Urkye Review - Dwulicowa Tuba and Groszki latte!

Hello!

It's been a while since my last post – I've been really busy with schoolwork. Those papers aren't going to stay up until dawn writing themselves! I wasn't sure whether I should still review some of the older Urkye shirts, since I recently bought new ones, but I figured that since they're still in stores (and since they're awesome), I might as well.

I'm going to review two shirts: the Tuba and Groszki latte. I'll start with the Tuba:

As you can see, I picked the red version. It's a size 34 o/oo. Alright, I'm dying to say it: I adore this shirt! The fit is perfect and comfortable, the colour is a great saturated red, and like a good little garment, it stays put where it's supposed to. That means: no peaking bra straps (which is amazing for a tank top), no bunching up at the waist, and no surprise-party for my cleavage.

I like that the straps can be worn in various styles using the two strips of sliding fabric. The one pictured below is a nice alternative, where the strips are slid to the back.

I must warn, though, that if you are between bust sizes or at the lower end of oo/ooo, you might want to size down. I originally purchased this shirt in green, size 34 oo/ooo, and although it looks alright from far away (as pictured below), from close up there was just too much loose fabric. As you can see, sizing down to o/oo solved this problem very nicely. However, my other Urkye purchases in 34 oo/ooo have been fine in the bust, and I'm the equivilent of that size in Biubiu clothing, so I think only the crossover cut has this issue. My next purchase shows the same problem.

 

I got the Groszki latte in size 34 oo/ooo, and I deeply regret this. It could have been a great shirt in the o/oo. Unfortunately I listened to my friend who insisted I kept it (I have got to get a mind of my own), only to find that I ultimately couldn't stand the fit issue.

Once again, from far away, it looks fine (though the bunching fabric at the bustline makes my chest look larger than usual). The shirt itself is gorgeous – I love how delicate and feminine the style is. I love how the belt emphasizes the waist. I love that the belt can be worn multiple ways (I'm a sucker for versatility). I especially love how pyjama-soft and breathable the fabric is.

Alright, I'm done my love poem to this shirt. I guess we were destined to be star-crossed lovers. The 34 o/oo is sold out.

Sizing down may also have helped resolve the issue of cleavage peak-a-boo. The fabric at the bust slides down a bit after a while (a little more than shown below, but I felt silly wriggling around alone in my bedroom for more than 10 seconds). I can't really say for sure if this was a problem with the shirt itself or just due to incorrect sizing, but judging by the staying power of the rest of the fabric (at my stomach and hips), I'm going to assume it's the sizing factor. 

In general, I do love these shirts. I must add, though, that when I wear them I feel as if my bust is highlighted. The cut draws attention to its shape and size - especially in bright/light colours which have a maximizing effect.This can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your taste.

If you prefer a less “fierce” look, I'd suggest some of the other Urkye styles, which I will be reviewing very soon!

On a side note, I had to reorganize my blog, so I lost the few comments I had on my posts. I'm sad because I enjoyed the comments, but Blogspot is a bi - ...big, complicated website that needs some figuring out.

I hope this review has helped! I have two more Urkye items to review, as well, so stay tuned!

Introduction 2 - My Clothing Experience

Hi! I'm back for my second post!

This time I'm going to be talking about my experience with clothes, and how difficult it can be to dress the curvy hourglass figure.

I mentioned in my last post that at the age of 16, I had a growth spurt of the bust almost overnight, and because of that, my entire wardrobe no longer seemed to suit me.

Not only was it no longer functional (buttons popped open, dresses would not zip up, shirts would squish me or not pull down all the way), it was also no longer flattering.

The styles in my closet which had once suited my more slender hourglass figure, now made me look heavier than I actually was, or - to my horror - even bustier!

A turtleneck sweater-dress that had fit me like a dream only one year earlier suddenly made me look disproportionately top-heavy. Not only that - it was suddenly too short! And I mean, Britney-Spears-Coming-Out-of-a-Limo short. I hadn't gotten taller. No, still a 5"2 munchkin. What had actually happened was that my chest took up extra inches of fabric, making the hem of the dress about 3 inches shorter. And trust me, 3 inches can be the difference between a cute little dress, and a cute little butt peeking out of that dress.

As for clothes that added pounds, looser tops and dresses that had once draped over my figure, now only draped over my bust, adding inches of empty space to the front and sides of my stomach. My torso looked like a perfect square.

Over the years, through a lot of research (and trial and error), I began to understand the shapes and cuts that worked for my tricky figure. Unfortunately, these things are difficult to find in mainstream retail stores.

That is why my upcoming blogs will give tips on what to look for, where to go, and what alterations to make for the curvy and/or hourglass figure (and perhaps the petite figure, as well!)

My next few posts will be reviews of two excellent online stores based in Poland. Biubiu and Urkye both have a phenomenal sizing system which takes into account both your bust measurement and your waist measurement. In my opinion, it is far superior to the S, M, L system typically found in mainstream retail, which assumes that if two women are a Medium, they have the exact same waist and bust measurements. Ridiculous, non?

I also plan to talk about thrift shopping, which can be surprisingly successful!

Here is a dress that I found at Value Village:

I will explain why this dress (and a few other thriftstore items I've nabbed) are flattering in an upcoming post!