Just got my order in from Addition-Elle; I ordered 4 pieces from the new Jessica Biffi fall collection.

First thought: Not impressed.

I have this feeling, it feels to me like this “collection” was a bit rushed and lacking heart. The capsule this fall is much smaller in terms of overall number of pieces as well as versatility compared to the spring launch. Not to mention that it is only available via Addition-Elle, with no accompanying pieces from their MXM or Pennington’s lines.

After seeing the post-season sales racks at Pennington’s I’m not overly surprised (I wasn’t a fan of that capsule, it was very cheap-looking and ill-fitting. Trust.)

But yeah, I’m a little bit disappointed. There wasn’t very much hype or notice about this collection (though I may be biased because I was jilted and didn’t get my invite to the launch party this season) and it just feels… lacking. There really isn’t much else to it. I expected a lot more from Biffi/AE’s sophomore collection.

The colours include a beautiful purple and shades of olive and teal green with hints of (what I assume) is Biffi’s signature bronzey-gold in the details. The remainder is black. I’m cool with black (what blonde isn’t??) but after her spring collection I was hoping for some bolder fall colour choices.

The pieces and my thoughts below.

Jessica Biffi Military Dress

(here)

I mostly like this “dress”, though let it be noted that I am prone to military-inspired looks and crisp shirt-dresses! As with the spring collection, this dress has been constructed well compared to standard AE fare. I’d say that it fits true to size, though the hem hits a little lower on me since I am not an Amazonian model.

The colour is actually a bit darker than appears online, but it goes well with the gold details. I would call this more of an olive shade rather than khaki. But I would also call it more of a tunic than a dress. You definitely need some leggings or skinny pants below this baby!

I like the crisp clean lines, pockets and waist-narrowing effect that the belt gives. But let’s talk about the belt for a minute. It’s crazy. It took me about 5 minutes to figure out how to buckle the damn thing because the prongs kept sliding all over the place. There also wasn’t a second loop on the buckle head to hold the tongue (?) down after it passed through the buckle.

I had to reference the photo on the site several times in order to figure this thing out. Definitely not user-friendly!

But once I got it in place the look was quite nice indeed! The belt cinches your waist a little while the bottom and top of the dress flare out a little, giving a nice hour-glass shape. The mandarin collar opened to a V also directs attention to your face. I like the 3/4 sleeves–I think that any other length would have looked awkward on this piece.

Verdict: It has earned a place in my closet.

Jessica Biffi Black Skinny Leg Denim Pants

(here)

These pants are… ok. Though I wouldn’t really call them denim; they’re very, very thin and also very stretchy which is nice in a pair of pants like these, but I don’t think they qualify as denim.

I like the detailing, the construction is solid and I’m digging the real pockets on these bad boys! None of those faux pocket-slits here!

Length is good though I don’t think you would want to be more than 5’8″ and wear these. If you’re apple-shaped like me you may also want to try these on in-store before purchasing as the waist doesn’t hold you in much at all. Low-rise indeed.

I don’t have much else to say about these pants. They’re adequate but not mind-blowing. I’ll keep them and likely wear them with the military tunic as well as my spring tunics from Biffi’s collection as well.

Verdict: It has earned a place in my closet

Jessica Biffi Printed Shark-Bite Top with Smocking

(here)

You know, I had mixed feelings about this top when I saw it online. On one hand the smocking and camouflage-effect of the print interested me, but on the other hand WTF is up with shark-bite hems this season?!?!? Can we say EWWW???

I decided to give it a shot anyway. I didn’t like much of Biffi’s spring stuff on the models or rack, but when I put it on it looked great. Maybe this would be the same?

Uhhh…. No.

Unfortunately this shirt has the ability to make one look preggo, especially if you have apple-tendencies such as myself. I thought the smocking and pattern might counter that effect (it is empire-waisted after all so I should have known better) but I was mistaken.

This may work better on gals with a larger bust, or gals that have a longer torso, but on me it didn’t really do much.

The pattern is a little cheesy (most patterns are) but when it’s all together the colours actually work quite well together. It’s a shame this didn’t work out for me. Did you have any luck?

Verdict: Return to sender.

Jessica Biffi Warrior Draped Top

(here)

I’m going to do this bullet-point style…

• Colour is gorge.
• Fabric is not
• Neck is actually a cowl-neck and not a random V like the photo shows you
• Shoulders are weird but mostly ok
• Epaulettes are a mixed bag… they seem a little small and strike me as somewhat tacky (icky gold braid) but overall they add to the look
• Definitely lives up to the “warrior” name!
• Hem smocking is a good width however it may travel up your rump so beware!
• Clingy fabric may accentuate your middle roll
• Good for the club but you’ll sweat for sure! 95% viscose!

I sort of ordered this so I could get the discount online. I didn’t really think it would work for me, other than the colour which is one of my power colours.

With it on I actually like it a little more than on the model, however it DOES show off my roll a little bit and seems like it might be a bit snug across my bust which is odd. I want to keep it because of the colour and overall idea (I look like a warrior! tee hee!) of masculine & feminine blended into a purple shirt, but the fit just doesn’t flatter me much.

I think some gals will be able to rock this, and rock it hard. But I think a lot of gals will also fail horribly with it and come off looking like a fashion victim. I think this is a shirt that takes a certain kind of personality to pull off. It’s  a strong top. I know that epaulettes and stuff are really IN right now, but I don’t think it will last long and it’s a really niche trend that has the potential to become horribly overdone. Do YOU want to contribute to the downfall of the cowl-necked, epaulette-bedecked fashion top?

I didn’t think so. Make sure you know what you’re doing before purchasing this!

Verdict: On the fence.

So those are the pieces I have tried. The rest of the collection is only so-so, however I may give the dress a shot if I’m near the store anytime soon. But the bubble shape scares me. Fat girls should avoid bubbles like the plague.

I’d be interested to hear if anyone else has tried this collection and what their thoughts are? Are you as disappointed as me in the lack of selection and odd cuts?

SOUND OFF (one, two…) in the comments below 😉