Mo Pie And Anne's Totally Honest Product Review
As you may be aware, the savvy marketing team at Igigi sent out some items of clothing to various bloggers for them to try and send back. Anyway, they sent some things to me and to Anne, and now here we are to review them!
In order to conduct our review, we put on our Igigi outfits and went out to dinner at Lime, a delightful little small-plate venue in San Francisco. (I had a fantastic Mojito. I feel that's important to record.) I wore the Camilla top under a black blazer from Target with the Palazzo pants. Anne wore an asymmetric tunic top and probably some pants or something. Here is part one of our two-part series.
Part One: Mo Pie's Outfit
Palazzo Pants
Mo:
The first item I'd like to discuss is my black pants. They have two layers of fabric--I don't know what you'd call that--are they lined? I know nothing about fashion. They are elastic waist "palazzo" pants. I thought they would be comfortable, and they were. However, the heaviness of the fabric and the elastic of the waist made me feel--and there is no politic way to say this--as if I were wearing "fat pants." When I was at my heaviest, I had a couple of pairs of billowy black pants with elastic waists. The elastic waist made them feel like "I give up" pants, and they reminded me of being too fat to wear "real" pants. I will admit this is totally on me. I am sure there are thin women out there who wear elastic waist pants. Or--wait--are there?
Anne:
I can't imagine elastic waist pants being anything someone would put on, frankly, and billowy pants still less something a fat girl should be putting on. I'll admit I found the two-layered pants a little weird - they looked a little bit like the kind of thing you stuff a Mother of the Bride into, with a sequined tunic on top. They only came down to your ankles - which is the fault of your long and gorgeous legs, really, and not the pants, but still mitigated the effect the designer was going for - a long, flowy, romantic and dramatic silhouette, I think. Even though I am kind of making fun of the pants, because flowy and romantic and dramatic is kind of ridiculous, they did achieve their goal - your legs looked totally poetic. The fabric also looked quite rich and expensive. But again, the styling felt a little old, a little fat-girl, as you said, and I have to wonder why Igigi doesn't make pants in lengths - it's the reason I'll never buy a pair from them. That, and all their things are wide-legged. I am wide-legged enough.
Mo:
And yet I think the wide leg thing is great on some people. Especially if you're bigger on top and narrower in the bottom--what's that shape called? The opposite of a pear. An apple? A lollipop? A Tyrannosaurus Rex? I really was in favor of the idea of big wide-legged pants--I love flare jeans, for example--but the elastic was the killer for me. And obviously the length; for those of you who don't know, I am 5'10" and they were just that little bit too short.
Camilla Top (blue)
Mo:
The screened-on lace shirt... my first reaction was that having that fake lace on there was like wearing one of those T-shirts with a tuxedo painted on it, or a big swimsuit cover-up muumuu with a picture of a bikini-clad body. (Those are so sad.) However, I really did like the shirt. I got a lot of compliments on it (until I pointed out the fake lace and then they said "wow, that's fake?" and looked closer and kind of laughed at it). I like the shade of blue, the square neckline, and the sheer sleeves. And now that I know (thanks to Product Anarchy) that the fake lace is a Christian Lacroix homage (Lacroix, sweetie, Lacroix), I am back on board with it. It is perfect under a blazer during the day (not too low cut) and then I can take the blazer off at night (sheer sleeves made it saucy). Still, if they had one for $20 more with real lace, I would totally buy that one. The fake lace makes me feel ambivalent and funny inside.
Anne:
The fake lace still kills me. Ha! Sorry, I was just remembering. I am not sure I can entirely get behind the dogs-playing-poker-on-velvet aspect of it, but I have to admit, it really did look smashing under the blazer you paired it with. The neckline was flattering, and the color did great things for your eyes. The length was right, and it was just fitted enough. I was not crazy about the shirt sans blazer, however -- the neckline cut for which I do not have a name was a little, again, old-fashioned, and the sheer sleeves left me cold. I think I saw too many sheer sleeves at the old-school Lane Bryant, which always screamed to me "My arms are too fat to show! My gauze astounds and bewilders you!" I would have liked this top a lot more with a square neckline and solid sleeves.
Mo:
I think the blazer over it is the right call. My favorite outfits involve blazers and tops paired with jeans--that's probably the college professor in me. But that being said, I liked the neckline and enjoyed the sleeves. Perhaps I am just too astounded and bewildered by the gauze to be objective.
[Stay tuned for Part Two: Anne's Outfit]
In order to conduct our review, we put on our Igigi outfits and went out to dinner at Lime, a delightful little small-plate venue in San Francisco. (I had a fantastic Mojito. I feel that's important to record.) I wore the Camilla top under a black blazer from Target with the Palazzo pants. Anne wore an asymmetric tunic top and probably some pants or something. Here is part one of our two-part series.
Part One: Mo Pie's Outfit
Palazzo Pants
Mo:
The first item I'd like to discuss is my black pants. They have two layers of fabric--I don't know what you'd call that--are they lined? I know nothing about fashion. They are elastic waist "palazzo" pants. I thought they would be comfortable, and they were. However, the heaviness of the fabric and the elastic of the waist made me feel--and there is no politic way to say this--as if I were wearing "fat pants." When I was at my heaviest, I had a couple of pairs of billowy black pants with elastic waists. The elastic waist made them feel like "I give up" pants, and they reminded me of being too fat to wear "real" pants. I will admit this is totally on me. I am sure there are thin women out there who wear elastic waist pants. Or--wait--are there?
Anne:
I can't imagine elastic waist pants being anything someone would put on, frankly, and billowy pants still less something a fat girl should be putting on. I'll admit I found the two-layered pants a little weird - they looked a little bit like the kind of thing you stuff a Mother of the Bride into, with a sequined tunic on top. They only came down to your ankles - which is the fault of your long and gorgeous legs, really, and not the pants, but still mitigated the effect the designer was going for - a long, flowy, romantic and dramatic silhouette, I think. Even though I am kind of making fun of the pants, because flowy and romantic and dramatic is kind of ridiculous, they did achieve their goal - your legs looked totally poetic. The fabric also looked quite rich and expensive. But again, the styling felt a little old, a little fat-girl, as you said, and I have to wonder why Igigi doesn't make pants in lengths - it's the reason I'll never buy a pair from them. That, and all their things are wide-legged. I am wide-legged enough.
Mo:
And yet I think the wide leg thing is great on some people. Especially if you're bigger on top and narrower in the bottom--what's that shape called? The opposite of a pear. An apple? A lollipop? A Tyrannosaurus Rex? I really was in favor of the idea of big wide-legged pants--I love flare jeans, for example--but the elastic was the killer for me. And obviously the length; for those of you who don't know, I am 5'10" and they were just that little bit too short.
Camilla Top (blue)
Mo:
The screened-on lace shirt... my first reaction was that having that fake lace on there was like wearing one of those T-shirts with a tuxedo painted on it, or a big swimsuit cover-up muumuu with a picture of a bikini-clad body. (Those are so sad.) However, I really did like the shirt. I got a lot of compliments on it (until I pointed out the fake lace and then they said "wow, that's fake?" and looked closer and kind of laughed at it). I like the shade of blue, the square neckline, and the sheer sleeves. And now that I know (thanks to Product Anarchy) that the fake lace is a Christian Lacroix homage (Lacroix, sweetie, Lacroix), I am back on board with it. It is perfect under a blazer during the day (not too low cut) and then I can take the blazer off at night (sheer sleeves made it saucy). Still, if they had one for $20 more with real lace, I would totally buy that one. The fake lace makes me feel ambivalent and funny inside.
Anne:
The fake lace still kills me. Ha! Sorry, I was just remembering. I am not sure I can entirely get behind the dogs-playing-poker-on-velvet aspect of it, but I have to admit, it really did look smashing under the blazer you paired it with. The neckline was flattering, and the color did great things for your eyes. The length was right, and it was just fitted enough. I was not crazy about the shirt sans blazer, however -- the neckline cut for which I do not have a name was a little, again, old-fashioned, and the sheer sleeves left me cold. I think I saw too many sheer sleeves at the old-school Lane Bryant, which always screamed to me "My arms are too fat to show! My gauze astounds and bewilders you!" I would have liked this top a lot more with a square neckline and solid sleeves.
Mo:
I think the blazer over it is the right call. My favorite outfits involve blazers and tops paired with jeans--that's probably the college professor in me. But that being said, I liked the neckline and enjoyed the sleeves. Perhaps I am just too astounded and bewildered by the gauze to be objective.
[Stay tuned for Part Two: Anne's Outfit]
Labels: fashion, product review
posted by mo pie at 10:25 AM
12 Comments:
I think the top is pretty, but the pants I definetely do not like. I have to say, even on the model who's wearing them on the site, they look funny and don't really flatter her figure. They look like you're about to head out to studio 54.
That top is really cute! But do those sheer sleeves show off bra straps? I'm really not into the visible bra strap...
And where are the pics of you in the 'fit??
Those pants look like gauchos in disguise, just longer. No offense to residents of the South American pampas, but I hate gauchos!
And why wasn't Igigi giving out free clothes when I was chubbier and had to attend two weddings and a funeral all in one month, eh?
Really?!?!? I looooove the pants and I am not fat. I think they look supercute.
Elastic waists may be comfortable, but they don't do anything for any body. Being 5'10", too, I sympathize about the pants' length. Regular lengths tend to be too short and tall lengths tend to be too long.
I like the blouse. I've got a couple of real lace blouses that catch and snag on everything.
D
I think the elastic waist is fine, my problem with the pants is that the legs are TOO wide -- wide legs are supposed to universally flatter, and when done right, they usually do -- but these ones are SO wide that if you put your legs close together, it would look like a skirt.
Love the shirt.
I am so with you on the "fake" part! I hate any non-functional non-real details on clothes, and fat-girl clothes tend to have a lot of them. Like pocket-flaps that have no pockets. Or buttons that don't close anything. Or those sweaters that have parts of shirts attached, so you get the "layered look."
But the top still looks great in the picture, and maybe if it's Lacroix (sweetie)-inspired it's okay!
Hooray, my top is winning!
People! It's got sheer sleeves! That is wrong!
I quite like the top, but... I do not think sheer sleeves are at all flattering on arms which are not toned. Such as my own (my arms and thighs are my worst bits. I'd rather bare my midriff than my arms, and I wouldn't bare my midriff.)
They look as though they ought to be flattering, I grant you. I've tried on several tops with sheer sleeves for that reason. But they aren't.
I actually think the top is cuter than you described it -- it sounded weird, but the picture looks cute. I am not completely onboard with sheer sleeves though. In general, I think they just draw attention to flabby arms that do not need more attention (which is not to cast aspersions on your own arms, which I am sure are very beautiful).
I am totally a T Rex, or an apple with T Rex arms -- my arms are short and small in comparison to my body, and so are my legs. Bootcut pants look good on me. Wide legged pants, not so much. I tend to just look like I am swimming in a sea of pant leg.
And, hello, when is EVERYONE going to get with the fucking program about pant length? We need Short, Regular, and Tall in everything -- fat people come in all heights! Just because I am over 200 pounds does not mean I am 7 feet tall, though when I try on clothes it is obvious that no one believes this.
I hear you guys about the pants length - I'm 4'10" and it seems to me they always think that the fatter they are the taller you are. We should do a pair up Mo - I could give you the extra 6 inches at the bottom of my pants and then we would both be good! :)
I don't like the pants either - my legs are big enough, thank you, and those just look like they would make you look like godzilla in pants. Of course, with the short leg thing too, when I've tried on pants like that it looks like my legs are wider than they are long, which is not exactly a look I aspire to achieve.
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