Reviews: Six skirts, a blouse and a pair of crops

Ready for another review roundup?


Apologies for the dark pictures on a few of these items — I got stuck in one of the caves of Soho’s fitting rooms. I was there on Friday during my lunch break and while I’d normally ask for a brighter room they were so crowded I didn’t want to be a pain.

First up is Eva Franco’s Fine Line Skirt ($148). I grabbed my usual size 8 and it was so ridiculously tight. So I went back and asked for a 10 and found it not much better. These shots are me stuffed into the 8 (sorry about the seam, I could not twist the skirt into its rightful place). This brand usually runs to TTS to one size large for me so it was quite the shock. I wasn’t expecting to need to size up so much. There was no 12 in-store for me to try unfortunately. The material is nylon and it does stretch a bit. But wowza. If you have any kind of curves size up 2 sizes in this one. Pass for me.

I quickly threw on a Tabitha blouse that hasn’t made the website yet. It’s a silk in coral with tons of paillettes affixed in the shape of a bloom. Sooooo pretty. I was drawn to it like a bee to honey. I grabbed a size 6. It was the right size on top but a little tight across my hips. I would want to try on an 8 for comparison before deciding which size to buy. Below is a detail shot.


Gorgeous right? Too bad that beauty comes at a price. $118 to be exact.


The blouse stayed on for one more skirt pairing. This is Hei Hei’s Sidewalk Garden Skirt ($98). It has an interesting saturation to it. I want to call it drab but it’s really not. The green base color desaturates the bright blue flowers on the skirt, and in this case that’s a good thing. It’s aptly named as it takes on the tone of a well-worn sidewalk.

I usually need a 10 in Hei Hei bottoms so that was what I grabbed to try on. But this skirt is really stretchy and my usual size 8 would have been fine. For the record I tried this skirt on backwards apparently. But I have to say it sat very naturally — the pockets felt right in the back. Shrug. I am a fan of this skirt. Wishlisted!


If it’s a soft skirt you’re looking for give Daughters of the Liberation’s Mindful Skirt ($78) a try. It felt like my favorite stuffed animal. The skirt has two side buckles and a wide waistband. My usual size 8 was a good fit.

This skirt is so versatile. It would work for most offices and could also be dressed up easily. I like that it sits at the waist (if you want to, you can size up to hipster it). It’s nice when Anthro comes out with these easy basics to pair with all the patterns and embellishments they churn out. Wishlisted!


I previously reviewed the Chilled Ripples Shell ($118) here and now it’s time to discuss the skirt I tried with it. That would be the Mona Skirt ($98) by Pyrus. I tried the medium and while it felt really nice at the waist it was poufing over my tush a bit. So I’d probably size up to a large to buy.

This skirt is a bit short. With tights this wouldn’t be an issue for me but it was showing too much pasty whiteness for my comfort bare-legged. Anthro’s product description is right on that the elastic waist is perfect for containing otherwise billowy blouses. This one is wishlisted for further consideration.


I can’t say that Odille’s Button Loop Skirt ($88, also in photo at the top of this post) was on my radar. In-store though a friend pulled me over to ooh and aah over it with her. It looked cute up close so I grabbed a 10 to try on.

This skirt sits at the waist so I expected the 10 to be big. It wasn’t. In fact it was kind of tight, creating a pouf right below the band. Blech. The rest of the skirt is quite cute. I love the buttons! They have the same jellybean quality to them as the Elodie Lily Cardigan from last year. You can fasten the buttons to their loops if you’d like (someone had with some of the buttons before me, I just left them done). This skirt is intriguing but the the pouf is a dealbreaker for me. Back to the rack.


Odille gets a double-shot in this post. This skirt is their Rock Slide Skirt ($88), a tower of tiers below a top layer of cotton. Again the 10 was a close but decent fit, and I’d argue a 12 might be warranted for comparison. Maybe I am gaining weight. As I expected the asymmetric ruffle really bothered me on. I kept tugging at the raised ruffle on the left side, trying to pull it down. I realize this is what makes the skirt special. I wasn’t quite feeling it though.

Then again it looks pretty cute in the pictures and it felt comfortable on. Perhaps on sale? One of the website reviewers expressed frustration figuring out what to pair with this skirt. I’d recommend something like the Daring Dart Blouse (now $40).


Let’s change gears for a moment to denim. These are AG Jeans’ Tomboy Crops ($168) in runner. I had been hoping to see these in-store. I was disappointed by this year’s regular crops (they were very tight around my thick calves) so my hope was that the relaxed fit of the Tomboys would slip on easily. Which they did. In fact, they ran large. That is the first time that has ever happened to me with AG. I tried on my usual size 31 but I’d size down to a 30 to buy.

A few things I love about these crops (take notes please, denim purveyors): the solid color of the jeans, the contrast stitching and the perfectly proportioned pockets. To cap my adoration these jeans are made in the USA. AG, you rock!

Death to denim purveyors who insist on: paint splattering (seriously, WTF?!?), whiskering, holes. There is a special circle of retail hell for those who charge over $100 for those “details.”


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