I’ve worn my Moi Même blouse two days in a row this week and can’t wait to wash and iron it so that I can wear it again. What do I love most? The great-feeling fabric (96% cotton, 4% elastane) and the vibrant color. It was the perfect pick-me-up for the rainy weather we’ve been having.
I also love that it looks so great with my Audrey Kerrigan necklace. My friend Tina suggested I use the necklace as an accent piece for a button-down shirt. I said I couldn’t because my neck is too short. It turns out I can!
What else did I love? Never once worrying about gapping. At the bustline under the hidden placket, three buttons just 1.5″ apart keep everything together. The rest of the buttons are 3″ apart.
I’m pretty happy with the rest of the fit. If you compare the before and after (after the jump), you’ll see that it looked pretty boxy before the complimentary alterations by Avellino*, Moi Même’s master tailor who used to work for Asprey. One advantage of buying your shirts and blouses from small companies like Moi Même, Carissa Rose, Rebecca & Drew, and–now–Campbell & Kate, is that we are always perfecting the pattern. In Moi Même’s case, they have deepened the waist dart and carved out the front arm hole to reduce bagginess. These are the changes they made to my shirt, in addition to shortening the sleeve length.
I can’t actually fault them for my original sleeve length, since I’m the one who sent in the measurements. Neither can I fault them for the shirt length, for the same reason. I was trying to have a shirt that I can wear tucked in or out, but it’s too short for the former. There’s a quirky little flip at each side that I’m not crazy about, but I don’t mind it enough to have it changed.
The only negative about my shopping experience was the time it took to receive my blouse. Moi Même uses expert tailors in Vietnam and promises delivery within 4-6 weeks, but it took seven or eight. A short email to let me know they hadn’t forgotten me would have been appreciated, but they did include a pair of French cuff links in the package to make up for it.
I’d love to try a Moi Même dress next. The charcoal fabric that I saw in the showroom was gorgeous.
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| Before. |
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| After running around the city in it yesterday. |
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| Before. |
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| After. |
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| The alterations. |
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| The back. (Please pardon the wrinkles and sweat! But do you appreciate the neatly rolled sleeves?) |
*The first set of alterations are included in the price. Avellino has no problem making alterations based on photographs from customers who can’t come to the showroom in person.
