Review: Pearl Lowe For Peacocks Dresses

When I tried on the first Pearl Lowe for Peacocks dress yesterday I was surprised by the fit...it was actually quite large! I needn't have worried about not fitting these dresses, because they are all cut generously. I would perhaps suggest buying one size smaller than usual, because I have a very large bust and even on me, these dresses were roomy.

I am over the moon with them though, really I am. It's so nice to find flattering dresses that make you feel good, look stylish and aren't bursting at the seams! All too often it's easy to settle for second best because there just isn't the same amount of choice and variety for us larger girls. These dresses however, are the type that I'd be proud to wear if I were a size 10 or a 20.

Now I'm someone who appreciates a well-made garment. At Uni we were taught so many technical things about garment construction and hems, seam allowances, overlocking etc etc and then suddenly the high street changed and along came masses of unfinished looking pieces. It's acceptable to wear a t-shirt with an overlocked or freshly cut hem with no proper seam. Interfacings (I used to adore the machine we used for this btw, it was so much fun) and linings are a rare thing to find these days and while I understand it's mostly because of the Primark et al boom and the need for fast, cheap and throw away fashion, it's still nice to see that these skills haven't been completely forgotten.

All of these dresses are well made and have proper interfaced pieces and neatly finished hems and covered fabric buttons with proper button loops. I was a little sceptical that the 'designer name' alone was the reason for the pricing, so I'm glad to be proved wrong, it's definitely because of the higher quality finish.

Anyway first up is this black tea dress with red roses on it (as seen on Holly Willoughby on This Morning). This is quite a difficult length to pull off, below the knee and is definitely for tights or bare legs-the proportions with leggings would be all wrong. The sleeves are split and overlap and there is a tie around the waist. This is the first one I tried on and probably the largest on me. It's quite high around the neckline (back and sides) which is taking a bit of getting used to. Typical 50's shape and with ample room for my boobies.
This pale green and blue floral number is the shortest of the bunch and perfect with leggings. I was really concerned about the top half of this dress, but needn't have worried, because although it is the neatest fit, it isn't too tight (I thought I'd be squished into it). The colours in this are just beautiful, it ties around the waist and the short sleeves have lovely button details. One button on mine though has been stitched with the sleeve folded back, so I'll have to unpick it then sew the button back on-it's just been caught in by mistake (as shown in the image). Love the crochet hem detail.
Another green one, probably my least favourite. It's pretty, don't get me wrong, but the others I love more. It's button through all down the centre front, but because it's quite roomy, there's no gaping (yay). I think I'll need to wear a camisole top under this as it's quite low cut. Again, it has the nice button detail on the sleeves and is slightly longer in length so best with bare legs or tights.
This is the most expensive piece in the collection and I absolutely adore it. Holly also wore this one on This Morning-she has good taste! It has a decent quality slip underneath which is attached at the shoulders of the dress, then this sheer blue polka dot dress over the top. As I anticipated, it hangs beautifully, with pretty pleats from the waist. The belt has a lovely surprise at the back as it is gathered red fabric, not at all cheap looking and a beautiful contrast to the blue. I love the ruched sleeves and smocked shoulders, I want to wear this every day! Please produce it in other colours Peacocks and I'll buy every single one! I hope you get a decent enough idea of them on the hanger, click images to enlarge.
Update 18th June *Peacocks now have additional stock of these dresses on their site now after some styles and a lot of sizes sold out.*