Review - Isabella Oliver 365

Regular readers will know that we have just the one Small Child and that we made up our minds a long time ago not to have anymore.

My one regret about that? That I didn't discover Isabella Oliver maternity clothes until after she was born! As I gradually drifted out of baby la-la land and got my fashion mojo back, I became aware of their ad's in InStyle magazine. Why didn't I drape my bump in such beautiful swathes of sophistication? The gorgeous garments laid before me only served to induce a shudder at the memory of some of the maternity clothes that I wore. Personally I blame it on the hormones.

Fast forward four years and I read that Isabella Oliver 365 has been launched, for the non-bump sporting ladies amongst us. A gorgeous collection of stylish, comfortable and effortless pieces that can be dressed up or down. And you know that I'm all about trying to be stylish and effortless these days!

So... to say I was over the moon to be asked to review an item from their Autumn Winter 2009-10 range would be a slight understatement! Yes dear neighbours... that was me whooping and dancing around the room last week. The hardest part about it was choosing a piece....it's all stunning.  

I was torn between this Hepburn Tunic ......

... or the (very Mad Men) Sexy Pencil Skirt .

In the end I opted for the snuggly looking Cocoon Dress! It was a cold day when I was going through the selection that had been emailed to me so it was a no brainer.

A day later, my parcel arrived via the Fed Ex man who apparently delivers our Nespresso coffee order. I didn't realise this until after the "Ah.. it's the Coffee House lady... this isn't coffee is it?" conversation took place! No it's not coffee... it's much more exciting than that!

You know what I'm like for parcels and the whole packaging thing...

... well this didn't disappoint!

But enough with the wrapping and onto the dress - it more than surpassed my expectations. It's made of a beautiful soft grey jersey that fits and flatters in all the right places. I'm no Skinny Minnie, but with the tie belt that you can tighten as much as you like around the waist, in this dress I have to say... I feel fabulous. And the sleeves! They satisfy my personal obsession about having them almost down to my fingers. Which, as I read the other day elongates the arms and is therefore very flattering... so there!

So to the pictures. I needed some help from my girl to help relax me into the photography bit. Her shouting "Work, work it.. own it own it" helped tremendously....

You should have seen the look on the neighbours face as she pulled onto the drive with me and SC goofing around....Other Half had decreed that the best light was to be had at the front of the house - who am I to argue with his genius?

I think I came over a bit starry in the end hence the shades and posing but I'm putting it down to the company I'm keeping these days. Isabella Oliver has after all, been worn by Jessica Alba, Gwen Stefani, Heidi Klum, Naomi Watts and Jennifer Lopez to name but a few. Not that I'm name dropping or anything! I love, love, love this dress and by the time some of you read this, I'll be wearing it on a long planned Christmas shopping trip with my lovely friend J.

Glancing through the catalogue later on I also noticed that they also have some long sleeved T's listed as a hero item.... now is this, or is this not fate given my quest?