You’ve got a wedding, a garden party, or a milestone dinner. The invite says “cocktail attire” and you need a dress that does the work. Two brands dominate the under-$300 special occasion space: Reformation and House of CB. Both make dresses people stop you to ask about. They just get there through completely different philosophies. Here’s how to pick the right one for your body, your event, and what you actually want to spend.
Fabric and Construction: What You’re Actually Paying For
Reformation’s entire identity sits on fabric. Walk into their store and you’ll see deadstock crepe, TENCEL™ lyocell, viscose blends, and organic cotton linings. The brand built its reputation on sustainability markers—carbon-neutral shipping, recycled packaging, water-saving production methods. Their viscose twill drapes close to the body without clinging aggressively. The linen blends breathe and wrinkle like real linen (which is to say: a lot).
House of CB takes the opposite approach. Their fabrics aren’t eco-certified and the brand doesn’t pretend otherwise. What you get instead is corsetry-level construction. Most of their dresses have built-in underwire bras, power mesh lining, and boning that runs from bust to hip. The stretch satin they use on the “Tallulah” dress has a weight to it—it’s thick, almost scuba-like, and it holds shape even after hours of sitting. Their cotton poplin dresses are starched to maintain volume.
The tradeoff is real. Reformation’s fabrics feel expensive to the touch but offer zero structural help. House of CB’s fabrics are synthetic-forward but they’ll reshape your torso. Pick based on what you want the dress to do: drape and flow (Reformation) or sculpt and hold (House of CB).
What Falls Apart First
On Reformation dresses, check the shoulder straps. Their silk and viscose styles often use spaghetti straps with minimal reinforcement at the attachment point. After 3-4 wears, you’ll see pulling at the seam. House of CB’s failure point is the zipper. The invisible zippers on their bodycon styles (especially the “Carmen” and “Lolita” dresses) snag on the power mesh lining. Go up a half size if you’re between sizes to reduce zipper tension.
Sizing Reality: The Numbers Don’t Match
Here’s the single most important thing to know before ordering either brand: their size charts are aspirational.
Reformation uses a 0-12 scale that runs approximately one full size small. A Reformation size 6 fits like a standard size 4. Their “True to Size” label on product pages is misleading—it’s true to their sizing, not the industry. The Frankie silk dress in size 8 measures 26.5 inches at the waist. A standard size 8 waist is 28.5 inches. You do the math.
House of CB uses XS-XL with an A-C cup option on most structured dresses. The “bigger cup” option adds about 1.5 inches of bust room without changing the waist measurement. This matters because their corset dresses do not stretch. At all. The power mesh has zero give. If your ribcage measures 31 inches, order the size that lists a 31-inch ribcage—do not size down hoping the boning will stretch. It won’t.
The most common failure mode with both brands: ordering your usual size, trying it on, blaming your body, and returning it. The dress isn’t wrong. The size label is. Measure your bust, waist, and hips with a tape measure before you open either website.
| Measurement Point | Reformation (Size 6) | House of CB (Small, B-C Cup) |
|---|---|---|
| Bust | 33″ | 33.5″ |
| Waist | 26.5″ | 25.5″ |
| Hip | 36.5″ | 36″ |
| Stretch Factor | Moderate (depends on fabric) | None in corset styles |
| Bra Solution | You provide it | Built-in underwire |
Silhouettes That Actually Work for Different Body Types
Reformation wins on one specific shape: the bias-cut slip dress. The Juliette and the Liana hang from the shoulders and skim the body without grabbing anywhere. If you carry weight in your midsection and don’t want compression, this is your dress. The bias cut creates vertical lines that elongate. Pair it with a strappy heel and you’re done. No shapewear required.
House of CB wins on defined waists. Their corset dresses—especially the Tallulah and the Lolita—pull your waist in by about 1.5 inches through boning and power mesh. The hip-to-waist ratio on these dresses is dramatic. If you have a straighter figure and want the illusion of an hourglass, this is the brand that delivers it. The shoulder-to-hip proportions are also exaggerated; their puff-sleeve midi dresses create a strong shoulder line that balances wider hips.
The brand that fails on a specific body type: Reformation’s non-stretch linen dresses look boxy on anyone without a defined waist. The “Marlowe” linen dress has no waist definition at all—it hangs straight from the bust. If you’re under 5’4″, it’ll swallow you. House of CB’s bodycon styles without the corset (like the “Mademoiselle”) require a very specific hip-to-thigh ratio. If your thighs are muscular, size up and expect to tailor the waist.
For the Wedding Guest
Buy Reformation if the wedding is outdoors, daytime, or in warm weather. The viscose and linen breathe. You won’t sweat through them in direct sun. Buy House of CB if the wedding is evening, indoor, or has a formal dress code. The structured satin reads as more formal and photographs better under artificial light. Avoid Reformation’s light-colored silk dresses for weddings where you’ll be seated for long ceremonies—the fabric wrinkles deeply at the hip crease.
Under $300: Exactly What You Can Get
Both brands price most special-occasion dresses between $248 and $298. That’s not an accident. Here’s what the money buys at each brand.
Reformation’s sub-$300 range includes the Juliette bias-cut silk dress ($278), the Frankie gathered midi ($248), and the Liana cowl-neck slip ($268). These are all unlined or partially lined, use viscose or silk, and have simple construction—one or two pattern pieces, no boning, no built-in bra. You’re paying for the fabric and the brand’s sustainability positioning.
House of CB’s sub-$300 range includes the Tallulah corset midi ($269), the Lolita underwire mini ($259), and the Carmen ruched bodycon ($245). These are fully lined, boned, and include built-in bras. You’re paying for construction complexity and the body-sculpting effect.
The $300 ceiling matters because both brands have dresses that creep to $328-$348. Don’t go there for a single-occasion dress. The construction difference between a $278 Reformation and a $328 Reformation is usually just more fabric yardage in a maxi length. The construction difference between a $269 House of CB and a $348 House of CB is often just additional embellishment—pearls, crystals, more boning channels. Neither upgrade is worth it for a one-time wear.
When to Skip Both Brands Entirely
Neither Reformation nor House of CB works well if you need a dress in less than 5 days. Reformation’s shipping is slow—5-7 business days standard, and their expedited option still takes 3 days. House of CB ships from the UK for US orders; customs delays push standard delivery to 7-10 business days. If your event is this weekend, go to a physical Nordstrom or Anthropologie and try on dresses in person.
Skip both brands if you’re between sizes and can’t deal with alterations. Reformation’s bias-cut dresses can be taken in at the side seams, but their viscose fabrics require a tailor who works with delicate materials—budget $35-$60 per alteration. House of CB’s corset dresses cannot be altered meaningfully. The boning channels are sewn into the lining; taking in the waist means removing and reinserting boning, which costs more than the dress.
Skip both if you want a dress that works for multiple occasions across different dress codes. These are statement dresses. The Tallulah corset midi in hot pink reads as “wedding guest” and nothing else. The Juliette in a floral print works for a garden party but looks wrong at a cocktail bar. If you want versatility, buy a solid-color slip dress from Quince ($60) or a structured midi from Aritzia ($150) and style it differently with accessories.
If you’re a size 14 or above, Reformation stops at size 12 in most styles and their extended sizing (14-24) lives in a separate collection with fewer options. House of CB goes to XL with the bigger cup option, which fits roughly a size 14-16 bust with a 12-14 waist. Both brands are limited here. Look at Eloquii or ASOS Design for comparable special occasion dresses with genuine size inclusivity.
The single most important takeaway: buy Reformation if you want fabric that moves and you’re comfortable with your natural shape. Buy House of CB if you want structure that reshapes and you’re willing to stand, sit, and dance in a corset for six hours.
