Violet Fane Charming Town Skirt Unboxing and Review

Violet Fane is one of those indie brands that I have been aware of for a while, but not had the chance to buy much from. A lot of what they do isn’t quite my style, so while I bought a brooch last year in Dublin, that is the extent of it. And then they announced their Charming Town series, which has absolutely captured my heart!

Let’s get the boring bits of the review out of the way. I placed my order just before the pre-order period finished, on June 4^th. On June 13^th I received a shipment notification and I collected it from the drop off point June 20^th. (It would’ve been much smoother had UPS not been utter shite, but that’s a story for another time.) So I went from placing a pre-order to receiving my product in just over 2 weeks – that’s madness! In the best possible way, that is.

I had resisted all the amazing brooches and only bought the skirt. The simple cut really lets the print shine and it is much more flattering for my figure than the JSK would have been. The simple A-line hits me right at knee-height and works really well without a petticoat (I haven’t tried it with a petti yet, though there certainly is room for a small one). The skirt has a flat waistband at the front and partial shirring at the back, as well as a side zip. The advertised measurements for it were 60-90cm, if I recall correctly, and this certainly feels true to that. My own waist measurement reaches 80cm at its maximum and the skirt sits comfortably, with a little bit of room to spare, but not that much. It’s very easy to wear and whether it’s just a day at the office or a large meal, it holds up well and remains comfortable.

The inner tag is super adorable.

That button above the side zip is really cute!

But we’re here for the print, aren’t we? And that is absolutely gorgeous! I love the feel of the art style, it’s quite nostalgic and adds to the charm of the theme in a Victorian sort of way. The print is really crisp and clear, although with this art style some of the smaller/finer details disappear a little bit. Still, there is enough that is clear and every time I look at this print, I find something new. Honestly, if they ever did that Post Office brooch, I would be sold instantly. They could probably keep releasing new jewellery with the unused shop signs and that would keep them going for a while.

Even now I'm noticing new details that escaped me before!

This as a brooch I would buy in a heartbeat!

I believe this one was released as a brooch - and it was so tempting!

Whilst the skirt is 100% polyester, the outer layer has a nice weight to it. It’s light enough to float gracefully and be great for hot weather, yet remains mostly opaque, with a nice texture and enough hold to maintain the pleats. It will be quite easy to maintain and even though the care tag says to handwash it, I will do a test and it may be fine on a cold, gentle machine cycle. The fabric doesn’t wrinkle very easily, making it great for daily wear, although it’s also not completely wrinkle-proof. All the storage wrinkles that were there when the skirt arrived came out very quickly with some gentle steaming and the care tag does say the fabric is safe to iron at low temperature.

I adore this perfume bottle hiding amidst the pleat.

What shocked me the most, however, is the lining. It’s also 100% polyester, although slightly lighter and silkier type. And, as I discovered to my great surprise, it’s printed! At first I thought that I was seeing things, but no – there is an actual pattern, with vines, insects and the VF logo all across the lining. This is a very nice tough and whilst most of the time the lining remains invisible, it’s nice to know that it’s a part of the whole design and not an afterthought. It’s exactly this sort of attention to detail that we seek out from indie designers and which we don’t get from mainstream lolita brands.

The surprise lining print.

At €70, plus €5 for postage, this skirt was definitely worth the money. While the greige (grey-ish beige) colour of the fabric can be a little tricky to match, there are plenty of other colours (mostly dusty tones) in the illustrations to make this incredibly versatile. As such, I anticipate myself wearing this skirt often and in various ways. It’s also very comfortable and easy to wear thanks to the partial shirring and side zip combination. The whole ordering process, as far as Violet Fane can control it, was smooth and efficient, as well as way faster than I expected (my experience with months of wait for a Taobao preorder definitely played a part here). I would wholeheartedly recommend Violet Fane as a brand and will be keeping a closer eye on them myself.

If you want to see some first look reactions (or if you’re curious about my UPS drama details), then check out the unboxing video that goes with this: