I Like Pretty Clothes

Really crappy photo, but I was just not feeling it this a.m. Unfortunately, I don’t think it does the dress justice, which is actually really cute and my other new one from Dorothy Perkins. Oh well, I’m sure you get the idea.

dress and belt - Dorothy Perkins, tights - We Love Colours (they died a sad death today via a huge run, unfortunately), shoes - Hush Puppies, earrings - Walmart

I also wore a black cardigan from Rickis, not pictured

I LOVE my eShakti dress! I wore it for the first time last night to the opening night of a play, and I felt so good in it. It just fits so well, the lace feels so soft, it is just so pretty and girly, there is nothing not to love about it. Needless to say, I am very happy with what will be my one and only dress from eShakti (until they offer international shipping and stop using UPS).

dress - eShakti, tights - We Love Colors, shoes - Number 1 Shoes, necklaces - Christchurch market and Hilary Druxman

It’s the blue dress again, but this time I paired it with crazy red tights. Does it work? Not sure. But it doesn’t not work, that I know for sure. :)

dress - Dorothy Perkins, tights - We Love Colors (it hurts me a little to spell it this way, I must admit), boots - Overland

EDIT: I changed up the location! Woo hoo! Exciting!

Also, I may have had a few drinks before doing this post. Oops.

So this is the other thing I got from Dorothy Perkins - the black circle skirt. It is SO very comfy - a soft cotton jersey, elastic waist, flowy design, love it! It will definitely become something I go to when I want to be comfortable but also look nice.

That said, not sure I love this outfit. It’s ok - all the elements are cute but together, kind of a mess. I think it’s because the top is untucked - although I tried it tucked with a belt and untucked with a belt and neither looked right. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

One more thing, this is the second pair of tights that We Love Colors gave me to try, and they are SO much better than the teal/black striped pair (although I love the colour of the other ones better). They’re more comfortable and they’ve held together well - just generally awesome! So I would definitely recommend these ones.

top - Pinup Girl Clothing, skirt - Dorothy Perkins, tights - We Love Colors, boots - Overland, necklace - Robotic Love (Ali, I cannot wear this top anymore without wearing your necklace with it! Seriously, every time!)

Some of you may remember that I ordered some We Love Colors tights a while ago and had some problems with them. Since then, I have been dealing with the lovely and helpful Cara C. (with a name like that, how can she be anything but awesome?) from the WLC customer service department, who has been sorting things out for me. In addition to providing replacement pairs of my original tights and then a refund when the replacement pairs didn’t work out (there was a manufacturing defect with the particular tights I was ordering that I’m sure has since been sorted), she also offered to send me a couple of samples of the striped tights for me to review. I received them yesterday and couldn’t wait to try the teal/black pair today!

First things first, the positive: these tights are super adorable - the colour is great and I got a lot of compliments on them. People were looking at my legs all day! It was especially windy here in Wellington today (120 km/hr - yikes!) and with my striped tights and cute shoes I felt a little like the Wicked Witch of the East (in a good way, of course, the woman had mad style) and kept expecting a house to drop on me. 

However, onto the second point: the fit is not the greatest. I mean, they fit and they stay up without rolling, which is good. But they’re not the most comfortable, and definitely not as comfortable as the other WLC tights I have. This could be because they are not nylon/lycra but polyester (I’m just guessing on that one). Also, the fit is a little weird in the bum. They’re not as strong as the nylon/lycra either; there’s already two small runs in them - one in the heal and the other in the hip. 

So, would I buy them? They’re $12 USD per pair, so I would consider it for a special occasion, especially if I lived in the US and didn’t have to pay the high international shipping costs. Because, as per my first point, they are SUPER cute. However, even though I haven’t had the best experience with WLC’s products so far, their customer service is top notch - among the best in my experience of online shopping - so regardless of shipping I may just have to give them another shot next time I am in the market for colourful tights. Being treated so well by a company really does make you want to give them a second chance.

Outfit details:
top and skirt - Pinup Girl Clothing, tights - We Love Colors, brooch - Paekakariki, NZ, necklace - Christchurch, NZ, shoes - Number 1 Shoes, earrings - bling

I wore this outfit today (first posted here). The tights in the above picture were my original teal pair from We Love Colors, and developed holes along the seams within a short time of having them on. I contacted WLC customer services, and they were very fantastic and lovely and sent me a replacement pair (they also sent me a replacement pair of red ones, since those also developed holes during the first wear. Of my three original pairs, only one has held together through multiple wears - the royal blue pair that was featured yesterday on the WLC Style Blog).

So today I wear this outfit again, but with the brand new, replacement pair of teal tights. And what do I notice after about two hours of wearing them? You guessed it, holes along the seams. I really do not understand why this keeps happening, as the tights fit beautifully - there is lots of room, lots of stretch and no unnecessary pulling anywhere. In fact, if it weren’t for the holey crotch, I’d say that these tights fit better than any I’ve had before. But I’ve had cheaper pairs - that, granted, don’t fit as well - last for much, much longer. (Well, just generally, tights should last for more than one wear!) So, the decision has been made for me - no more shopping at WLC for me. :( Which is too bad, because I was planning to copy the lovely Frocks and Frou Frou and get some of the stripey ones. Oh well.

This dress is super old. In fact, I bought it to wear to my book launch, all so many years ago. It doesn’t really fit very well anymore - I can’t do up the buttons over my chest. But with a tank top under it, I think it looks good open! Which is yay, because it means I can still wear a dress I love!

dress - Suzy Shier, tank - Shanton, tights - We Love Colors (this is the second time I’ve worn them and they will go into the garbage now because the crotch has completely given out. But the nice people at WLC sent me a replacement pair, which is quite good customer service. And hopefully those ones will last longer), boots - Overland, necklace - diva, cardigan - rescued from a lost and found, octopus brooch - Punakaiki, NZ

What I wore last night to an event at which I drank far too much wine. Must try that newfangled “moderation” thing next time!

dress and necklace - Pinup Girl Clothing, petticoat (under) - Domino Dollhouse, tights - We Love Colors, shoes - Number 1 Shoes