MTE reviews: Fashion to Figure

I can't have nice clothes.

My day to day life sees me wearing lots of cotton tops and regular old shorts these days, the spring/summer version of my long-sleeved T-shirt and yoga pants cold weather uniform. I can't say that my clothing choices have been a priority for me as a stay-at-home mom for the last four years. Sue me. I like to be comfortable and not have to worry about my clothes when surrounded by small people who like to wipe their dirty hands on my pants.

Then I got an email from a representative at Fashion to Figure, an online retailer of plus size clothing for women. And not just any old T-shirts and yoga pants, but trendy clothing at that. Trendy is not something I'm terribly familiar with, and seeing as I am right on the cusp of the plus sized spectrum, I thought I'd give it a go. I was given the opportunity to choose an item for $30 or less for review.

I knew that I'm more likely to be in a plus size on the top than on the bottom, so I looked through their shirts online. I saw several that were perhaps a little too trendy for my somewhat Plain-Jane self, but then I saw one that looked really cute and a bit more risque than I usually wear. It's cost was exactly $30, so it was a done deal.

The fashionably named Strapless Matte Sateen Top with Embroidery. Cute, right?

Since the shirt is fancier than my usual wardrobe, I felt that I needed a special occasion to wear it. Red's birthday party happened on a beautiful day shortly after I received the top last month, so I got prepared to wear it then. Well, I had a couple issues. One, I got a little shy at the last minute... was wearing a strapless top at your daughter's five year old birthday party a fashion faux pas? Who knows, but I got a little nervous about any potential "wardrobe malfunctions." So, I did wear it, but I first tried a little idea. Maybe the long bow straps could be tied up around my neck to turn it a little halter-like, and ensure that no little hands would be pulling on the shirt and giving the party an unexpected show portion.

Well, this is where I hit my first fashion road bump. Apparently, the fabric of this piece of clothing is very delicate, and when I pulled the straps around my neck and tied them, it pulled on the seam stitching, causing a slight rip. I went back to the bow style (which covered up the stitch rip) and opted to wear a light sweater over it for the party.

Please disregard the ridiculous facial expression I'm wearing along with the shirt in this picture. Apparently, I steered clear of the camera that day, as this is the only picture I appear in. I have no idea what I'm reacting to, but I clearly look like an idiot. BUT, an idiot in a cute shirt.

So then I washed the shirt according to the label directions, since I know enough to read clothing labels, right? (Ugh. More on that later...) When it was clean again, I happily packed it for our trip to Florida, figuring that I'd be happy to wear a strapless shirt in the southern warmth. And then I got all self-conscious again and it didn't come out of the suitcase during the trip.

Another opportunity for wearing nice clothing presented itself this past weekend, and I was determined to shed my personal issues and wear this cool top again. I had fixed up the tear on the seam with my very novice sewing skills, but the bow still covered any irregularity from being visible. All I needed to do was iron the shirt and it would be ready to go for hubby's birthday dinner.

LABELS!! Dammit if I didn't make that iron too hot, and upon the first touchdown to the fabric, I rendered it unwearable by tearing the fabric right on the cool pleated bust. Ugh. There ends my story with a cute, fashionable addition to my otherwise plain wardrobe.

If I can get past my sadness (and stupidity!), I can speak of this piece of clothing objectively.  First for the positives:

• It's definitely attractive. Like many of the pieces of clothing from Fashion to Figure, it's distinctive looking, and I happen to like this style, even if I get a little shy about wearing it among large groups of friends.
• It's reasonably priced. There are some good sale prices on lots of items, too. 
• FTF offers a flat shipping rate of $5.95 for orders under $70, and after that, shipping is free. 
• The site called the fit "true to size" and it made me happy that the 1X size was a tiny bit too big for me. Like many of their shirts, it was available in sizes 1X to 3X.

Now for the parts that I wish were better:

• The shirt I ordered is no longer available for sale! Bummer.
• It does require more care than I'm used to, being a hand wash only item that also requires ironing after each wash to readjust the pleats and such. Let me also emphasize, that shirts of this nature require a VERY low heat when ironed.
• The fabric is also a bit more sheer than I expected. 

Well, while I won't be wearing this particular shirt again (dammit!), I do think I'll be watching the Fashion to Figure site as I prepare to add some items to my wardrobe this fall for my return to work. They do certainly live up to their tagline of "Trendy Plus Size Fashion."

**Disclosure: I was provided a complimentary shirt for review purposes, but all opinions and stupid clothing care decisions are all genuinely my own.


Trying to look cool and failing miserably with an iron,



This week I'll be featuring a couple product reviews of items that I was sent for review purposes, as well as a couple that I purchased with my own hard earned cash. Coming tomorrow: my beef with Rapunzel.