At the recommendation of a dear internet friend, Francesca recently purchased 2 items from HolyClothing.com, the purveyors of lusciously-designed and crafted plus-size clothing in the spirit of the Renaissance or Bohemian woman.

Indeed the clothing were every bit as gorgeously constructed as the website says. The fabric and detailing were exactly as described and pictured on the site. They also arrived quickly.

Francesca’s lone gripe against HolyClothing is that they do not offer petite sizes. This in addition to the fact that their skirts are incredibly long and designed, it appears, to drag on the floor (which Francesca does not allow!) So, when choosing skirts, Francesca did the math and realized that fully one quarter of each item would have to be chopped off. Not knowing whether the skirts were made such that Francesca’s seamstress could shorten them from the top, Francesca felt limited to this one style which could be chopped from the bottom without losing all the prettiness:

She felt that ordering something like this

would not be a good idea, since cutting off the bottom would remove most of what makes the skirt special.

It turns out, though, that in fact the skirts can be brought up from the top. So, petite women should feel free to order from this site, provided that you have a good seamstress.

However, this gorgeous blouse, which Francesca adores, must be sent back:

Do you see that it is a lace-up blouse? Do you see the heavenly, romantic sleeves and exquisite embroidery? Do you see how perfect this blouse is for the Apple-shaped woman?

And do you see how, on a woman who is 5-foot-1, the neckline would come to, oh, about mid-chest? How the sleeves cannot be shortened without ruining their look? How it is impossible to shorten the blouse because the corset holes are spaced so that there would no longer be room for a pretty hem?

So, Francesca is keeping the skirt and sending back the blouse. Her advice to other petite ladies is to check out the site, but be circumspect in your purchases.

But if you are a woman of height who enjoys the styles of eras past, this vendor is indeed superfantastic.

And, now through December 15, get free shipping if you fulfill the following requirements at holyclothing.com!

USA Customers: Free Shipping when you spend over $49.99. Select Registered Standard Post 10-12 Workdays w/ Insurance and enter coupon code 6969.

UK & German Customers: Free Shipping when you spend over $59.99. Select Registered Standard Airmail 10-12 Workdays w/ Insurance and enter coupon code 6968.

International Customers: Free Shipping when you purchase 5 garments or more. Select Registered Expedited Airmail 8-9 Workdays w/ Insurance and enter coupon code 7776.

Happy shopping!
Xoxo,
Francesca

 UPDATE IN RESPONSE TO COMMENTS:

Francesca says: heh heh, indeed the second skirt does look like a piece of furniture. The readers are correct.

However, for the Big Girl who enjoys this style, it is not hard to carry off at all. The trick is first to make sure it is altered so that lengthwise it is the perfect fit. And second to pair it with an exceedingly simple blouse (NOT such a one as pictured), so that the top does not compete with the skirt. Add some pretty, dangly earrings to balance the vertical line. And third, one must have the slightly laissez-faire attitude. This is not the skirt to wear to a job interview at Goldman Sachs. It is the skirt to wear on a Sunday while shopping at Quincy Market in Boston.

A few weeks ago, Francesca ordered 3 items from Igigi. Since they do not ship outside the US, it took a looooong time for Francesca to receive them. They went to Francesca’s parents, who mailed them to Francesca’s friend, who happened to be coming abroad for a vacation to the very same locale where Francesca is on an extended stay. So, Francesca just got them a few days ago and meanwhile two of the items are no longer even available on their website.

Still, I know someone at Igigi is reading this, so here we go . . .

First, we’ll start with the item I am keeping, and which is still available for sale!

It is the Asymmetric Hem Tunic in Cobalt. There is nothing not to love about it. The fabric is buttery soft, the color is stunning, the neckline is interesting and feminine without being too revealing (for the very conservatively dressed Francesca!), and the asymmetric hem is divine. I. Love. The. Hem. It is swingy and flirty and makes Francesca feel like she could do anything. I’d been afraid that the shirt might be too long, since I’m Petite, but it’s fine. More than fine. I. Love. It.

The only caveat: This is a clingy material, and Francesca feels she will have to do some sit ups and tighten up the love handles before she’ll feel 100 percent comfortable in it. Princess seams would have been nice. However, past the love handles it is great. Very good even for my Appley build.

Now, for the other two items.

After Plumcake recommended this dress, Francesca could not help but to try it.

Francesca strongly considered keeping it. Again, the fabric is lovely. The adornments are beautiful and unique. The color . . . oh, how I love the color!

And yet, even beyond the incompatability between this dress and love handles . . . Francesca felt that the dress was boring and not structured in a way fitting for Apples. Perhaps on a Pear it would be better, but on Francesca, well, it hung like a very beautiful potato sack. There was the pretty detailing on top and then . . . nothing but a blob of blue. For Apples, this dress desperately would need Princess seams or darts of some kind.

Finally, Francesca took her own advice, and ordered a dress with a feature (empire waist) which she always assumed would look bad on her, in order to test those assumptions and see if they held.

They did.

However again I must say that the fabric and color were beautiful. The dress was waaaaay too long though.

Finally, I received an email from Plumcake that she had terrible, terrible problems with the customer service at Igigi, who sent her an item in the wrong color and then messed up her store credit when she tried to return something. I will allow her to post details if she wishes, but meanwhile I promise to update you all on my own experience, after I return the two dresses. Let’s see if this was a one-off problem or a symptom of a larger concern. I’m already a bit miffed that, since more than 30 days have passed since my parents received the items, that I am no longer eligible for a refund, just store credit . . . which I will surely use, but still.

So, to summarize for Igigi:

1. Keep it up with the great fabrics and colors.

2. I agree with Kate Harding, who reviews your yoke-wrap dress here, you guys really need a Petite line! You would become my new best friends!

3. Princess Seams are our friends.

4. Can you please start shipping outside the US?

5. Always get your returns straight, because you never know which of your customers might be Plumcake or Francesca.

6. I still love you, even with your flaws.

(CORRECTION: Igigi does ship outside the US. Francesca thinks that perhaps she had opted to have her items shipped within the USA because paying $40 for shipping on a purchase of about $80 seemed silly, but it is not Igigi’s fault that Francesca was being cheap. Also, one has 60 days to return items, though this does not help in my case as it took 2 months for my purchase to get to me on the other side of the world.

Sigh. Being a Big Girl who travels much of her life outside the 48 contiguous states is often very expensive and inconvenient. But I apologize to Igigi for my errors.)

As Plumcake explained so succinctly a few days ago, we were asked by IGIGI to choose clothing from their collection to review. In the interest of credibility, Francesca wishes to emphasize to readers that after reviewing the clothes, Plumcake and I have the option of sending them back or buying them. No free clothes for us! The little angel on Francesca’s shoulder is saying “Peace be unto those whose opinions are not influenced by free clothing.” The devil on Francesca’s other shoulder is saying “Dammit.”

Anyhow, Francesca was happy to have an excuse to try on Igigi’s Camilla top in black/teal and the matching Michelle Godet skirt, both of which are on sale:

Francesca will start with the skirt.

First thought upon opening the package: “Oh my, this is gorgeous! It is wispy and pleated and lovely. Hm. I would have preferred the lining to be satin or silk, but it is such a great color and works fine here. I also would have preferred the mesh overlay to be made out of material that is softer and more flowy, but I just love these pleats. If it looks as good on me as it looks out of the package, I’d give it an A- and keep it for sure.”

Second thought, upon trying it on: “Oh, boy, did we make a sizing error. I gave my waist measurement to the marketing lady who helped me pick the outfit, but in choosing the size she seems to have forgotten that this skirt has an elastic waistband! It is falling off of me! But here, I can pin it in order to see what it would look like if it were a smaller size. Oh, it is nice. I must suggest to readers that they ‘size down’ on this one if they order it.”

Third thought: “This skirt is designed to end just below the knee, but it is not made for petite sizes. Therefore it falls below my calves. However, it looks fine that way, as if that’s the way it’s supposed to be. I really like it. So wispy! So feminine!”

Bottom line: Pending my attachment to the top, and with the caveat that the material gets a B+ rather than an A, I would certainly buy this skirt, but I’d want it in a smaller size, or I’ll have it taken in.

Now for the top:

First thought, upon taking it out of the package: “This is also very pretty! Hm, I feel the same way about the material on this one. I would prefer that rather than use a teal-and-black print material, they use a teal lining with real lace overlay. And I find the mesh sleeves to be a little scratchy. But I have to say it does look exactly like in the photographs at the Igigi site, and is colorful and incredibly feminine.”

Second thought, upon trying it on: “Damn, too small! Major love handle situation happening here. We must ‘size up’ on the top.”

Third thought: “These sleeves would look great if I didn’t have lumpy-squishy arms. I’d also need to buy a strapless bra. But I love the vertical lines, which have the same effect as princess seams. This is a very good look for an Apple like me. And I never knew that this shape neckline would work for me; that’s nice to know.”

Bottom line: Francesca is seriously considering buying this top in a larger size, and having the sleeves replaced with black lace, which would hide my upper-arm lumpy-squishies better. The not-quite-as-great-as-I’d-hope-but-almost quality of the material is made up for by the truly elegant, feminine style.

A few weeks ago Francesca and I were asked by the fine folks at IGIGI –the company most known for dressing Hairspray star Nikki Blonsky– to select an item or two from their most recent collection, wear it and write an unbiased review. I’m not sure they knew what they were in for.

I chose the Navy Trench Dress

Beautiful no? But beware friends, this is a lot of dress. The material is heavy, the skirt is full and there is a lot of interest going on what with the buttons and the belt and the wide lapels. I am 5’10″ and I just barely carried it off. La Blonsky wore the same dress on Regis and although she cannot by her very nature do anything but look adorable, this particular ensemble makes her look mumsy.

And yet sadly it’s the mumsy-ness –that look somewhere between Mary Poppins and an Edwardian Matron– that makes this dress is an “almost.”

It almost works. It is almost superfantastic. I cannot complain about the quality of the workmanship, it’s beautifully made (in the USA!) and meticulously finished. Even the material which I did not particularly love was substantial and not cheap.

So what went wrong? Well first, there are the puff shoulders. Oh you can’t see them, but trust me, they’re there and much more noticeable in person. I do not find a puff shoulder becoming in general, but it muddied up a dress whose lines were struggling to stay clean and precise. The lapel is overdone, although just barely and the double breasted buttons are set a bit too wide to flatter. The skirt is good, but needs hemming on anyone under 6 feet tall (La Blonsky needed to lose a good 6″ off hers. I would have benefited from 2″) to capture that New Look feel.

If IGIGI comes out with a more streamlined, stylized version next year I’d consider adding it to my permanent rotation, but as it is my life is too short for an “almost” to play any part…and so, by the way, is yours.

***

Want to try it yourself? Use code WRAP at the checkout for 10% off the sales price.