Review: Shaded Apparel

So, ever since I followed Shaded Apparel on Twitter I’ve had my eye on their tie-dye vests – tie-dye is really fashionable right now, and my wardrobe could use a little bit of a colour injection.

I ordered two vests on June 21st and expected them to arrive on the fourth of July, the maximum of their estimated shipping time of 7-10 working days.  However, they did not arrive until July 10th.  I understand why their shipping times are fairly lengthy, as each shirt is made to order, but 15 working days seemed a little excessive to me.  Maybe if they pre-made some of their most popular shirt designs that’d make their system more efficient.

However, when my vests did arrive, I was extremely happy with them.

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The patterns on the vests don’t quite match up with the photos on the Shaded website, which just proves that each vest was made to order.  It makes me happy knowing I have some bespoke shirts in my wardrobe.

Also, something I notice with a lot of independent brands is that their shirts often come with their logo written in large letters on the front.  I understand that this is important to raise brand recognition, but these vests are completely clean of branding and that also makes the vests feel more individual.

At £15 each the price of these vests is reasonable, considering each one is hand-dyed to order.  If shipping times were a little speedier, Shaded Apparel would have received a perfect score from me.

Currently listening to: Gone Sovereign – Stone Sour

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Review: Platinum Apparel

As I’m sure all of you will have realised, I love clothes and clothes shopping.  So much so, that when I saw that Platinum Apparel were offering 20% off codes through Twitter, I knew I had to jump on the opportunity!

FIRST 10 TO RT WILL GET A 20% OFF CODE

— platinumapparel (@ApparelPlatinum) June 26, 2014

I’ve followed Platinum Apparel on Twitter for a while, and I’ve always had my eye on their Splat Dye Tee, so I was super excited to finally buy it.  I placed my order on June 26th and it arrived on July 4th, six working days after I ordered it.  That’s a little quicker than the 7-10 working days delivery estimate on their website, which makes me happy inside – I am an impatient person at heart.

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When I first put the shirt on I was surprised to see how well it fits – because it was a unisex fit I thought it would be baggier.  The design is awesome, and I love it even more knowing that each shirt is made to order, meaning the design is totally unique.  The label on the hem is a nice detail, and I love the script font of the logo.

Its original price, £11.99, was already reasonable, but with 20% off it was a steal!  I would definitely recommend Platinum Apparel to anyone – I would also recommend following them on Twitter to make the most of any more discount codes they might offer in the future.  On a student budget like mine, I need all the help I can get!

Currently listening to: Until It’s Gone – Linkin Park

Review: Drop Dead Fuun Koneko Shirt

Now, before I begin I’m well aware that if you’re into alternative fashion but not Drop Dead, then you’re already a minority.

The independent fashion brand, formed by Bring Me The Horizon frontman Oli Sykes, has been around since 2004, and its popularity started to boom along with the band’s.  Nowadays if you see BMTH live, it’s a dead cert that at least 50% of the audience will be wearing Drop Dead clothing.

It’s almost become a mating call for fellow BMTH fans.  I remember as I was approaching the ticket tent on the Friday of Reading Festival last year, one of the wardens pointed at me, ripped open his high-visibility jacket to reveal a Drop Dead shirt and pointed at mine excitedly, shouting “Are you a Bring Me The Horizon fan?  I’ll see you in the pit later!”

(I didn’t go anywhere near the pit, to clarify.  I’m a punk rock princess, I can’t deal with having my personal bubble invaded.  But the sentiment was nice.)

Anyway, currently Drop Dead are clearing out some of their old lines, meaning permanently reduced prices.  Hello, I’m living on a student budget, this is a DREAM COME TRUE.  I snapped myself up a Fuun Koneko Shirt, and let me tell you, it’s amazing.

No photo taken in a student’s bedroom would be complete without a messy wardrobe.

The chiffon is such great quality.  The shirt is soft to the touch, and the stiffened collar means I don’t have to worry about it flopping out of place over the course of the day.  None of my other chiffon shirts have this feature, so I’m pretty impressed.

Also, who could say no to the design? It’s super cute, and easily recognisable to fellow Drop Dead fans.

Once again, shopping online at their website was a seamless experience.  I ordered it on a Wednesday with standard shipping, it was dispatched on Thursday, and it slid through my letterbox on Saturday morning.  Perfect.  I even got a couple of stickers along with my order, which is always a bonus.

Too bad there’s nowhere appropriate I can stick the ‘Suck-A-Fuck’ sticker. Sigh.

My only bug-bear with this shirt is that I should have bought a Large, rather than an X-Large.  It’s a perfect fit everywhere except the arms, which are too long and the cuffs slide over my hands easily.  But, that’s my own fault.  Considering I own a Drop Dead vest in size X-Small I should have known the X-Large would have been, well, too large.  But when you have a bust like mine it becomes habit to buy a size too big, just to make sure the twins are contained.  And I definitely didn’t want to have to deal with bulging shirt buttons, so the too-long sleeves are a sacrifice I’m willing to make.

So, if you’ve been meaning to buy something from Drop Dead but don’t trust online shopping, trust me on this: you can’t go far wrong with this brand.

Currently listening to: Homesick [Acoustic Version] – A Day To Remember