Does new clothing line from Pink Peonies Rachel Parcell hold it’s own?
Rachel Parcell is one of the original fashion bloggers and the person behind the ultra popular Pink Peonies website. She is argPuably one of the top fashion bloggers worldwide. Rachel makes everything look effortless. She’s gorgeous, has a beautiful family, beautiful home, beautiful clothes…and now she has a new clothing line. In a world of fast fashion, I wanted to test drive her new line and provide a review. This review includes a very Rachel look with a pink lace pencil skirt and pink lace shirt from her new fall line.
What I Bought
I bought a very classic Rachel look with a pink lace shirt and pink lace pencil skirt separates. My top is a size small and the skirt is also a size small. More on why this may or may not have been the right choice of sizing for me in a bit.
For reference, I have a sizing guide post of all of my measurements (dear God what was I thinking) to help you with your size ordering. It’s also worth noting that I only edited these photos for white balance and color. I did not at all retouch my body, the clothing or even my skin, ha! Some bloggers do this, but that goes against my intent for my blog. You need to see clothes on my body as I look now. Now, I do look for good angles and good lighting because I’m no fool!
How I styled the Pink Lace Shirt
I went full on Rachel but with a fall twist. You can’t put this outfit on and not try to emulate her a bit! She is one of the top fashion bloggers after all, so she’s doing something right!
You just want to look as effortlessly effortless as her when you wear her line! I also felt like I needed to be carrying at least 42 pink peonies while wearing this! I wore patent leather nude pumps, my beautiful Chanel bag my husband gifted me, and added a fur infinity scarf. I felt very chic and a few men on the streets of NYC gave me a whistle, ha! God bless them! I felt very lady about town in this! Glam for sure. All that was missing was the miniature poodle.
The Good
The quality is really, really nice. I was pleasantly surprised. The material is is nicely made and feels nice to the touch. The construction is very well done and it just feels solid when you hold it. Even my sister and friend commented on the same thing. Nice detail was paid to the pink lace pencil skirt zippers being the right color. The lace application is stunning and well constructed.
The pin tucking at the collar is to die for. A great example of attention to detail. You can’t see that because of my scarf but when you look at it on her website, look for that. It’s beautifully done. As are the raw edge of the sleeves. It’s actually a really beautiful twist on a formal look!
The color is gorgeous, as is the lace design. Very Rachel Parcell. This outfit in it’s entirely is perfect for Church, brunch, Easter, or formal events. However, the shirt alone can be toned down to a less formal look. It’s ladylike, very classy and I would totally wear the top with jeans to casual it down but look feminine.
The Meh
The pink lace pencil skirt felt difficult to wear. As did the skirt paired with the pink lace shirt. It could be that I needed a medium size skirt and bought a size too small which made the lining creep up, or I needed different undergarments (the top felt like the right size.) I’m wearing Spanx in these photos that start high under my bra and go down to my thighs for reference. I don’t know. When I walked the skirt became dishelved very easily and just didn’t lay right.
The fit of the skirt made me self conscious and walk very funny because of it. I also felt it was pulling my tummy in non-flattering way. Also, the shirt kept coming untucked as I moved.
I’m going to chalk this up to fit and perhaps I should have tried a size larger for the pink lace pencil skirt. Side note: I just started working out with a weight trainer because girlfriend (me) really has gotten into the candy and wine this past year! Nothing like seeing yourself in photos every week to get your booty in gear at the gym! So maybe I’m not the size I am in my head!
It’s worth noting that I did try the top untucked at first. I just didn’t care for the pink lace shirt untucked. My sister and friend agreed. It just didn’t lay right. I see some of her beautiful sisters wearing it this way, but on my body type it just didn’t work. The length was off somehow. The outfit looked best, to me, tucked in.
My Suggestion
I would try the dress if you like this look. I think the shape will be much easier to wear and give you the same look. Less chances for things to untuck as you sit, lining movement, etc. I have a feeling this is a much better choice for my life and style of dressing. It looks just as pretty, but maybe easier for me to wear.
Final Verdict
Quality: A
Price: A-
Fit for this ensemble: C
Room for improvement for her site in general: Seeing the clothes on larger models so you can see if the look translates to other women’s figures.
Next experiment is to try the new casual, everyday pieces designed by Rachel Parcell. She has some great tops I would wear in a heartbeat! They look super cute, so would love to try those pieces for quality.
Thoughts anyone? Did this review help you? What do you think about her new line?
Rachel Parcell’s New Line at Nordstrom!
lace pink pencil skirt | navy flutter sleeve dress | classic black dress | pink floral dress
Pretty Accessories from Her Line!
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Your review was fabulous – loved the attention to detail you gave it. Even with your sizing/lining issues, you still looked amazing!! I’m not a “small”, so I’ll be checking out her other pieces.
Thanks, Karen! I tried hard to be thorough. I’m trying hard to edit quality and answer what I would want to know! Thanks for reading!