On Sunday, I made it to Evans Marble Arch for the
Beth Ditto Collection. The store looked great with the windows dominated by Beth's photos, while the floor had mannequins wearing the collection and wigs to emulate Ms. Ditto. It all LOOKED really beautiful actually (MUCH lovelier than the collection display at Selfridges, which was not a patch on the Evans store-floor).
The collection itself. Hmm. I LIKE the collection, but I AM disappointed by it. I wonder if the reason Evans kept it so secret before the launch was because, as opposed to being innovative and interesting - it is actually just very user-friendly. Shoppers outside the UK may not realise, but last year, a couple of pieces (the sequin jumper and stain-glass dress to name just two), stayed in store and were on sales racks into the New Year. I found the previous collection a lot more innovative - but maybe, for Evans - being AS innovative this year was not commercially sensible. And so we have this.
This collection IS lovely and there are certainly styles and shapes to fit a variety of curvy figures. There are dresses with structure, flowing pieces and even a maxi that allows the wearer to tailor it to their shape - I actually like a lot about the STYLE of the collection, but the problem is, overall - I am not excited by it. I LOVED the prints in the previous collection so am disappointed that effectively - all we have this time are hearts, florals, spots and ONE dress with a chevron print. NONE of that is particularly innovative.
NOW - before you think I am simply "hating on" the collection, rest assured this is not true. I LIKE certain pieces very much and bought myself some things, but as a whole, there was really nothing here that absolutely blew me away. I LOVE that Evans collaborated with Beth again, but wish, whole-heartedly, that they had stuck down a more interesting path... as opposed to the more commercial one (that being said, I do know that fashion IS a business). I do LIKE that this collection is a little different from Evans' usual fare and LOVE that women will buy it. For some consumers this Collection WILL be interesting and more accessible than last year's pieces.
My only real criticism of the Collection is that Evans should have been more generous with fabric choices. A lot of the material is quite thin and I wonder how many wears I will get through, before fabric pilling occurs. Anyone who bought from the collection last year may recall much sturdier fabrics and while I appreciate trends change - the fabric feels soft, but a little on the mean side of cheap.
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Reviews Start Now!
This is a lovely piece. I LOVE the concept of the adjustable hem and shape. The horizontal pleats draw the eye and create a flattering silhouette. My photos of this dress are not the best, but you can see from the mid-shot, this fits my form quite nicely and the asymmetrical neckline, with the pleats, are lovely details. The real draw on this is the adjustable ruching which will allow a variety of curves to really look gorgeous while wearing it.
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I am not a big fan of the lightening bolt on this jumper BUT you can see it fits me well. This is my usual size and is built to work round my curves. As you all know, I rock an F-cup bra and you can see this fits my breasts and then cuves nicely round my waist and hip - I actually imagine this would work well on most round figures and think the execution on this knit-wear piece is spot-on. Word to the wise though, this is a little itchy - so, from my perspective, a good wash and some fabric softener wouldn't go astray.
The bubble hem skirt is probably quite daftly matched (by me) to this jumper - but I had to try it with something! I am rocking a size 20 and you can see, it fits nicely. The fabric is thin though, so I was greatful for the band at the bottom which would hold it in place... If you love this style of bubble skirt the print IS really nice, so certainly - watch out for when it gets online!
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You can see - this is pretty gorgeous on... I have sized DOWN for this though, to an 18 - so I wonder how much room I would have had in a 20. My breasts fit this, the 18, perfectly (incidentally the gorgeous Lauren also had similar sizing issues with the cut of the Chevron dress - check her reviews
HERE). That being said - I didn't FEEL gorgeous in this. I felt a little awkward, which might have been because of my penchant for shorter sleeves (mind you, I realise these long sleeves will please MANY girls and women!)... or because I DID feel a little like I was dressed like the French school-girl
Madeline. The dress comes with a slip and again, as you an see, it is very pretty. If you like structure - this may be a good choice for you.
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I like this and bought it. Anyone who's been reading my blog for a while will know this is NOT my usual choice of outfit, but the cut of this dress, as well as the tight band along the bottom of the hem gives it a definition which I love and find very feminine. I think this could work for quite a few figures too, as the shape isn't structured to ONLY fit a particular silhouette. My only downside to this dress if that the arm sleeves have quite a tight banding around them which I found very uncomfortable initially - I bought the dress anyway and wearing it today has seen me get used to the tightness. I feel pretty and am comfortable.
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LOVED and PURCHASED. My favourite piece and certainly the one that made me feel the most sexy and pretty. The cut on this dress is amazing and the drape through the front pockets is just lovely and very on-trend. LOVE.
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This is exactly the same style as the Floral Print Pocket dress but on MY body - this was not my favourite look (meanwhile, it looks amazing over on
Lauren's site). I think Velvet and I were not meant to be. Now - I DID try and take some nice detail shots for you of how the velvet grabs and reflects the light (which is stunning, by the way), but these shots didn't turn out nearly as well as I would have liked... please, Evans, clean your change-room mirrors!
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Love it. This is such a consumer friendly piece, true to size and cute to boot. I didn't buy it yesterday, but I have ordered it online today. What can I say - too good to miss!
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This looks lovely in these photos, but I found this quite awkward on. I found that the line, where the print meets the jersey above my breasts sits in a strange place on my body. This is a lovely light item though, and again - with the long sleeves and a free-flowing shape, I am sure some women will absolutely LOVE this.
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And so, there ends my reviews of the pieces I bought and tried on.
As a side note, I did also buy some tights from the range which were basically the same style and quality as those released last year. I apologise if people were hoping I'd try the cape or any of the denim - I know I have been plugging
Lauren's blog a little bit through this post - but really - it is something you need to check out to see more of the collection - she has done an amazing round-up and looks like the cutest woman ever wearing the Ditto Cape - also - Lauren has pics of herself in the Chevron dress - which sold out before I got there on Sunday (incidentally, the other hot item was the belt, which had ALSO sold out in all sizes).
I would love feedback and your thoughts on the collection (and by all means, I invite contrasting opinions to mine), and can not wait to hear what pieces you bought and loved!
Smooch!
xxx.
I have had such a lovely month. I have also had quite a few new people visit the site and have received a lot of link love from my fellow bloggers in the last 30 days, so thank you. If you are cruising by, looking for the gorgeous girls of plus-size fashion... check my blog roll a little lower down, on the right. I LOVE these blogs! 
