The Igigi Lovefest Review
Plus-size designer Igigi was the official sponsor of the BFD meetup at BlogHer. This meant that me, Weetabix, and three of our lovely readers got to pick out outfits from the Igigi website to wear and review at the convention. I went to Igigi on Friday morning to pick up the dresses and meet up with the delightful Katrina, and I even got a little sneak peek at the new line, which includes some spectacular clothes for the workplace (a blazer I already covet).
I have to say that I was hoping one of us wouldn’t like her outfit, so that this ensuing post would seem like less of an Igigi lovefest. (After all, back in the day, Anne and I were not afraid to criticize Igigi’s clothes.) I guess I could pretend I didn’t like my dress, but, well, do you see the dress? Empirically, I look awesome in it. Sorry, but it’s true.
One little snag is that they were out of the dress in my size, 18/20, but I loved it so much that I decided to try a 14/16, and it worked fine. It probably would have been even better in an 18/20, and cling to my fat rolls a little less lovingly, but I decided to work with the slightly-too-small smaller size, and I really felt saucy and slinky and okay with the clinginess. (The other dress I tried on was this one, and in case you think I have nothing whatsoever bad to say about anything, I looked like an undead bridesmaid at a vampire wedding.) I got a ton of compliments on my breasts (for which I should also thank my brand new balconette bra) and on the dress itself. Someone even complimented me on my “personal branding” (oh that’s so BlogHer).
The other lovely women in the photo are (starting from the left) our own Weetabix, Corinna from This Lush Life, and Deb from Deb on the Rocks; as you can see, they all looked genuinely spectacular. And indeed, all of us were happy with our outfits. The other thing that strikes me about this picture is how different the dresses and our personalities seem to be; all the same designer, but four strong individual styles. Thanks again so much to Igigi, and the lovely ladies at the meetup. We’ll have to do it again sometime!
More pictures from BlogHer and the meetup are here. Full reviews from Weetabix, Corinna, and Deb after the jump!
Weetabix:
I’ve always loved Igigi since I started wearing the designs back in 2003. I keep saying that, because I would like some damned credit for discovering them, but it’s really my own stupidity for talking about it, as now w so many lovely ladies are wearing Igigi and I have to worry about someone showing up at events, wearing the same damned dress. Ok, I’m not bitter. Really, I’m not. It’s hard to be bitter when everyone looks so damned tasty. Clearly, Igigi has quality merchandise and designs to have gained popularity on their own merit. At the BFD Meetup, I kept feeling Deb up because the silk portrait collar top she was wearing was just so lovely, I couldn’t keep my hands off. And Corinna’s dress… like, wow is the only thing I can really say. It was made for her. I got the colorblock dress and threw it on right away in the morning, since I knew that I’d never have time to run back to my room and change. So, yeah, I’m biased, because I am fortunate enough to basically have the body type that Yuliya seems to be designing for a lot: tall, big boobs, hourglass figure. Like many of the Igigi dresses, the colorblock dress was made from the soft, almost bamboo-ish material that packs like a dream. I wish they’d use that fabric for all of the designs: for instance, I own the dress Mopie was wearing too (see? I told you!) and unfortunately, that one is NOT wrinkle-resistant in the slightest. Walking through the conference, I got SO many compliments on the dress that I was starting to get tired of spelling out the URL and wished that I either had Igigi cards to hand out or that my own cards didn’t have shiny backs so that I could write the URL on the backs for the people who were interested. Also, an unintended benefit: the dress is designed in such a way that if you feel the need to flash your boobs at an entire room full of women, you can totally do that. You know. If you want to, anyway.
Bob Mackie once said that Cher made it easy for him to be a great designer. “She had such an unbelievable body. She could wear anything. She was like a big Barbie doll,” he said.
I’m the opposite. It takes me forever to find something that fits, that has rockstar style and that also flatters my curves. So when I was offered the chance to pick an Igigi outfit to wear at the BlogHer 08 conference, I didn’t know what to think. It was absolutely fantastic to receive gorgeous clothes and the clothes looked stunning on their website, but what were the chances that they would fit and make me feel great at the important events I was attending? Honestly, I brought a spare outfit of my own, just in case the new clothes didn’t fit this Empress.
I ripped open the plastic covering my Igigi outfit to complete excitement. The Portrait Collar Blouse in Flintstone was exceptional. The fabric was exquisite, with the perfect softness and drape, and when I held it against me it felt like a painting, like the pale blue sky in “Birth of Venus.” It was so beautiful that I became even more scared—what if it didn’t fit? So I immediately got as naked as the Venus (well, I kept my great bra on—gotta have that!) and slipped into the sky blue blouse. Gorgeous! The collar flawlessly framed my face and neck and the finely tailored rows of double buttons made me feel like a poor girl gone rich, like Madonna or Cher or Cinderella on Ice.
And miraculously, it fit. That never happens! The shaping on the sides and back showed my waist and accented my chest in heavenly ways. I felt like a rockstar making a costume change for the final number, the one where I would pull up a stool and sing directly to one person an intimate, meaningful number under a soft spotlight. Maybe “Baby’s Got Blue Eyes.” Maybe “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue.”
The black Wide-Legged Pants were equally elegant, glamorous, and constructed from lovely fabric. They were a little snug in the waist and needed to be hemmed, but they flowed off my hips and legs and had sexy movement. To even come close to fitting new pants is amazing. Simply amazing.
The outfit was great, so I consider Igigi my new rockstar secret. Bob Mackie is right, it’s not a huge trick to design something beautiful for a hanger or its Barbie body equivalent. But it is a major feat to provide well fitting, gorgeous clothes right off the hanger to a curvier girl with the impossible standards of an Empress. Igigi can dress me anytime!
I’ve always thought of Ava Gardner as my own personal style icon. Of course, she is slender and taller but she had my dark coloring and a curvy body. I was about 12 years old when I saw Night of the Iguana and she immediately became my fashion role model. She was sultry, her presence was riveting, and she always got her way. Since then, I have searched for clothes that would make me feel like Ava but sadly 1940’s pencil skirts that fit my hips are impossible to find (I suppose I could have them made, but I haven’t), and while long elegant dresses with plunging necklines can be found in my size, I don’t have season tickets to the opera, and those dresses aren’t appropriate office party attire.
Finally I have found a dress that fulfills my desire to be an exotic femme fatale, one that is also modern and fits like a dream. I had never worn Igigi before. I know I am always telling everyone at www.ThisLushLife.com to wear Igigi but I am going to admit that I’ve never bought anything from the Igigi website for myself. I thought the clothes too dressy for my workaday life, too elegant for my simple local restaurants, too clingy for my curves. Those opinions have changed forever.
Thanks to the fantabulous Weetabix and Mo Pie and a recent Igigi contest, I now own the Marianna dress, and I believe it looks better on me than it does the model! It doesn’t just fit well, it fits like it was made for me. I can’t promise that it will fit you the same way but I can tell you that I am 5′ 7″ with an hourglass curvy figure. The Marianna dress hugs me like Frank Sinatra hugged Ava and then floats around the places where I want it to float.
The Marianna dress is made from strong stretchy fabric, with long lovely lace sleeves. I feel confident that I will wear it many times, but not too many – after all there are so many other Igigi dresses I now want to own!
Thanks so much, ladies! You all looked unbelievably fabulous.
Posted by mo pie
Filed under: BlogHer08, Fashion, Guest Post, Meta, Personal, Review
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I love Igigi! I found the site by accident and have spent, oh, hundreds there so far. You all look fabulous!
I bought a fabulous dress from there during one of their amazing clearance sales. Unfortunately I was at a stage where I thought I was much larger than I actually am and bought a size bigger than usual. The dress is totally too big, and too long (like, it drags on the floor too long – even with giant heels). So I’ll need to take it somewhere to get it taken in. It also requires a strapless bra, which, at my size, is impossible to find at not insane prices. So… alas, the fabulous dress hangs in my closet… so sad.
HOW FABULOUS DO YOU ALL LOOK!
Weetabix, I do give you every bit of damned credit for turning me on to Igigi years ago- and I tell them so too each and every time I buy something (many, many, MANY times now) and they ask the “How did you hear about Igigi” question on the survey…you look wonderful, as do you all….
That looked like so much fun — and the dresses are fab.
You ALL look gorgeous. When does that new line come out? I’m desperate for some nice work clothes!
I am totally crushing on Corinna’s beautiful, beautiful hair. And I think your dress is the most lovely of all the fabulous outfits. If I wore dresses, I’d definitely buy the one you’re in.
Oh it’s fun to win a dress, but to win a gorgeous dress that fits like a dream? I’m in heaven.
It was so much fun to have a photo shoot! What a pleasure meeting Mo finally! And Deb you are a hoot and a half.
Rachel – I swear by the book “Curly Girl.” Changed my life and my curls forever. No more frizz! No more tangles!
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Mo, where did you buy the pink tights? I’m a size 14-16-18 with long legs, and I’m usually limited to BORING tights.
I was looking at that b&w floral dress online, my husband preferred the vampire bridesmaid one! I’m pretty sure I’ll be getting myself one of them, seeing how great the clothes looked on everyone.
I got them at Target, although their larger size tight selection is super limited. You could try Target.com. I think someone here once recommended We Love Colors as a great source!
I totally should have gone to the meet up at BlogHer. Where was I?! Ugh.
You all look spectacular!
Everyone looks so lovely! I have that floral print dress in green, is it not the most beautiful article of clothing you have ever owned? I love Igigi so much… their clothes are amazing quality, and their sleeveless dresses are perfect for my body (big boobs & high waist). (Items with sleeves not so much, they’re cut for wider shoulders and bigger upper arms than mine. That’s okay, I like sleeveless).
I just want to say thanks to Weetabix for confirming that my decision to purchase the Neapolitan dress was a good one. It’s not here yet, but I hope it looks half as hot on me.
You all look so fantastic that I went straight over to the Igigi site. Now I’ve just got to convince myself that $60 international shipping is worth it…
Use the discount code WRAP and I think you’ll get 10% off, if that helps!
I absolutely love Igigi’s clothing and it’s one of those things I am saving up for – they are very fashion forward, and their respect for plus size women shows profoundly in their designs.
Thanks for the link to We Love Colors. They have 8 shades of green and what look like fabulous multi-color designs. I can see myself spending a bunch of money (but after my vacation).
Hue does make plus size tights in colors but they can be tough to find. I actually bought purple ones at Bloomingdale’s of all places and they had green as well. Nordstrom’s sometimes has them, too.
I’ve been meaning to go on a We Love Colors spree myself. One pair of pink tights is just insufficient for my colored tight needs.
I LOVE the dress mo pie is wearing. It’s just gorgeous. I’m bummed to hear the red and black dress looked not good. I had been considering that one. Maybe it would look better on me since I have different coloring than you?
Is there a pic of Deb where she’s not turned sideways and her arms are at the side? I’d really like to see the front of the shirt she’s wearing.
You all look fantastic! I love that the designs of the dresses are so varied.
Also love the bright tights. :-)
Actually, Rhonwyyn, the red and black dress was pretty flattering. It just wasn’t my style or my color at all. The matching shrug is lace also, and that made the lace a little too much lace for me. But I’m sure on the right person, it would look fabulous. You can see the front of Deb’s shirt better in this picture.
Ohh, so that’s why you all looked so sexy. Weetabix’s dress looked comfortable and so pretty (and it was perfect for flashing!). And Mo, you looked amazing in the b/w dress. Unfortunately thay do not have my size left in that one (perhaps I will get the green). I am bookmarking Igigi right now. Awesome dresses.
It was so much fun! I loved the meet-up and the chance to hang out with such gorgeous smarties!
Welovecolors.com Has a wide selection of tights in many sizes, shapes and colors, along with its own plus sized made tights. Plus Sized Tights
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I am extremely disappointed by the unacceptable poor customer service! I have been a fan of IGIGI in the past, but I will never order from this retailer again. I will be sure to tell my friends not to either. Such a shame because of course I support IGIGI’s mission! However, I expect to get my money back when I make a return of items in saleable condition. It is unthinkable that in 2011 a person would have to wait up to 8 WEEKS after an item is returned to get a credit card refund. I paid for the dress upon making my order, and my money was taken out of my account before the order was even processed. However, now that my return has been received by IGIGI, they have determined that they need 6-8 weeks to get around to processing my refund for their convenience. Outrageous. I will spend my money with retailers who put the customer’s convenience first.
IGIGI claims that their return policy states that it will take up to 8 weeks for them to refund your money. In fact, the return policy does not state that, but rather it reads, “Please allow up to 1 to 2 billing cycles for the credit to appear on your statement.” When a credit appears on a written bank statement is not the same thing as when it actually posts to the account. Depending upon when the credit posts, you may not see it on a bank statement until the next one the bank prints and mails to you, which could be a few weeks after the credit has posted. IGIGI’s policy as they interpret it is inaccurate, and at best misleading.
I thought that I might continue to buy IGIGI items from boutiques I like (and that provide good service), but I am now not too sure about that either. I ordered a skirt that I was very excited to receive. I even took it to my tailor to make sure that I had the perfect fit. The skirt looked great…for the first hour I wore it. Not even midway through my evening out, the skirt had stretched to unimagined proportion. It was so out of shape that it looked frumpy and cheap. The quality of the material is just too poor. A well-made garment may stretch with wear, but not so much that it is virtually unrecognizable. I do not think that I will trust IGIGI’s quality in the future.