My obsession with the vintage reproduction brand Miss Candyfloss continues unabated. I recently picked up a dress and a jumpsuit for fall. The dress was from last year with limited sizes left, and now it’s no longer on the MCF site at all. But I purchased the jumpsuit from ModCloth, which has it in five different colors for about the same price as MCF’s website. So if you wait for a coupon, you can actually get it for significantly less than the suggested retail (I had a 20% ModCloth code, they just finished a 25% code last week, and Black Friday is coming up next month…so it’s definitely worth waiting!).
For sizing, I’m wearing medium in both these pieces, and I measure 37”-29”-41” with a bra size of 28G – 30G (depending on the brand) and height 5’6”.
First up is the Gigi-Bo “pantskirt jumpsuit” in wine (aka ModCloth’s “Embolden Age Jumpsuit” in burgundy). I’ve seen a few reviews of this item before, but never really felt inclined to try it myself until this gorgeous wine color came out.
With my long torso and short legs, I don’t usually get along with jumpsuits. They’re often too short in the body and too long in the legs, leading to some unfortunate perma-wedgie. But since ModCloth has a good return policy, with the coupon I figured it was worth a shot. And I’m so glad I tried it, because, miraculously, the jumpsuit fits me perfectly!
Gigi-Bo features ultra-wide pleated pants, a zipper up the center, MCF’s signature pleated bust, half-length tulip sleeves, functional front and back pockets, and a matching belt (though there are no belt loops).
As usual, the pleated bust is super friendly to a range of sizes. Smaller ladies will see more of the folded pleating, and the pleats expand for us chestier gals. The underbust seam comes up onto my breast tissue a bit, but it’s not bad and probably wouldn’t happen on a more average torso length.
The full pleated pants are very forgiving to my tummy, and the pant portion is really comfortable. Amazingly, the suit’s body is long enough for me, with the crotch actually sitting an inch or two lower than I require. Huzzah! And thanks to the wide pant legs, you can’t really see where the crotch is located, so I still think this suit would work for shorter gals.
The fabric is the same slightly heavy, slightly stretchy polyester/viscose/spandex blend as many of MCF’s other items. It’s definitely a fall/winter piece, and would be a little overly warm for late spring or summer (at least in the northeastern US where I live).
As for the leg length, it’s also perfect on me, just barely skimming the ground in flats, and floating a couple inches above the ground in the three-inch heels I’ve got on here, so I don’t have to worry about the ankles getting dirty as long as the ground is dry.
Next up is the Weslyn-Hollis swing dress, which I photographed at my parents’ cabin (like my last MCF review) for a Halloween feel. The pumpkins and corn stalks you see here were grown in their garden!
Weslyn-Hollis has a similar bodice to Gigi-Bo, featuring the same bust pleats and underbust placement, but with a double-layer of fabric at the collar. It zips up the back, and features three-quarter sleeves, a full skirt with box pleats in front and back, belt loops, pockets, matching belt, and black and white houndstooth trim details.
Again the garment is made of a heavier polyester blend with some stretch. The bust pleats expand to fit really well, though the underbust seam is resting on breast tissue a bit (but it’s not very noticeable). I also really appreciate the looser sleeves, which are so comfortable and give great ease of movement. And the houndstooth details are very thoughtful, continuing onto the back for a cohesive look.
This dress is beyond perfect for fall. I cannot express enough how much I love it. While I usually avoid black, I’m loving how easy and fun it is to accessorize such a basic color palette for a change. With Halloween almost here, I plan on wearing it at least once (if not twice) this week with spooky accessories, such as a poison apple brooch, insect jewelry, and so forth.
I’m really kicking myself for missing out on the teal and the grey plaid versions (both with solid black trim) of this dress before they sold out. But up until just recently, I was only buying pieces when I could get them from my wholesale source, in part because I was being cheap and in part because the US customs limit was only $200, which meant placing a large order and getting stuck with customs fees, or placing several small orders and paying shipping charges over and over. Since MCF makes a very limited number of each item, things would sell out while my wholesaler waited to place a big order.
But earlier this year, the US changed the minimum threshold for duty fees from $200 to $800. Plus, right now the exchange rate between the US dollar and the euro is almost 1 to 1. This week I noticed that a couple MCF items I’ve had my eye on were sold out in all but my size, so I decided to place a big order before they were gone for good. Shipping was only 5 euros, and it arrived via FedEx in three days! (Watch for the review of those items soon.)
I’m definitely going to make a habit of buying direct from MCF from now on!
