Customer Reviews Arc'teryx Contenta Dress

I love this dress. It is perfect for travelling and packs well. It is functional as well as looks great. Highly recommend.

Flott kjole, behagelig stoff. Kjpt denne i flere farger og er veldig fornyd.

This dress is one of my best buys!! It fits super comfortable and can be worn day or night.

I am a long distance backpacker and this dress is exactly what I have been dreaming of. It has never blown up on me in the wind, the adjustable synch at the waste can be loosened for more privacy or a longer fit OR it can be tightened to hike it up when you are trying to get a hitch into town :) I dig the zipper pocket for some of my essentials, chapstick, pink swiss army knife, and ID. The pockets on each side are deep enough that nothing falls out, I can even fit my CO trail pocket guide in there! Drys super fast, I like wearing it to sleep, helps keeps my hips a little warmer. This dress also looks super cute with a flannel and flip flops, or even a cardigan and flats just sayin'! It has been worn with a backpack for over 300 miles so far this summer and still looks brand new. I have it in 3 colors and love them all. It could be a tiny bit looser in the armpit area, or maybe they could use that same stretchy material as the cuffs of the Atom LT jacket... wow I hope they read this. Anyway, this is the dress you want. Enjoy! NoBadDaZe

It is about the only thing I wore on my vacation. It is now on my list of travel essentials when travelling light. I hope Arcteryx keeps making this style.

I was drawn to this dress first by the fabric - I was looking for something to travel in, that would be discreet and not 'give away' heavy perspiration, not wrinkle, and that would wash and dry easily. This dress is definitely all those things. But get this - when I tried it on - this dress is sexy! The picture doesn't quite do it justice. You can wear this dress on a hike or to a music festival or a fancy date. Also, pockets, amiright? I wear this dress at least 3 days a week. One note on sizing - if you're taller than 5'8 and don't want it super short, order a size up. It's a slouchy fit anyway.

Cool, easy to care for, wrinkle free. Best of all it has three pockets. Always so hard to find dresses that have pockets. Women's manufacturers don't ever get it. Not every woman carries a "purse." We Need Pockets." This is the best dress. Now they need to make a dress like this of a little heavier material to travel in colder weather. Maybe even some one piece jumpsuits. Pockets and easy care material. Great combination. I could go on and recommend other ideas for designers. Some of us want practical clothes.

I bought this dress after loving the Cala dress from last year. I find it flattering - I'm 5'5", 140lbs and 34DDD. That said, the older version of the contenta dress did not look nice on me at all. I'm just glad for a dress that fits :)

I have purchased a few Contenta dresses in the last few years (through Amazon). I love the Contenta quick drying material, and how easily it can be used for any occasion. I was a fan of the shift dress, but when I saw that this covered my shoulders I wanted to try it. I am 5'1" 120lbs and about a 34 B/C. I normally wear a 6 petite. I carry my weight in my middle (a bit), and my shoulders are muscular from swimming. The previous shift dress worked for me because it was so simple. This dress is very different from that style. In fact, I agree with other reviewers that it should not have the same name. I doubt people will use it for the same purpose, either, but this should not discourage people from buying it. It is an AMAZING travel dress that will look classy under any circumstance. Here are some differences between this dress and the previous designs: -This version seems to be cut a lot differently. I had to size down from a small to an extra small. The top has a lot of room/flow to it, and if you have small shoulders or a frame, you will need to size down a lot. -The skirt of this dress is tighter at the bottom (or at least it seemed that way to me). There's no way you could use this as a hiking dress. There's no slit, so you wouldn't be scrambling. My suggestion is to add a small zipper slit in the future. -The tie jazzes the dress up a lot. This is another reason why I will not be taking this dress to my next relaxed outing. It's too nice! I think that this dress will be flattering on a whole different body type than the other dress, but I can see why fans of the other design are upset. I will be buying this in more colors because I feel great in it!

I have purchased a few Contenta dresses in the last few years (through Amazon). I love the Contenta quick drying material, and how easily it can be used for any occasion. I was a fan of the shift dress, but when I saw that this covered my shoulders I wanted to try it. I am 5'1" 120lbs and about a 34 B/C. I normally wear a 6 petite. I carry my weight in my middle (a bit), and my shoulders are muscular from swimming. The previous shift dress worked for me because it was so simple. This dress is very different from that style. In fact, I agree with other reviewers that it should not have the same name. I doubt people will use it for the same purpose, either, but this should not discourage people from buying it. It is an AMAZING travel dress that will look classy under any circumstance. Here are some differences between this dress and the previous designs: -This version seems to be cut a lot differently. I had to size down from a small to an extra small. The top has a lot of room/flow to it, and if you have small shoulders or a frame, you will need to size down a lot. -The skirt of this dress is tighter at the bottom (or at least it seemed that way to me). There's no way you could use this as a hiking dress. There's no slit, so you wouldn't be scrambling. My suggestion is to add a small zipper slit in the future. -The tie jazzes the dress up a lot. This is another reason why I will not be taking this dress to my next relaxed outing. It's too nice! I think that this dress will be flattering on a whole different body type than the other dress, but I can see why fans of the other design are upset. I will be buying this in more colors because I feel great in it!

I have three of these and one of the shift version. I love the new higher neckline compared to my older ones but I wish the pockets had been kept the same. I now find I can't put anything more than a credit card in without it pulling the whole lower half of the dress out of shape. I found these dresses so versatile that I could go to work, up a fell, to a lake and walk the dog in hot weather when I didn't need to take a bag because the pockets were so useful for keys, phone, dog treats & poop bags. But the new pockets don't work so well. Wish I could combine the old and new dress- have the higher neckline with the old sewn in place, not so deep pockets!! Still great fabric, fast drying and look good.

I bought a black Contenta dress last summer and liked it so much that decided to order it in another color. However the light green is too light and the wrinkles show a lot more that on the black dress.

Even with the design changes, this dress is awesome. The fabric is lovely and dries quickly. I can roll it in my suitcase and wear it when I arrive. I have this dress in three colours and will buy more because it is so darned flexible. BUT my favorite and the most flattering by far is my first - purchased before the higher neckline and armholes were introduced. Those changes altered the overall look to "sporty" and made it less breathable/breezy, which it needs because the fabric can feel warm in very hot weather. Too bad. But still, a really great dress.

I love this dress! I just didn't fit me well enough to keep it. I'm 5'4", 120 lbs. I orderd the small based on other reviews and it fit everywhere but the bust. I'm a 34DD and it was just a bit too tight there to be comfortable. A larger size would have been too big elsewhere. The fabric is light and would be perfect for our humid Florida summers. Would travel well, and it feels like it would dry quickly. Loved that it had pockets that sort of blended in to the fabric. Sad to return it. If it fits, you've got a winner in this one!

Lovely material, soft and silky. I love the color (Ixora). I ordered both xs and small and although they both fit I went with the small as it felt more comfortable on top. Nice length , I am 5' 41/2" and it skimmed my knees. I will probably wear this in place of shorts or as a tunic over jeans, it works either way!

I actually like this dress more than I thought I would and will be probably buy another color. It's a easy item to just throw on and I like that it's super lightweight. I almost feel like I'm hardly wearing anything at all!!

I bought the older version (2015) in black and I love it. I wear this for work meetings and out and about. The black is super flattering. I wear it without cinching the waist, more like a drop waist. My one complaint is that it pills. I don't know if they fixed this with the new version but I am currently looking to buy the red or orange color despite the pilling. I am 5'9", 165 lbs, and a DD and the medium works and is fitted, the large is a little looser but still fits for a more relaxed look.

Great lines, lovely fabric. The cut is so off. Very, very broad across shoulders/chest. Cut for someone with a very broad back. Would love to see cut revised. Love the lines.

I really love the material and pockets in this dress. It is the perfect dress for a hot summer day, and is functional with two pockets as well as a zipper pocket for important things. The only downside is that I feel the bottom isn't wide enough, while biking and hiking I feel a bit restricted in this dress.

Ordered 2 of these dress after falling in love with the last year's contenta dress. The fabric is light for summer, but the shape is not great at all. Please bring back the old contenta style with elastic instead of tie. I feel like I'm in a maternity dress.

I have two of your old Contenta dresses (original ones maybe) with the dropped waist, and lower neck line. They are my favourite go to dresses for summer. They are flattering, cool, easy to wear on their own or add a shirt or sweater over top. Please bring back the original style. This new version is nothing like the old one. Why not create a new dress with a new name and bring back the original (in decent cheerful summer colours) under it's name. Was hoping to update my wardrobe but will be wearing my old ones for another season.

Why oh why oh why would you mess with the world's most perfect dress?! Every season I order new colors in the original Contenta Dress -- the old scoop-neck style, which I find much more comfortable. This high-neck version is too constricting and rides too far up on my neck. Not at all what I want in warmer weather. Please bring back the old scoop-neck cut!

Why oh why oh why would you mess with the world's most perfect dress?! Every season I order new colors in the original Contenta Dress -- the old scoop-neck style, which I find much more comfortable. This high-neck version is too constricting and rides too far up on my neck. Not at all what I want in warmer weather. Please bring back the old scoop-neck cut!

I now have 3 of these dresses at size small. I bought one of the first - in black - but it is cut too tight under the arms so I don't always wear it for this reason. The second - bought later - is white and this was cut looser so I assumed Arcteryx had received comments and altered the cut. To replace the first black one I bought another. But guess what - this is tight again! I despair. My only option is to cut the arm holes. I really like these dresses so easy to wear, cool and don't crease. I have had problems with inconsistent sizes - I demonstrated this in the London flagship store with two pairs of shorts that were almost a size different.