A desired object

This beautiful skirt was first previewed in 2011 and I fell in love. It featured in the Preen Spring/Summer 2012 collection. I wanted to buy it and visited their shop in Notting Hill but it was sold out. I found it on a website, but it was sold out. Then it became available again on the Outnet website, to celebrate their fifth anniversary, for £276. .

It may be worth £276, but RTW  size “medium” would not fit me – fine on the hips but gaping on the waist. I have a small waist and big hips, which makes off the peg fitted trousers and skirts almost impossible to find. Which is why I make most of my own clothes. Also, if I am honest, while the pencil skirt looks great on women with slim hips and models, it is not the most flattering look women with a more curvaceous shape.

So instead of buying this item I am going to use it as inspiration. The silk fabric is a digital print, using a pixelated picture of a peony. To0 technical to do at home. What I might be able to do is to paint similar colours on silk that I can then make into a different type of garment. Given the structural look, and the geometric shaping, this might work well for a shell top, or perhaps a shift dress.

And if you like Preen, but not the price tag, try Debenhams. They have a low cost Preen range that can often be very attractive, although with the high street prices the fabrics are often polyester rather than silk.