The Nautical Spot 'must-have' dress from Pepperberry

It was love at first sight. The polka dots, the cut, the contract piping. I had to have it! Pepperberry's Nautical Spot dress was everything I wanted, but at £59 (+£3.95 delivery) I was reluctant to jump in feet first, so I kept leaving it and leaving it until I needed some well deserved retail therapy. Believe me, when I say need, I really mean it. Isn't it cute?

I own Pepperberry clothes in both 8C and 8RC (see their size guide here) so I wasn't sure which size to order, but my mind was made up by the fact that they didn't have any 8RCs in stock! 

The 8C arrived a few days later and the jury was out on the fit. It wasn't spot on but was close. The bustline seemed to be pulling a little and the waistband was maybe an inch on the large side. I decided to try it again a few days later and make my mind up then. In the meantime I noticed the 8RC in stock, so I ordered it and received an email from Pepperberry saying they wouldn't charge for postage as it was apparent I was ordering for size comparison.Very kind! The 8RC was too big in both the bust and waist! Here are the two side by side. The 8RC isn't too flattering is it?

Since my battery was running low, I only had the chance to take a very quick photo of the dress in full. I added a white bow belt I bought from Ebay (as always, it was very cheap from a Chinese seller). It would make the ideal spring/summer dress and the neckline is not exceptionally low, making it ideal for work too. It's a style that will last season after season, especially if you're like me and will always wear vintage styles, regardless to whether they're in fashion or not.

Have you tried Pepperberry? What did you think?

Some of Pepperberry's latest offerings for SS12

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!

'Real Women": you just can't win.

I realise this topic has been blogged to death, but it’s been on my mind lately. For the past 10 years or so, there has been a notable movement to feature more ‘real women’ in the media. This all started off well, with Dove toiletries using women of all shapes, sizes and colours in their adverts. Apparently, these women are ‘real’. The definition of real is merely that it exists, so while some argue that this is a silly term to use, I’m of the other way of thinking, in that it’s possibly the shortest and most accurate description they could have used. By real, they mean someone you’d see in the street, your neighbour, the woman sat next to you on the bus, not an airbrushed professional model. I’m not suggesting the ‘real women’ aren’t photoshopped too, because they will be, but in a different manner, such as evening out skintone rather than taking off inches of an already slender body. It’s become a sad fact of life that we’ve grown to prefer the photoshopped image. So what do we prefer? Do 'real women' sell?

The Dove 'Real Women' campaign

Now, it seems the more and more we're seeing 'real' women, the more we're seeing bigger women. I completely agree with using plus size models; it gives us an idea how products will look on a more average figure (which is supposedly a UK 16) but, as pointed out by my boyfriend,  plus sized  models with a less than average figure are used. How many size 16 women do you see that have perfectly proportioned hips, bust and a enviably small waist, with long legs and toned arms? Not many, right? On a size 16 woman you'd see in the street, you're more likely to see an apple shape with bingo wings. In reality, would we really want to see the average shaped (and that's what it boils down to here-shape, not size) woman modelling?

Two average plus-sized women you'd see in the street

For every nice comment ("it's good to see someone like ME modelling") about a plus sized model, there are 10 nasty comments ("pig in knickers")....and in come the "curvy vs skinny" (Yaaaaawn) brigade. People, for whatever reason, feel the need to take sides and bash the opponent. I'm interested to know why. Is it jealousy? Do they believe themselves to be 'better' than the other party somehow? Why do they? Is it a health thing? An aesthetics thing? It always boils down to a matter of personal opinion, although why some people feel the need to express their opinions so brutally is beyond me. When I was in Star In A Bra last year I got a little abuse from someone who made it their job to repeatedly tell me I'm fat. Even Lizzie Haines, the stunning brunette who won the competition also came under fire from a few Daily Mail readers recently when she featured in an article about her winning the 'Plus Size Model of the Year' title from 100% people. I'm guessing these are the sort of people who have an average sized girlfriend/wife at home, yet feel the need to look online at pictures of airbrushed Victoria's Secret models, wishing they were theirs. Well, GET REAL, look what you have and learn to appreciate it, and don't abuse others for their success! I understand this will never happen and being in the spotlight will always leave you open to abuse, no matter what your size and shape :(

Typical 'Skinny Vs Curvy' propaganda

Does it sell?

I'm not bashing plus sized women, don't get me wrong, I'm just pointing out that in the grand scheme of things, the fashion industry can't win when it comes to models. Pepperberry infamously use increasingly smaller models and claim that when larger models were used, their sales figures dropped. Have we all become moulded into the belief that slimmer women look better? Women say they want 'real women' to model the clothes they might want to buy, yet when they do, sales drop? Really Pepperberry??

An old Pepperberry model, no longer used

One of Pepperberry's newer, slimmer models

Recently, Lucy Ann Moore won the competition for Ann Summers to seek out a new model. I walked past Ann Summers on Saturday morning and rather than featuring the model that the public had voted for, a thinner model was being used on the main advertising board, even though I KNOW Lucy was photographed in the very same outfit. And what's more, just take a look at their home page here. Where is Lucy? Is it all merely a publicity stunt? Who cares if they use the model afterwards, they've got people interested in their company by launching the competition and by getting people to vote and share. I care, as I'm sure many others do too. I think it's unfair on Lucy. I realise it's early days but even so...

Lucy Ann Moore

One company you WON'T see hiding their public's choice is Curvy Kate. Their Star In A Bra competition runs annually and last years' winner, Lizzie Haines has enjoyed a whole year of modelling and publicity. Obviously I'm slightly biased towards Curvy Kate, as I featured in the 2011 Star In A Bra top 10 myself. Curvy Kate are only too happy to parade their winner! Check out Lizzie's website, Do It Momma too, you'll see she's more than just a pretty face (and bangin' bod)!

Lizzie Haines

Time to wrap this up as I feel I'm rambling on waaaay too much!

My solution is indeed costly, but companies would find it would make their customers love them more, and thus increase sales. It is to simply use three models per product; one at the smallest end of their size range, not one so small that the clothes have to be pinned to fit-one in the ACTUAL smallest size they make, the next at the largest end of their range, and one in between. It could be argued that this method is costly both moneywise and timewise as the company would use three models, but they tend to use that amount of models anyway a lot of the time. Why not show size variation rather than colour variation (as in colouring, not a racial thing! You know, skintone, hair colour, etc.), as this is what tends to be used currently. I'm interested to know what you think? What would sell the product to you? Someone with the same skintone and hair colour or someone in the same size?

Please let me know your opinions :)