Customer Reviews Arc'teryx Contenta Dress

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.

THis is darling and imagine it could be super versatile, BUT it is very short. I am 5'9" athletic build ordered a large. Fits great except that it is so short. Will unfortunately be returning. But if you are a couple inches shorter or perhaps very slender - don't hesitate to buy this cute lil number!

I was attracted to the vibrant red color of this handy travel dress. When I opened the package, however, the color looked less like bright (orange-based) red and more like a deep (blue-based) red. That was disappointing to start with. I ordered the medium and it didn't fit at all. It was too tight in the bust and hips. If you're busty, consider ordering the Large. If it had fit, I would've worn it loose without cinching the drawstring waistband. The band cut low across my hips in a very uncomfortable place. I returned the dress because it didn't work for me at all. The fabric is light and will travel well. The deep pockets are a nice feature too.

I liked the idea of the drop waist on this one but it just didn't hit me in the write spot. I'm thicker in the middle and the waist was accentuating it instead of hiding it. The top part fit nicely and it was very lightweight. I did like the pockets and the hidden zipper pocket. Just not for me.

Tie dresses normally flatter me and I've liked both the Contenta shift and the Contenta so I expected this to be a great purchase. It was so horribly disappointing. It fit weird everywhere. I wouldn't be able to wear this dress as a casual around-town dress let alone as an active dress the way I've used the past Contenta dresses. The tie would snag and the cut is so incredibly unflattering. The material is good quality which is the only reason I gave this product 2 stars. I LOVED the old shift dress it was easy to pull on over shorts after a long sweaty run or wear for a casual hike. I would have bought several more if I'd known the style was going away. Please bring it back!

Love everything about it, except that there is zero room for hips or booty. If you have a hourglass shape, the top will fit you perfectly, but the bottom is super tight. Not comfortable or flattering.

Definetly not the great styling of the Cala dress from last year. Loose large fit no shape . A real dissapointment. The pockets and hidden zip pocket are thebone redeaming feature. The Cala dress fro thebpast collectiin was one of the best designed well fitted casual yet stylish fantastic pattern wit a lovely neckline nice front details great darts wonderful hidden pockets nicely fitted back for a shapely silhouette. Pleasebplease please bring it back in new colours.

I have no idea why Arcteryx would mess with the perfection that was the contenta and contenta shift. I would have bought one in every decent staple color. Sad. The contenta shift was the most perfect dress ever.

I have 8 different colour of the older version of the Contenta shift and Contenta dress, I love it! This new version looks like a potato sack - even on the model. Arcteryx seems to be making a lot of design and fitting changes to their products and are losing their focus. They need to stay on track with excellent cut, fabric and functional designs. I am disappointed with a number of the "revised " designs this year.

I am 5'2 and weigh 112 lbs. this dress and all of arc teryx dresses just hang on me. Wish they would come out with a XXS

This was way too short for me, even if I didn't pull the drawstring. Might work out better on a very petite woman. I also thought sizing ran small.

Another product made for a square, thick, fat torso, and skinny legs. This collection is terrible! Arc'teryx used to be so elegant! Women do not have bodies like that!. The fabric is great, but this design is soo ugly, the dress looks cheap and does not fit anyone.

I purchased this a month ago at a retail store, as I have lived many years wearing my years old contenta shift. This version is not the same quality. I found it uncomfortable and unflattering.

Please bring back the old Contenta Shift Dress-It's my go to dress! The shift dress is so cute, classy, sporty, and flattering. This dress is just not the same & the fit is not as flattering.

Loved the original. With the drawstring left loose it was a nice shift dress that you could wear out in the evening to a restaurant with nice sandals and a wrap. You could wear it the next day with sneakers. Or at the beach as a cover up and walk straight to a cafe without looking like you've come from the beach. This version just doesn't feel as versatile because the high collar is frumpy. I am putting on sunscreen anyway so I'd rather have a more versatile and stylish dress and spread the sunscreen a few more centimetres! I would suggest that you go back to the original. I'm afraid I just won't buy this one.

Due du nouveau design. Encolure trop petite, moins confortable au cou et cre un look moins classique passe partout. Svp revenir l'ancien modle. J'en prendrais de diffrentes couleurs. J'adore l'ancien modele que j'ai!

Like many others it seems, I am not a fan of this redesign. I own several of these dresses, purchased at different points over the years. I have pretty broad shoulders and bust, so I do enjoy the additional room there, but find the higher neckline uncomfortable. Additionally, since I wear mine to work in a warehouse, I'm often layering shirts over the top in winter and the high neck shows above the collars. The lack of a plastic lock to cinch the waist is annoying as I now have to tie /untie knots to adjust it and get it to stay put. However, the pocket placement in this version compared to the old versions is the real deal breaker. My other dresses have patch style pockets placed a bit further back on sides/hips. These pockets are the reason I bought so many of this dress. They were deep enough to fit my binoculars while hiking, my wallet and phone while shopping, or to stick my RF in at work. The new ones however are in seam bag style pockets. While still roomy, they now sit in front of my thighs/knees and whatever I end up putting in them bounces around down by my knees when I walk/run. They lay funny and kind of bag out even when empty. And the bottoms of them end up peeking out from under the hem when I sit down. I hate these pockets so much I'm considering sewing the seams closed and just cutting them off. I unfortunately won't be buying anymore of this design and can't recommend it.

Like many others it seems, I am not a fan of this redesign. I own several of these dresses, purchased at different points over the years. I have pretty broad shoulders and bust, so I do enjoy the additional room there, but find the higher neckline uncomfortable. Additionally, since I wear mine to work in a warehouse, I'm often layering shirts over the top in winter and the high neck shows above the collars. The lack of a plastic lock to cinch the waist is annoying as I now have to tie /untie knots to adjust it and get it to stay put. However, the pocket placement in this version compared to the old versions is the real deal breaker. My other dresses have patch style pockets placed a bit further back on sides/hips. These pockets are the reason I bought so many of this dress. They were deep enough to fit my binoculars while hiking, my wallet and phone while shopping, or to stick my RF in at work. The new ones however are in seam bag style pockets. While still roomy, they now sit in front of my thighs/knees and whatever I end up putting in them bounces around down by my knees when I walk/run. They lay funny and kind of bag out even when empty. And the bottoms of them end up peeking out from under the hem when I sit down. I hate these pockets so much I'm considering sewing the seams closed and just cutting them off. I unfortunately won't be buying anymore of this design and can't recommend it.

Nice dress, but fabric pill badly after light use in 3 weeks, 2 gentle wash