I promise you that part 2 of Starting from Scratch is almost ready but I've parked it for a day to show you a try on session I did this morning in Debenhams in Belfast.
I've seen the Studio by Preen range all over Instagram and loved the video look book online so when I got wind this week that the whole range is in my local Debenhams, I was straight down this morning to try it all on.
Now I wasn't invited into the shop and no-one working there knew I was coming but when I got to the changing room with my 12 or so items and started explaining why I had so much to try on, Sheila who is one of the Personal Shoppers in Belfast, offered me a booth in the Personal Shopping suite instead of a standard fitting room. As well as some shoes to accessorise with AND a bottle of water to keep me hydrated during my marathon session! What a lovely surprise - I felt like a VIP.
So here goes with the try on starting with this spot/stripe one which I didn't think would look as good on as it did. It's one of the keenest priced ones from the range too at £65. Fit wise, the 10 was perfect and I loved the mix of prints, especially the striped belt and the occasional blue and red spot which lifts it a bit. It's a wrap style though so you do need a slip underneath. It wraps quite high on the cleavage though so a vest isn't required.
Next up, more stripes and this red/blue stripe on ivory midi dress has the look of a wrap with the asymmetric hemline but it's got a complete skirt and it's lined, hence the higher price point. I'm wearing the 10 again and it fitted perfectly.
I also tried the skirt in this print though it was only available in a 12 which was too big. I forgot to take a photo so this next image is a screenshot from my instagram stories. Apologies for the quality but hopefully you can get the gist of what it looks like on. I think the skirt is a more practical option for me though if I worked in an office, the dress would be a definite purchase. So work appropriate.
This next dress has the nicest print from the collection and I LOVE the top but not the skirt. It's just too short for me - such a shame as the print really is beautiful. I think this one would work well on a petite person as it would look more like a proper midi length. It's shirt style on the top half with a lovely ruffle detail - very flattering.
I'm wearing a 12 here so I'd say size up if you're in-between sizes.
Next is the silk shirt dress that's been on celebs and bloggers all over instagram - just last week on Christine Bleakley and also recently on Lisa Snowden (see link). It's 100% silk and has the price point to match but it truly is a beautiful dress and very designer inspired. I tried it with a heel and then with flats. I'm wearing the 12 again - definitely needed it.
And I also tried it open over jeans though I wasn't wearing exactly what I would wear it with. It would look much better with a white vest and skinny jeans. Perfect for dressing down a bit and getting a few more wears out of this more expensive option:
Another skirt now and this one is most definitely for the taller girls - it was just a tad too long on me with flat sandals and I'm unlikely to wear heels with it. I'm wearing the 10 here and it was uncomfortable so I'd be sizing up here too.
If you click on the link below, you'll see it worn with the matching blouse which makes it look like a fab maxi dress...too much floral for me but fab if you're tall and can pull it off.
I did try the blouse and skirt option in this next print but I took 10's to try on and I definitely needed 12's. It all felt too much with the high neck and the skirt wasn't as appealing as the blue/white one above. But I do like the blouse on its own..
But the blouse didn't get a look in after I tried on this next dress in the same print.
This is the 12 and again, it fitted perfectly. Another one that will look great casually as well as formally, wrap style with a fashion forward mixed print. Needs a vest underneath...too booby for me for day to day!!
Unfortunately it's not showing online anymore as it's sold out. But for anyone local, there were several in stock in the Belfast store.
And there you go - I made the most of my 90 minutes of kid free time didn't I? There are more dresses, blouses and skirts in the range and a really quirky mac too but I didn't have time to try on anymore.
So can you guess which dress I came away with? It's going to be a birthday present as I definitely don't have budget to buy any more dresses at the moment so I won't be able to show it to you until June. Stand by...
You can see the entire Studio by Preen range online on this link, including a video of the range (with the worst music accompaniment....recommend muting while watching!!)
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This post as it's not sponsored in any way. Some of my links may convert to affiliate links which means that Debenhams will know you came to their site from here and may pay me a small commission if you buy and keep anything. This doesn't change the price for you and the modest income I make from this helps to cover the costs of maintaining this blog.
The Christine Bleakley blue/yellow for its versatility, although I bet you loved the final dress more?
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