Leifsdottir Spring Review

Leifsdottir Spring Review

March 16, 2009, 8:16 am
Filed under: anthropologie, reviews, shopping, skirts, wishlist | Tags: leifsdottir

I love love Leifsdottir, Anthro’s “higher end” line.  I became smitten ever since I read this review of their initial preview show last Winter, and when summer rolled around and the collection was supposed to drop, I started anxiously checking the site every day to see if it was available.  (Mostly I was after the Needlelace Sheath, the brown and gold dress shown in the review’s first picture…of course it turned out to be completely disappointing in real life, but I digress.)  From what I can tell, though priced at a level I sometimes consider exorbitant, Leifsdottir really is composed of truly beautiful, unique, well-made pieces that each have something really special about them.  I picked up a few pieces here and there — the Floe & Current Coat (reviewed here), the Every-Good-Boy-Does-Fine skirt (a kelly green concoction — shown here in black — featuring flounces and a ridiculously adorable musical print lining) and the Daybreak Cardigan (a soft lavender sweater, featuring a front bow and little flowers trapped in the buttons; cute but far too expensive at $228,  I got it for an amazing 90% off on eBay) — and I have been very pleased with all of them.

I’ve been excited about the Spring collection for a while now, which features a semi-nautical theme as well as copious amounts of adorableness.  Sadly, the pieces I have been most anxious to see didn’t seem to be turning up in stores or even on the website.  Fortunately though, Nordstrom and Bloomingdales have been carrying them for a while (Leifsdottir is one of the rare Anthro brands to be carried by other stores), and last week, I discovered that Neiman Marcus has started to carry Leifsdottir too, and in fact, had all three of the pieces I’ve been dying to see out on their floor for me to try.  Yes!

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First up is the ‘Cloud’ Organdy skirt ($288), originally mentioned by and raved about by me a month or two back.  That color!  Those carnation-like clouds of fabric!  J’adore.  Getting a chance to try it on in person though, I discovered it was not so much for me.

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I have to say first off that this skirt is *extremely* well made.  The buttons, the clasps, the layers of tulle and silk in the inner lining, the outer fabric, the flowers, everything feels very luxurious and it’s a pleasure just to hold it in your hands and feel it.  On the other hand, I have no idea how they imagined this bubble/tulip silhouette was going to be flattering on anyone (or I guess at the very least, just me, because my hips and butt do *not* need to be exaggerated…but seriously, I think no one is going to look good in this).  The pleats, combined with the way that the skirt balloons out and then slightly tapers above the knees, just makes one look…wide and awkward.  Furthermore, it balloons out not just horizontally, but also slightly in the front and a whole lot in the back, before tapering back down again, making one look large and sort of ridiculous.  Uch.  (Ignore the fact that I am randomly wearing knee socks in the picture, they don’t help certainly, but they are not the cause of the unflatteringness of these photos).

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Next up is the Pearl Pointelle Cardigan ($288).  This one did not disappoint.  It is a delicate cardigan in a lovely spearmint shade, covered in hundreds of tiny pearls and large pearl buttons.  The inside is lined with layer of silky mint fabric, which makes it a little snugger fitting than usual (I tried on a S here, which is my usual size, I needed a M), but oh so warm and luxurious feeling.  So gorgeous and feminine.  Want.

The last item I was interested in was the Floral Appliqué Chiffon Blouse ($258), which did eventually make it to the website as the Breadfruit Blouse.  Not sure how I feel about this one.  It looks great on the hanger, but as an actual piece to wear….?

The chiffon flowers adorning the neckline and the sleeves are beautiful certainly, and I love the delicate row of buttons, but I severely dislike the banded elastic bottom and the resultingly short short length.  At least for me (and from what I can see, the modeling shots on the site as well), it cuts me off mid torso and just looks a little funny.  I can see wearing this with high-waisted pants or a skirt, maybe.  But even then I feel it’s almost too blousy and billowy because of that sudden nipping at the waist?  I don’t know.  I can say that the rest of the blouse is so beautiful that if the bottom was cut normally, I would be all over it in a heartbeat.

Do any of you own any Leifsdottir pieces?  Were they worth it to you?  Are you looking forward to or have any thoughts about the upcoming Spring or Fall collections?

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