Pearl Lowe: Peacocks Review

Apologies for this post taking so long. I initially considered a video, then the light was never right and I just feel uncomfortable doing videos, so that was out. I took photos, again the light wasn't great (Scottish winter to blame) and although you can see details, you can't see how the dresses hang etc. So I settled on a combination of the two after much procrastination and here it is. You'll remember I bought all 4 Pearl Lowe pieces online at Peacocks (3 dresses and one jumpsuit) and I had mixed emotions when my order arrived. I'll go through each item separately and at the bottom of the page is my You Tube video, just a quick look at the items hanging on a hanger to give you an idea of length.

First up is the fan print jumpsuit. I bought this with the intention of cutting and sewing it into a dress (still undecided on full length or shorter). I haven't had time to sort that out yet, but I would think it would work well because the legs are so wide. Like so wide. As a jumpsuit, it probably looks like a dress anyway, because of this. I'm saying 'probably' because I've never actually tried it on properly, given that I need it unzipped to get on, but can't do up a centre back zip by myself when wearing it (the dress option will fix this because I never un-do zips to put dresses on). I was happy with this one anyway, it's got a classic PL vibe with the details such as the buttons and piping and great care has been taken over the structure and seaming of the sleeves etc. It's 100% polyester with that crepe like appearance, which although it is polyester, I don't mind, because it's a decent weight and hangs well whilst doing it's 'structural' job in certain places where the design allows. The entire range were marked £10 more expensive on their tags than the retail price online. This could be because it's 'old stock' left over from a collection never released/completed before Peacocks ran into trouble. I think it's well worth it's £35 anyway. My only concern is the colour isn't particularly flattering on me, it's a dusky greyish nude.

Now, I admit to being extremely disappointed with the next two dresses. I could have cried, not from annoyance at a waste of money, but because these dresses could have been so much more and better than they are. The problem lies in the fabric and that alone. It's a poly/elastane mix and feels exactly like the Joy dress from Spring 2011; think slinky, stretchy and bordering on 'swimming costume'. Now I'll start by saying I've decided to keep both dresses and admit they hang very beautifully. HOWEVER, that's where the positivity stops.  These dresses have been constructed exactly the same as the pure poly dresses and these fabrics simply do not work in the same way. The slinky stuff hangs, it's great for draping or stretching, cowl necklines look fabulous in this fabric. A somewhat structured tea-dress does not! Now I've made my own clothes since I was a child, I've studied fashion for 4 years and worked in a fabric shop, so I know all about fabric composition and what they should and shouldn't be used for.

Lets start with the red floral one. There's a panel around the waist (similar to the jumpsuit above without the piping), there's wonderful little gathers above the bust (across from the shoulders) and sleeves, again similar to the jumpsuit, with little darts all around and a quilted section inside to help the sleeves sit properly. ALL of these details are completely lost on this fabric, you can barely see them. Not only that, they in no way add to the structure or purpose of what they are designed to do. Stretchy fabric does not need darts or anything else to shape it.  Had these same design details been included on a crepe like poly dress, they would have added shape and structure, but they do nothing on this dress. It makes me sad and angry that nobody pointed this out at one of the various stages of production.  It's been a complete waste of time for the machinists to even bother sewing these details.

Even the buttons at the back neck are practically useless because the fabric stretches anyway, so you would never need to use them. That aside, I did keep the dress because I decided (touching it aside), it looks alright on, despite these cute details being wasted. It ties at the back, which I really needed to bring it in, because it bordered tent-like on me without that. I also need to wear a camisole or slip underneath because the fabric moulds around the body and to be blunt, wraps itself around each boob, which isn't exactly attractive! A vest underneath just allows it to sit across the chest, without being so revealing and 'seperating'. The colour is extremely bright, so my camera picked it up as orange. I adjusted it to try and avoid the colour bleeding, but the video will show a truer shade.

The floral tea dress again is exactly like the red one. This one even has smocking across the front shoulder and the same quilted insert inside the sleeve. Neither do very much for the dress when it's made in this fabric. The panelling and buttons down the centre front are almost invisible. Disappointing yet again, because I know how fabulous they would've looked in the appropriate fabric. Again it ties around the back and the lengths of these two dresses on me are below the knee, maybe even mid calf. I felt it was a bit unflattering at first, but actually I like that I can wear them bare legged or with tights without fear of bending over and revealing too much! I'd say from afar these dresses pass as looking like cute tea dresses and therefore I'm still relatively happy with them. I hate the fabric to touch and hate that the design details have not only become lost in the fabric, but don't do their purpose. I would hope if there are further collections, that fabric choice would play a bigger part, because it almost completely ruined these two and I don't think they are completely worth their £30.

Now the ballerina print dress is a whole other story, it's beautiful.  It reminds me a little of the bright blue (and white) polka dot dress from many years ago.  It's shorter than the other two dresses; I've only tried it on once, so can't recall if it's too short to wear with tights/bare legs.  It has a full length slip underneath, in the same quality from previous PL collections and has a tie around the back which is stitched in at the centre front.  The positioning may be a little iffy on me (with a large bust) as it wasn't quite sitting comfortable under my boobs, but like I said I'd only tried it once.   The sheer overlay with the beautiful and unusual ballerina print is made in polyester and has smocking details to the front and back shoulder, cuff of the sleeve and both sides of the waist, front and back.  You can see this detail in the fabric and it does it's job (unlike the poly/elastane dresses).  Why they chose the elastane mix on the other two, I'll never know.  Anyway, I originally thought this dress was navy, it arrived and I was convinced it was bold purple.  Judging from my pics it's back to navy and in certain lights, I think it is.  This has been the only reason I haven't worn it yet, because I can't decide whether to pair it with my black or navy cardigans and to be honest don't think either will go!

Finally here is the video.  I totally had shaky hand syndrome filming it and admit I did it very quickly!  I used a 'stabiliser' thing on You Tube which instead compensates for the shaky hand by moving the edges of the video instead which may make you dizzy (no joke)!!  Anyway it just gives you a rough idea and I hope it works because blogger has a new (and much easier way) of uploading videos into posts.  What did you think of the collection, those of you who bought it?

Pearl Lowe: It's Back!

Elbows at the ready ladies, Pearl Lowe at Peacocks is back!! As you know I've championed the collection right from the start, so when Peacocks fell into financial trouble and closed many of their stores including their website; I was pretty devastated that the fabulous vintage inspired range was no more. I know a lot of you were extremely disappointed and felt it left a hole in the market for that type of product.  Good news is; Peacocks have just relaunched their website though and there's a small selection of PL items we haven't seen before and man, are they good!

My nearest store closed down and will not be re-opening, but they didn't stock PL anyway, so I always relied on purchasing online. I'd actually spotted some of these newer items on eBay the other week and assumed they were samples that had never been mass-produced, so I'm elated that they are actually available for purchase. There are 5 items in the collection, one being a playsuit (above) which doesn't appear to be available online (not sure if it sold out super quickly or it's never been online), either way it doesn't bother me too much as it's not something I would have purchased. I had good-ish eBay sales on Sunday, so whenever I had enough money in my paypal account, I purchased all the other items (with a few failed attempts at checking-out using paypal!) and by that point had even been dreaming about one of the dresses (no joke)! I would snap these up as quickly as you can, because PL always sold quickly and once everyone realises they are back online, the collection will just go.  The range is available in 'selected' Peacocks stores like it always was, but you'll have to check which ones are still open!

The above images were taken from Peacocks Twitter page, but they didn't have one of the dresses, but I'll come to that later.  So we'll start with the red floral dress (top) £30. I'm so excited by this one (well by the whole collection). Red isn't a colour that I wear often (mostly because it's clashed with my hair in the past), but this dress is stunning-I can't wait for it to arrive. It's got a higher neckline, accentuates the waist and is the subtly sexy but still demure style that we've come to expect from PL. I can imagine this with black tights in the winter and bare legs in summer and can already tell it'll never be off my back!

This floral print tea dress £30, reminds me of the Joy dress from spring 2011 (although I'm hoping it doesn't feel the same, because I sent that one back, it was nasty)!  This is a staple, classic wardrobe item for me, that again, I'll wear repeatedly.

This next one, is the one I dreamt about.  I think I'd been subconsciously stressing that the dresses would sell out before I bought them and so while I was sleeping, someone appeared in my dream wearing this dress, then the pattern fell off and it turned a horrid light blue and became this long sleeved micro-mini tunic.  Don't think I'll be looking up the dream dictionary for that one!  Anyway, it reminds me a little of the blue/white polka dot (that was remade in white with small black dots) and I figured this was a pretty enough floral version (£35).  Then I realised it was actually ballerinas all over it and I was in heaven!  How freaking cute is that?  Seeing as this one wasn't featured in the Twitter pics, I've included a model shot, so you see how it looks on.  I may pee myself with excitement before this arrives!

The final piece of the collection is this fan print jumpsuit £35.  The wide legs give the illusion of a maxi-dress, but I'm pondering cutting it and sewing it into a maxi anyway.  I think I'll get more wear out of it that way (and have been considering doing it to the few jumpsuits I already own).  I don't want to wreck it though and it's been a long time since I've tackled something like this!  I love the details on the bodice and think this whole collection has pulled together all my favourite features of PL into one outstanding collection.

I had an unpleasant experience with Peacocks PR last year in which a situation was handled in the most unprofessional manner (through no fault of my own) and although I've always found the staff instore friendly enough, it frankly put me off the brand altogether.  It's rather sad when something like that happens and it certainly left a sour taste in my mouth.   I would just hope that companies would realise that the people that work for them at every level are responsible for the reputation of the company.  Anyway, they're very lucky they have this fabulous collection which will have me coming back for more and that I still want and choose  to blog about it, as some would say they don't deserve my free advertising!  I hope the pieces live up to my expectations and of course will let you know if they do or don't!  Do you think you'll be snapping up some?

Some News

Hello! Did you notice that River Island now ship worldwide? Eventually! Great news for my international buddies that love their shoes! More details available on their website.
I took a quick look at the 'behind the scenes' Pearl Lowe for Peacocks video on their site. First thing I spotted was the crochet back dress....in the video, it's a completely different colour. I don't like it, I prefer it all in black. Wonder which one will hit the shops next Thursday?

I've not been up to much this week, just trying to get on with things. I eventually ordered both colours of that Dorothy Perkins lace dress I liked...tried the green on quickly last night and wasn't that keen on it. So disappointed because I had my heart set on it, but it squishes my boobs but feels too big around the waist and shoulders. Will have to properly try it and see.

Been waiting for the Models Own Beetlejuice collection to come out, then missed the launch date! Not to worry, the next day I managed to order a few and it was Aqua Violet I was most interested in and thankfully it wasn't out of stock. I've been so frustrated with waiting for parcels to arrive this week though. I've been waiting on a pair of shoes for an entire week and expected my MO order yesterday or today as it was dispatched not long after I purchased, but my polishes still haven't turned up : ( I have no patience!

What have you been up to this week? Bought anything nice? Also if you could all just take a few seconds to check my YouTube page and let me know if the two animal rings videos I posted yesterday are working for you. Usually some countries are blocked depending on the music you select for your vid...it hasn't caused too much trouble for me in the past until these. I can see and hear them both perfectly well, so I'm surprised to hear that even some UK peeps are struggling to view them. If they still aren't working, I'll re-upload them with no music and hopefully that will rectify it, because I spent ages making them and wouldn't want them to go to waste. Have a good Bonfire Night tonight!

Dilemma

Not had a good day today. I'm in a lot of pain right now caused by something outwith my control which I'm rather hesitant to get into here, after fighting with a friend (of 20 years) of mine on Facebook about it today. I'm now grouchy and tired and that all sounded very cryptic but I've handled it and if she de-friends me in life and Facebook then so be it quite frankly. I'm at the age where I think I'm entitled to voice my opinions and not succumb to somebody elses point of view purely to keep the peace. Nobody has the perfect life, we all have stuff going on and so I'm sending out virtual hugs to anyone who wants or needs one, mwah! Leave your rants in the comments, what's pissed you off this week? Let it all out! Anyway, I'm 2 days behind on TSGD posts and have completely forgotten about Inspiretty recently and have a backlog of posts I need to do. My parents get back from their cruise tomorrow-fyi they super loved it. I also need to colour my hair again before this weekend when it's my cute little ball of fluff nephew/godson's christening. The thought of managing to be all perky for a full day fills me with dread right now, but hopefully this pain will subside. I have a question though-which shoes will I wear?
I'm wearing my Peggy prom dress (Pearl Lowe, above) and tights with it...was thinking the large spot pair I got the other day? Do you think the KG Fashionista's Corso Como (below) are too much black? They have a spangly section on the front and mega sparkly heel. I didn't necessarily aim to be all-black though (although the dress does have a light lining), but I want something that compliments it, so don't want to pick something too bright and tacky. If I wear the CC, I need to break them in over the next couple of days because I haven't worn them before.
I have these lovely Michael Lewis chess heels I've never worn before, although I'm feeling the dress is better suited to silver accessories than gold?
I would love to wear these Kurt Geiger satin courts which I couldn't wear to my mates wedding last year after the 'skinny heel' debacle! However, I think they would look too light against dark tights and dress and they are extremely difficult to walk in and uncomfortable!
Which leads me onto the perfect pair, my Kandee Diamonds. However we have a really plush carpet in my church and I don't completely trust myself in these and falling on my ass in front of an entire congregation and dropping my little baby is too much to handle, lol! Same story for these River Island platforms I think.
Can you think of anything else I have? I want a special pair that aren't too difficult to walk in and I can take some discomfort. Ooh, or another alternative are the Prada peep toes with pink heel in the middle of the image up above.

Pearl Lowe Peacocks Christmas 2011

I've just received the latest press release and ladies...mark the 10th of November in your diaries right now because that's when the 8th installment from Pearl Lowe hits Peacocks!
The Christmas drop is always a hit and there's some absolutely gorgeous dresses among the collection. The range as always, is available in sizes 8-18 and you'll find some of the prices are a little higher than we've seen before, although I'd like to think it's justified. First up we have the soft burgundy lace dress as modelled by Daisy above, £50. You may recall the Christmas 2010 collection featured a sell out version of the black lace bridesmaid dress Pearl designed for Daisy to wear at her wedding (the one I'm going to wear to my nephews christening), shown below (top). Well this new dress is an interpretation of the red lace dress (below, bottom) that caused a stir when Daisy was photographed wearing it last winter (sans slip). Obviously the Peacocks version includes a slip underneath to protect your modesty! This has been tipped as the 'star' dress of the collection and initial orders have been increased to avoid customer disappointment.
If I'm completely honest, I love the idea but I'm not sure the quality is up to scratch on the Peacocks version (obviously I'm basing it on these images alone), I can only hope it is better in the flesh. I'd have liked to see more fabric in the skirt for £50 and the slip and dress generally look quite flimsy (I know it's lace which is light and delicate, but do you know what I mean?), the lace fabric looks slightly cheap. I would've liked a fuller look but not necessarily to the extent of last years dress with the netting underneath. The details at the waist are nice and it would've been finished off perfectly with a scalloped edge at the cuffs and hem (like last years dress), rather than the straight hem. Overall though, I'm sure it's the type of dress you'd get a lot of wear out of (could dress it up or down) and the colour is very nice for winter.
This next dress is much more daytime I'd say. Sheer black with little stars all over, £40. It's almost a continuation of the types of dresses we've seen from previous PL collections, you'd wear this all the time. There's something a little 'long in the body' about it that I'm unsure of, but it's a cute enough design, just not one I'd be rushing out to get.
This is one of the slightly more expensive ones at £60. It's very unusual, I love the crochet back and almost faux halterneck design, even if it isn't entirely practical for those of us that require to wear something underneath. I've never much been a fan of velvet though, especially crushed velvet, it just seems too dodgy 80's rock video for me. However, I think because of the shape of this dress and the fact it's black, it may just get away with it. This is a much fuller skirt, which is what I'd have liked on the lace one. What do you think?
Ok, can anyone actually see me in this next one? I can! I love the overall shape, the flattering centre lace panel and button shoulder detail. This one is £45.
This is quite freaky because I saw a spookily similar emerald dress on River Island today, but it had an asymmetric hem. The colour is fantastic for festive party time and it's got a pretty shape to it and I like the draping and corsage from the shoulder. I'm just not sure it's the type of dress I'd get a lot of wear from as it's very statement-y on it's own. And that one is £50.
For this collection, Pearl took inspiration from her all time favourite Christmas movies combining her love of fifties fashion with individual 70’s prints to add her own stamp to the style showcased by Hollywood legends including Deborah Kerr in ‘An Affair To Remember’ and Debbie Reynolds in ‘Singing In The Rain’. She has continued to base her collection on two dominant silhouettes, the fifties inspired prom, and full length bias cut, which is where these next two dresses come in. I don't think we've ever seen a maxi from the PL range and there's two in this collection! Firstly, I kinda have a slight hatred for bias cut, I'm not in the camp that believes it's universally flattering (especially on curvy girls), I personally reckon it clings in the wrong places, widens my bum and hips, accentuates my tummy and doesn't really show off my small waist. However I could forgive all that to try out this oriental maxi, £50. I like the colours, the print and love that shoulder detail. I also think you're getting a bargain for your bucks if that price is correct. It has that genuine vintage feel to it and I saw an image of Daisy modelling it and it looked utterly fabulous, sumptuous even!
Now for me this next dress is the 'star piece' of the collection. How freakin' fabulous is that for the high-street? I'm not going to lie, I'd look a right state in it I'm sure. That unforgiving shade of ivory and the very satin, very bias cut would make me look 9 months pregnant, but I love it to look at. I'm also just going to put this out there...how lovely would it be as a wedding dress? It could definitely pass for the 'real deal' that you'd pay hundreds or thousands of £'s for (why do they add zeros to anything with 'wedding' in front of it? Scammers!), anyway it would look luscious as a bridal gown or special party dress and the price (although the most we've ever seen from PL) is £80. Which I think is justified in this case with the embroidery detail and type of dress it is. Oh and you could have your bridesmaids in the green corsage dresses! Look at me all wedding planner-y!! So what do you reckon? Anything catching your eye?
images Peacocks, candids source