They say the fun is all in the wedding dress shopping, and it’s true!  While I had a vague idea what type of dress I wanted to wear on my big day, I had a fantastic time Pinteresting ideas for my dream dress, and I found it pretty quick.  But as much time I spent dress hunting I’m pretty sure I spent even longer shopping everything else in my wedding wardrobe.  A personalised vintage style became my desired theme and alternative 50s looks were my eye candy.

When Lindy Bop heard I was putting together my wedding outfit they were keen to send me some pieces that I had my eye on: a couple of petticoats, a bolero and a shrug.  They posted me two petticoats, one white and one fairytale pink, in the 8-14 size.  I also received the cream Charisse Polka Dot Shrug in a size 14, and the bubblegum pink Kennedy Shrug, also in a 14.

I put off posting this review for a while; as you’ll know, the wedding was two months ago.  I needed to be brutally honest and I didn’t want emotions getting in the way.  I’ll let you read on to see the whole picture, lots were great, but all was not as good as it should have been.

The Bolero

The Charisse bolero is a glamorous full sleeved cover up in a polka dot sheer mesh.  With satin trim and little cuff buttons, this delicate ivory piece screams retro chic and looks amazing with a short 50s wedding dress like mine.

The 14 was a great fit and looked gorgeous but I decided in the end not to wear it on the big day.  I realised the pink Kennedy shrug better fitted the look I was going for and I sadly couldn’t wear both.

The Shrug

The Kennedy shrug is an adorable little knit that I instantly fell in love with.  The cut was exactly what I was looking for to give my shoulders some coverage in case the weather was inclement, and it looked functional and impossibly cute.  The peony pink shade is perfect too, co-ordinating with the various pinks in the wedding theme and within my outfit.

I ordered my typical size, a 14, which was a generous fit.  As it’s a stretch viscose fabric and loosely shaped without any fastening I could have happily worn a 12, and so it’s easy to wear and completely comfortable to throw on.  I wore it most of the day over my wedding dress which is testament to how much of a pleasure it was to wear.

The Petticoats

I’d been hunting for petticoats since I felt my dress needed more oomph and I’d started to look at under-skirting.  I expected petticoat hunting to be pretty easy but once I was looking with a specific length in mind, I quickly found it to be a difficult task.  The majority of petticoats on the market are around 26 or 27 inches, and with the skirt of my dress measuring 32″, I realised I needed longer.  In the end I found 30″ lengths on Lindy Bop, which looked the ideal option.

Being a UK 14 I fitted into the 8-14 size at its optimum.  It was a little too tight on the hip to begin with, but I found a comfortable fit after playing around with the positioning on my waist.  Each petticoat has a soft, stretchy panel so it’s flat on the tummy and continues underneath the netting creating a barrier between your legs and the rough mesh.

The petticoats worn singularly aren’t especially voluminous (they may be great beneath an everyday tea dress, but you do really need a substantial underskirt to bear the weight of a wedding dress) so I wore them together to maximise the full circle of my dress.  The fairytale pink petticoat is a lovely dusky colour, delicate and pretty enough without looking sickly sweet.  I tried wearing it over the white petticoat at first but found the pink showed through my dress which didn’t look right, so put the white over the pink.

The 30″ was a really good length as it provided volume without exposing the petticoats, as that wasn’t the look I was after; just the odd flash was cute enough!  I was impressed that the netting held its shape throughout the day, and my dress continued to look full to the moment I took it off.

The fabric wasn’t what I had expected, rather than being soft and fluffy the petticoats are a stiff net, which although isn’t particularly luxurious feeling it did give the skirting structure it may otherwise not have had.

Sadly the fabric texture was to be the least of my concerns.  The pink petticoat was perfect.  The white petticoat was, by contrast, faulty on arrival, as it had a huge hole in one layer of the mesh where the seam had come apart.  I raised the issue with Lindy Bop who were happy to send out a replacement but it never arrived.  I tried again to make contact and heard nothing.

So two days before the big day I had no choice but to try and mend the petticoat myself.  Sat at my sewing machine, frantically trying to sew the layer back on, I was overwhelmed, upset and angry.   Having to do this so close to the wedding didn’t do my stress levels any favours.  Even now, I’m utterly disappointed how the situation arose and was dealt with.  Not only was quality control lacking but the break down in customer service communication is baffling at least, poor at most.

And so…

It makes me sad that a review of one piece can tarnish a review of other items on the whole.  Of the four items I received, three were perfect condition and were exactly what I hoped them to be.  The shrug was one of my favourite bits of my bridal outfit and co-ordinated with my 50s dress just perfectly.  And the pink petticoat was lovely, matched my pink theme and provided a touch of colour to an otherwise ivory outfit.

But sadly the white petticoat let my expectation down, and while I appreciate this may have been an isolated case and some faults can slip through the net, the fact I couldn’t get it rectified still puzzles me.  The situation was bad enough for me, and if I had been a regular paying customer I would have been quite rightly furious.  I’m very grateful for the pieces I was given in goodwill (thank you Lindy Bop!), but I do hope they will take some steps to re-evaluate their quality control and customer service department, because I would absolutely hate this to happen to anyone else, especially another bride.

Have you ever bought anything from Lindy Bop?  What was your experience?  Have you tried their petticoats before?  Maybe you’re unsure how and where to source a good petticoat, or perhaps you have a favourite brand?  I’d love to hear your thoughts and tips!