I was out of town last week enjoying some time at my parents’ home in the countryside of central New York for the 4th of July, and was too busy swimming, hiking, and going to local breweries to write a post. But in honor of the holiday, this week you get a review of an adorable patriotic outfit from Miss Candyfloss. And BONUS: MCF has a 30% discount (excluding sale items) with code VACATION good through July 22. So go forth and shop!
Introducing the Manuela-Lee top and the Paola-Rose culotte shorts, both in size medium. My normal subway stop for going to work is closed for renovations until at least October, so I’ve been riding my bike to work every day that I possibly can lately, even on 90-degree days. This creates a bit of an outfit crisis, though. I need to be comfortable and cool on my bike, but I refuse to wear athletic-wear to work and full skirts require shorts underneath to keep from flashing passersby—and I do not need an extra layer of fabric on those hot days!
Luckily, I bought a pair of wide-leg high-waisted shorts (aka “culotte shorts”) from Trashy Diva last year, and they’ve proven to be a perfect solution. They’re as comfy as (and look like) a miniskirt with no threat of flashing my undies while I ride.
But I can’t be expected to wear the same pair of shorts every day, now can I (especially after sweating on my bike)? So this season, I’ve been seeking out more shorts in the same style. I picked up another used pair from Trashy Diva, and then fell in love with this entire set from MCF.
And I adore the set even more in person! I literally wore it two days in a row this week (no bike that first day, so it didn’t get too sweaty). In fact, I may order the shorts in navy blue as well. They’re just so cute and practical for my lifestyle!
I suppose I should discuss the top a bit too, since this is a blog devoted to the full-bust market. Turns out, it’s the most boob-friendly top I’ve tried from MCF yet! It’s actually got more room than I need, if you can believe it, thanks to some seriously innovative darting.
I couldn’t resist taking a little slow-mo video to show off how swishy the shorts are:
Okay, on to the top. The front has horizontal and vertical darts for shaping, as well as a pair of vertical darts in back:
You can see it’s not entirely smooth at the ends of the darts, but this is not because the darts were poorly sewn (MCF is the undisputed champion of smooth bust darts!). Rather, it’s because there is still more room for a full bust than I actually need. A more padded bra (this is a Comexim plunge in size Polish 60J [about a UK 28GG]) or simply bigger boobs would pull the fabric a bit more taut and smooth out those darts no problem.
Additionally, the vertical darts are not just a straight line. They curve inward at the waist and then flare back out at the bust—providing a lovely hourglass shape:
Finally, the top is a little short, but it’s by no means a crop top. At 5’6” and with a looooong torso, I can wear it untucked just fine, though I would need at least mid-rise bottoms to ensure there’s no visible skin.
Now I just need to do laundry so I can wear this outfit again (and again, and again…).
