Last Friday, me and my OH were lucky enough to have a day off together so we decided to take a trip to Chester. Of course, my ulterior motive was to pay a visit to
Pepperberry/
Bravissimo while I was there. Some time later, I emerged, clutching a pile of clothes with no intention of buying ANY of them. The store assistants must have been so annoyed! I was quite taken with one item, which I tried in a different size and actually bought! I'll get to that later though.
Okay, let's roll...First up, the dress I have a love/hate relationship with, the
bold stripe maxi dress, £69. The bottom photo shows one I sent for, that had yellow stripes at the top. This totally didn't work for me and made my boobs look bigger, but the one I tried in store had white/purple stripes over the bust and looked much better, but the white/purple stripes on the waistband and bottom half kind of ran into each other in a strange way, so I didn't like this one either! I'm too picky, I know. I also didn't like the single stitch that holds the top together as a kind of modesty measure. You can see it better on the second photo, looking down my cleavage! The stitch makes it gape below.
The dresses I tried were both 8 C/RC and seemed a little too big for me in the bust. I would prefer this in single sizes rather than dual sizes. I'm adamant to find the perfect pattern placement in this dress because I LOVE it
Now for another striped dress, this time short, it's the
bright stripe dress, £65. This dress is made from a thick stretch cotton/elastane mix, and is fully lined, what I'd expect for the cost. I tried this in a 8C, which turned out to be too small in the bust. It's a beautiful dress, well tailored, young and fun but I've also seen ladies older than myself wear it well. It's not something I'd wear a lot so it went back on the rack.
When I first saw this pretty
red floral tea dress, £45, I was reminded of one of my other favourite brands,
Cath Kidston. I have to say, when I pulled this on, however, my dreams of looking like a pretty English country girl were dashed...
This first shot shows how the dress looked as soon as I put it on. I was horrified! It was too big on the bust, again a dual sized 8C/RC, so I kind of expected this after trying the maxi dress. It appears to have too much fabric on the cross over top section, and made for a taller person.
I gave the dress a little tug up at the shoulders and it fitted a bit better...
Then I messed about with the extra fabric around the neckline and it finally looked normal! I still wouldn't buy it though as I don't tend to wear dresses and I'm pretty certain I could find something equally as nice elsewhere. A jersey dress is an easy thing to get to fit, I don't need extra bust fabric because it stretches anyway!
Next up, two occasion dresses. The
colour block dress, £69. This one is WAY too bright for my liking! This is a 8C and too small in the bust and on the hips, but is perfect on the waist. The fabric does not stretch and it is lined, so it's not the most comfortable of dresses. It's not the most flattering of dresses either, now I come to think of it!
The
navy lace full skirt dress, £79 was the most expensive item I tried. Again, I needed this in a 8RC, as it was a little snug in the bust. I like the idea of this dress but I feel it's missing some detail in the top section. I feel it would have been better if it had a wrap style top. The vast space of nothingness just adds to the big boob effect in my opinion. I did love the way the lace overlay falls longer than the dress itself, and that it has a built in petticoat for extra volume. It would be perfect for a summer wedding.
....and on to the tops...
I didn't like the
black saddle stitch cardigan, £39 AT ALL. I thought it looked messy if truth be known! This is a 8C, which might be a reason it looks messy as it doesn't quite fit, and the buttons gape. The idea is nice, but I think it would work better for someone with less curvy hips, as I found it bunched up. Apologies for the terrible picture, it was quite difficult to photograph with it being black. The 10C may have been better.
I liked the unusual style of this next one, the
pleat knot red jersey top, £32. This is another jersey dual sized top in size 8C/RC. This fitted nicely and would be a good staple item for your wardrobe. It also comes in a
multi print.
Next up, and my favourite, the
washed denim tunic, £49. The one I tried was a 8C, but I needed a 8RC as it gaped a little at the bust. It's lovely! The fabric is soft and it has a lovely pin tuck detail. If it didn't cost a pound shy of £50 I would have snatched this one up! I'm sitting it out for this one to come up in the sale without a doubt!
.......and finally, the one that didn't get away! As I work in a professional environment I was looking for something a bit smarter than my usual jersey scoop necked top under a jumper. Thankfully Pepperberry's offering of the
blue stripe shirt fitted the bill perfectly!
Firstly I tried on the 8C and found it gaped a little, so I then tried the 8RC, not holding out much hope because the 8C didn't seem too far off. The 8RC was absolutely perfect! It was as if it was made for me. I was so delighted that I forked out the princely sum of £39 for the pleasure!
Here, the first photo shows the 8C, and the second shoes the 8RC which I purchased. I wore it for the first time today and it felt wonderful. I wasn't having to tug at the front to prevent gaping or check for buttons that open themselves, it just fits! Amazing! I will point out that this is the current blue stripe shirt and not the one from last year. That didn't work for me at all.
8C, a little gaping
8RC, Perfect!
And if you're interested, this is my usual style, which is why I generally don't buy from Pepperberry...
I hope you enjoyed my round up of some of Pepperberry's Spring/Summer 2012 collection as much as I enjoyed trying it!