Disappointing Plus Size Collection

The Most Disappointing ‘New’ Plus Size Collection

This week I had a shoot in the woods planned for all the fancier than usual dresses I had to review for this blog, however, when I tried them on the night before, the shoot was immediately cancelled. Having mostly size 22s meant that I wasn’t worried about anything not fitting at all. With ‘new’ plus size brands I always size up out of fear that they’ll be sized too small and I was right to do that for all the dresses that I had. What I didn’t know is that I would come across some of the WORST fitting issues of my blogging time, well, of my plus size lifetime. (The worst is still to come in another post.)

Frock and Frill have just launched a brand new Curve collection which only caters to a size 16 – 22. I soon found out that this isn’t the first plus size collection they’d had as my friend, Faith from Music and Eyeliner, used to buy and wear them when they were stocked by Simply Be. Interesting that they have presented it as ‘new’ rather than ‘relaunched’ – also interesting that they would go from Simply Be sizes of a 14/16 – 30/32, to a collection of just 4 sizes. On their website it actually says ‘from size 16 to 22, there really is something for everyone’ – which really made me laugh as I’m wearing a 22 and it’s rather tight, meaning it doesn’t even cater for a proper sized 22.

It really angers me when collections don’t extend to bigger sizes and still go on as if they need praise for extending by 4 sizes but it angers me even more when feedback on terrible fitting is shrugged off.

I will apologise for not photographing the faults on this dress properly, as there are indeed 2 major ones, but I wasn’t going to take any photos in it at all until I thought they’d be useful to send to the brand. Usually when giving such crucial feedback as ‘the fit is horrendous,’ I get a better response than to ask when I’m posting so they can repost my photos. I will point out that it is the PR Company I am in contact with and not the brand directly, as I would hope they’d have something better to say, maybe an explanation on the gaping bust and the weird pleat in the side of the dress.

Yep, another fault. A pleat on the side of the dress which is at a completely different angle to the rest, meaning it sticks out in an odd and shape ruining way – as you can see from the back.

This dress is actually priced at £125. So for £125 you will have to pay more to have the bust altered, however the material is in the wrong place to pin it together so you’d need to do that and then add another fabric to cover ANY type of bra, even a plunge wouldn’t work with this. As for the random pleat out of sync with the rest, that you will just have to deal with as moving it just makes it worse.

It’s such a beautiful dress, but the bust is such a huge and vital part of a dress to get right. I wouldn’t personally go out with my bra on show this much – even though is it a Scantilly from Curvy Kate and it is amazing.

For a 22, which usually fit on the generous side on me, the waistband is really tight, as are the arms which means I’d class this on the smaller 22 rather than a true to size 22 dress. Another fault really when 22 is your biggest size. Obviously I’m not going to address that it’s way too long for me because I’m 5’3.

Beautiful design idea, terrible execution of putting it together and for that reason, I cannot recommend Frock and Frill’s ‘new’/relaunched Curve collection. For the price, I’d expect more care behind the clothes.

This post features PR samples unless otherwise stated. For more details, read my disclaimer here.