& Other Stories: Big Unwrap (Stardust Dress & Vans)

Welcome to the Big Unwrap: I hope you like my video…?

After receiving my & Other Stories order last week, I was itching to open it straight away, as you can imagine… however, I held off until my lovely parter was available to help video my first Big Unwrap.

Both items were purchased from the & Other Stories Sale, which is, in my opinion a really good sale, with some proper, decent reductions… well worth a look.  And while you’re there, take a peek at their new collection as well, as there are some beautiful pieces in right now, including these Knitted Crop Trousers:

this Wide Cuff Silk Shirt  in beige (though looks more salmon pink if you ask me?!):

… and these side stripe trousers going by the rather unappealling, no-frills name of Drawstring trousers:

… all of which I’m lusting after.

Meanwhile, back to my sale purchases: first up are these Vans Slip-on sneakers in beige.  Not a true & Other Stories product, but rather a brand they stock…

They are just as lovely in the flesh as online, though the colour is not beige, its tan.  I had no idea that Vans come up wide, and although my shoe size is a very standard UK3/EU36, the size 36 Vans are waaay too wide for me & ever so slightly big… sometimes you can get away with that but on this occasion I really, really can’t, as my heel completely slips out when walking in them.

It’s with a heavy heart that these are going back.  Really disappointing.  I mean  I can’t tell you how long I’d dithered over these & how many times I added them, then removed them from my basket (because of cash-flow, not because I didn’t love them).  *F.r.u.s.t.r.a.t.e.d.*

Moving onto the second & final sale purchase: this stunning, sparkly & Other Stories Stardust Dress.  I cannot tell you just how beautiful this dress is in the flesh.  In my Big Unwrap video I describe is as being mid-calf length… but that would be on regular height ladies: its cropped trouser/ankle length on me as you’ll see:

The overall shape of this dress would flatter pretty much anyone with its delicate kick-flare created by the pleats which start from hip level.  There is a popper-fastener at the deep v-neck which works perfectly well, but does impact on the way the the frill-caped-sleeves meet and sit at the front.  Online, this dress is described as featuring ‘gold tone sequins, forming a dreamy startdust pattern’. I would say, the latter part of that statement is true, it really is dreamy.  However, and please note, I’m no sewing expert, but, I think of sequins as being (usually) round discs with a hole in the centre for the sequin to be stitched onto the fabric.

So, with that definition of a sequin in mind, this dress does not have sequins sewn onto it.  Rather, it has teeny, tiny dots glued to the fabric.  The effect is stunning:

However, the glued dots moult, big time.  There were a tonne of them (gold dots that is) scattered all over my bed & the carpet after filming the Big Unwrap.  I would say that this ‘moulting’ issue is probably the reason for the massive discount (originally £145, reduced to £45).

So with the moulting issue in mind, plus the slightly too long a length (on me): is it a keeper?

The length I don’t really mind and would even be happy to alter given its such a bargain; and I do have at least two 40ths in the coming months, 2 different sets of friends, so perfectly happy to wear the dress twice, which would bring cost per wear down to £22.50.

But, what if, after just one wear, the dress loses most of its sparkles?!!

I’d love to hear your thoughts Xx