An internet friend, Whitney, alerted us to an amazing site where one can buy stylish clothing up to 5x: HolyClothing.com
The collection is not extensive, but it is wonderful, and Francesca must point out that since there is a sort of Renaissance/Victorian/Gothic theme happening, many of the items are fantastic for Apples!
Francesca does not understand how, at these very reasonable prices, the site can claim the clothes are handmade. She has not tried the site, so she cannot vouch for the quality of the materials. However, Whitney says:
I’ve been buying their stuff (especially their dresses) for years now. It’s all very well designed and executed, the fit is very consistent from style to style (though I’m afraid I can’t vouch for the pants, as I haven’t worn pants for years, but I cannot imagine it’d be very different). . . . And most definitely what you see on the screen is what you get – fabulousness.
Look at this gorgeous blouse, which Francesca must try immediately!
Ooooooo . . . a gypsy skirt in Francesca’s favorite color!
Is this perfect for Apples, or what?
Francesca will try this site ASAP. Meanwhile, if others have experience with them, please tell.
I have a friend who swears by them. She has one of their dresses in every color it comes in. I don’t currently own anything by them but I’d strongly consider ordering from them given all the good things I’ve heard about them.
Comment by Stacey C. — October 30, 2007 @ 9:11 am
Looking at the pretty pictures, and then looking at the even prettier prices, I’m definitely going to place an order soon! Those lucious deep blues and purples are a Twistie’s dream of yummy.
And I’ve always been a bit of an upscale hippie at sartorial heart.
Comment by Twistie — October 30, 2007 @ 10:59 am
I have one of their skirts, it’s very comfortable & it seems well made (has fallen apart yet & I’ve had it 2 years now).
Comment by Janna — October 30, 2007 @ 2:59 pm
Yup, they’re the real deal. I used to order way back when all they had was an eBay store. All the pieces are made in India, and while the seams and some appliqués are machine-attached, embroidered pieces all look hand-finished. A few things to note: Most of their items are washable thru the cold gentle cycle, so Woolite is your friend. The measurements of the garments are accurately reported on the website, so be sure to consult their sizing chart. If a skirt is described as long, they aren’t kidding; the skirts and sun dresses always hit my ankles, and I’m 5’9”. Full hemlines are no exaggeration, but because the material is so light and flowy, there isn’t the bulk you’d expect. The darker and jewel-toned pieces can look quite Goth or Renaissance. The lighter metallics and pastel colors are much more subtle, even with all the embroidery, and look great layered under a sweater or sheer blouse if you feel like toning it down even more. My lone complaint: in my experience, the shipping costs and delivery times were terrible (3 weeks!), as my orders were shipped directly from India. (This may or may not have changed.)
Can you tell I like their stuff? For a pretty look at a reasonable price, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend checking them out.
Comment by Chloe — October 30, 2007 @ 3:35 pm
Regarding the long skirts: Yes, Francesca has now ordered two skirts, and chose them on the basis of being able to chop off the bottom QUARTER of the skirt (she did the measurements!) so that the skirt will now fall to her ankles on her petite frame. It means giving up some pretty hems, and avoiding the skirts with lots of layers at the bottom, but we’ll try. Francesca also ordered a blouse and expect to have to have it taken in at the arm holes and waist, and to have it shortened. Perhaps the piece taken from the bottom will work well to fill in what on Francesca will be a plunging neckline.
Ah, the travails of the petite ladies!
PS the material taken from the bottom of the skirts can be made into matching hair bands, or added to the cuffs of plain black/white blouses to make a matching set! But do not get too cute; one does not wish to be TOO “matchy.”
Comment by Francesca — October 30, 2007 @ 4:35 pm
AWWW Crap!!! Just bought 9 pieces of this stuff! Being an old hippie, I couldn’t resist…
Comment by Jennie — October 30, 2007 @ 5:25 pm
Francesca, if the skirts have gathered waists, and you want to keep the pretty hem detailing, consider shortening the skirts from the waist. After you’ve washed the skirt a couple of times for shrinkage, take the waistband off, take off the appropriate number of inches, reattach waistband.
Depending on the skirt, you could also run a series of tucks above the detailing in order to shorten the skirt.
Comment by La BellaDonna — October 30, 2007 @ 5:26 pm
Francesca, PLEASE do not ruin those pretty, pretty hemlines. You have all that space at the waist you can use! As for me, at the end-of-season-sale in late summer I bought three sundresses in black, purple and burgundy. I will wear them year-rround, pairing them with boots and killer jackets in the colder months. Yes, shipping still takes three-ish weeks as it does come from India.
Oh, and they do have a strong eBay presence so you can get even better deals at auction if you’re lucky (my three dresses came in at $15 or less apiece).
Comment by Whitney — October 30, 2007 @ 7:48 pm
I love their clothing. I have ordered several items in the past four years. The dresses are amazing. At 5’4, I have to wear heels with the pieces and that is fine with me. The hems still hit the floor. The ebay site is the only way I have ever purchased their pieces. The sales their are GREAT. Well worth the wait. I shrank my fav dresses by washing them so now I am the one price pre paid dry cleaner devotee
Comment by Yvette — November 4, 2007 @ 8:16 pm