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Jemima Cool Palm Swing Dress Review [Collectif]
I bought this gorgeous dress prior to the sale when it first launched and totally forgot to write about it, so forgive my much belated review…oops. I have previously posted about Jemimas (here and here) as the polka dot versions stole my heart and although I have a couple already in my wardrobe this cool palm print was everything and I had to have it!
Just look at that totally tropical design! What’s not to love?! It screams sun-filled paradise, and let’s be honest, we’re all dreaming of days like that at the moment.
The palm design looks fantastic against the navy background. I have a thing for gigantic leaves (my house is full of them) so walking around like one is always my first option!
The Jemima has a sweetheart neckline with wide shoulder straps (still not adjustable unfortunately, the only downside to the Jemima), a fitted bodice and full, gathered, swing skirt. Running down the centre is a row of the red buttons used on a few other designs. I don’t mind the red as it always co-ordinates with my hair, but I think brown wooden buttons would have worked better on this one (like those on the previous Kimberly) as there aren’t any other red elements to it. There isn’t a zip so this is how you get in and out, using the buttons at the front.
There’s a matching buckled belt in the same fabric which can cinch in that waist. I really love that the Jemima’s always have belts in the same fabric as the dress. They also have side seam pockets! Which is obviously a must – where would we be without pockets?! And I much prefer side seam pockets to patch, so hurrah!
I teamed it with the Collectif Jessie Palm Cardigan which works really well together as the day got cooler. The cropped cardigans from Collectif are great for these styles as they sit just above the waistline, not covering the belt so you can clearly see where your waist is defined (but stay warm).
I also paired it with green shoes and turquoise, blue and green jewellery which matched the colours in the print perfectly. Picking out the colours featured in whatever you’re wearing always makes the best accents.
Size wise, I’m wearing my usual size and again, it’s true to size for me. However, if you’re a D cup or above, you’ll likely need to size up. There isn’t any stretch to the bust so those bestowed with bounteous boobage would struggle in your normal size. It sits at the top of my calf which is a lovely length for this style of dress (it’ll obviously be shorter on taller gals).
It’s 100% cotton and feels so nice on. The sale has been raided so unfortunately you won’t find any on the Collectif site anymore but at the time of writing, there are quite a few sizes over at Succubus (a reliable Netherlands based company) if you need it as much as I did.
For reference:
I’m a standard size 6 in Collectif and wearing a size 6 in the Jemima above. I’m 4’11” and wearing 4 inch heels in the photos.Also wearing:
Cardigan: Collectif Jessie Palm (old stock)
Necklace: Collectif Natalie (old stock)
Bangles: Bow & Crossbones and Splendette
Earrings: Splendette
Shoes: E5P (old stock)
Brooch: Erstwilder
Hair flower: Collectif Lili (old stock), high street and eBay. -
Supplier Spotlight: SilkFred.com and Collectif Jemima Review
With so many online shopping sites popping up, it’s difficult to know who to trust sometimes. I’d seen SilkFred appear on my social media newsfeed occasionally but I wasn’t really properly aware of them until recently – when I found they now stock Collectif!
SilkFred are an online company based in London which provides a sales platform for a range of boutique, independent, brands. So if you’re looking for something a little different, SilkFred is a pretty good option to start your search! You can find other reproduction vintage brands like Glamour Bunny on there too, accessories from Crown and Glory or maybe some true vintage to add to your wardrobe, like Pop Sick Vintage?
I made a beeline for the Collectif store front (obviously) as I saw they had in stock the Jemima dress I’d been after, in my size! (yes, a chorus of ‘Hallelujah’ did start playing in my head when I saw it). Out of stock everywhere else, it was meant to beeeee! I already have the cream version which I bought back in January when it first launched (see full review of the dress here). Do you ever get buyer’s regret? I’ll be honest, it doesn’t happen to me often (I’m like a good soldier and never leave a pretty dress behind!)…..but as I’d bought quite a lot of new releases, I decided to buy just the one colourway of the Jemima and go with cream, leaving the black behind.
BIG mistake! I couldn’t get her out of my mind, could I?! Typically she was super popular and snapped up by everyone so I thought all was lost. Then SilkFred came to the rescue! I quickly bagged myself a 6 and had spoken to Collectif about the company – it’s all legit and the process is exactly the same as if you order via Collectif direct. It was easy to register, checkout and I received my DPD updates and speedy courier delivery as always. The great thing about SilkFred is there is FREE DELIVERY on orders over £50! so you save money on shipping too. I like that they use their own photos as well, so you can see how it looks styled differently and at diffferent angles, which you may not have previously seen on the main website.
I was super happy with my purchase. I’d signed up for SilkFred updates and they notify me of certain things (you can opt out of this if you prefer). Apparently they send discounts that way too so it’s always worth signing up to a newsletter I think.
Overall, it’s a great format in addition to the main site and gives us another outlet to buy from – which is always a good thing. So if anyone is unsure, go for it!
Obviously I’m over the moon with my black Jemima dress – still available in most sizes on the main site (here) or on SilkFred (here). I found it came up slightly smaller than my cream version (though still true to size), so order up if you’re in between sizes or busty. I’ll be using SilkFred again in future (alongside the main site), as it gets a huge thumbs up from me. And now my wardrobe is complete……until the next dress release!
Collectif Jemima dress in black Outfit details:
Dress: Collectif
Jewellery Set: Collectif
Sunglasses: Collectif
Bangles: Collectif and Bow & Crossbones
Shoes: Lulu Hun
Hair Flower: Miss Bella’s Blooms
Brooch: ErstwilderAll products bought by me and the thoughts expressed are my own.
