressed into a glossy surface for weeks tends to still be there when you take it out.
• Give body lotion, oil or fake tan time to dry before you dress. All three transfer readily onto a coated face and into an open knit.
• An adult garment, sold to buyers aged 18 and over.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the mesh insert on the 17-7602XK?

The mesh is a single band that runs right around the waist, a little below the natural waistline. It crosses the front, passes over each hip and continues straight across the back, joining the bodice to the skirt, and it is genuinely sheer — skin reads through it. Every other part of the dress is the opaque wet look fabric.

How does the halter fasten?

It ties. A narrow band passes around the neck and is knotted at the nape, with the ends of the tie left hanging behind, and that tie is the only fastening on the garment — there is nothing to fasten at the front or the back. Where you place the knot sets how high the front of the dress sits.

Is the back of this dress open?

No, the back is covered. The only break in it is a narrow slit at the top, directly below the neck tie, which closes again between the shoulder blades. Below that the back is unbroken wet look fabric down to the mesh waist band, and then the skirt continues to the hem.

How short is the skirt?

It is a mini, ending high on the thigh and well above the knee. The skirt is cut close to the body and follows the hip rather than hanging loose from it, so expect it to ride up as you sit down and to need smoothing back into place when you stand.

How is my order packaged for delivery?

Your order arrives in plain outer packaging. Nothing printed on the outside pictures or names what is inside, and the return address gives no clue as to the type of goods being sent.

Product information compiled and reviewed by the Gear Isle product team. We transcribe product specifications directly from manufacturer packaging. Found an error? Tell us.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Adult novelty device for adults 18 and over. Consult a licensed healthcare professional before use, especially if you have a medical condition. Keep out of reach of children.