Monday, February 21, 2011

In Which I Wonder Why I Don't Live In Britain

Bastayan Satin Front Dress - £195.00

Bastayan Laverna Embellished Dress - £250.00

The longer I love clothing, the more I sense I should be living in the UK. Don't misunderstand - I'm much more North American practical than British cool. But I do love the fashion over the pond. (Almost as much as I hate people who say "over the pond".)

Enter Bastyan. Just learned about this brand from Mrs. Trefusis, a blogger I've been skirting without actually reading, what seems like forevah. Glad I got my act together to check her out. She's erudite and hilarious though, regrettably, an infrequent poster.

And she turned me onto a new label I love. Alas - or maybe I should say gratefully - there appears to be no shipping out of the UK. Bastayan seems, from photos, to be walking the Isabella Oliver line (no pun intended), another great diffusion brand designed for real women who do things like go to jobs and care for grimy children. The colour palette is rich - but sensible - the cut is elegant (but with a bit of edge) and the prices are within the realm of doable. Especially if you review the sale page.

Don't be misled by the two cocktail dresses I've posted. They're part of the "fancy" complement, presumably for the women who enjoy professional glamour and don't deal with snotty kids.

Has anyone had any direct experience of this company? How is it that, despite it being "totally my thing", I've never heard of it before. Has Kate been mentioning it but I haven't been paying attention? Please discuss.

13 comments:

  1. These are pretty, and would suit you well. Will you order anything?

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  2. I love the Embellished Dress.

    Otherwise, no, I know nothing about Bastyan.

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  3. That first dress MUST be yours. Seriously. It MUST. It is worth repeating, This MUST be yours.

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  4. That's a great website. . . very tempting.

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  5. That second number is delightful. Must see more! Hope you're feeling better!

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  6. Thanks for introducing us to this label! I hadn't heard of them as they are quite a new label, but I will be sure to keep an eye out for them in future next time I go shopping!

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  7. oh the lovely things they have over in the u.k. it is frustrating to shop and have stuff shipped back to the u.s. i ordered from figleaves at the beginning of december. all items were in stock and shipped promptly, and i did not receive them until MID-JANUARY. patience is not my forte! gah!

    but these items are pretty! perhaps you can vacation in the u.k. and bring back as many goodies as your bags will allow!

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  8. OH I want quite a few of those dresses. And I agree that that first one you posted really should be yours. I think we should meet in London and shop, shop, shop.

    As if.....

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  9. E: Not now. No more spending money for me, at the moment :-)

    Susan: It's like a secret!

    Bel: While this is good for my aspirational self, your comment scares my wallet :-)

    Stacy: You will shop there again!

    Mater: Indeed...

    Kristin: Still slogging along with this virus. Hope you're feeling better. Note: If cough is not close to gone on monday, I'm going back to the doctor...

    Freya: Happy to have found it for all of us :-)

    J: You kind of have to order and then forget about it. Not my forte either.

    Mardel: I am all for that plan!

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  10. Hello there

    Thank you so much for mentioning Mrs Trefusis - and for reading - I know I'm a woefully inadequate blogger, and post so infrequently as to hardly deserve the name. I do promise to try to do better should external pressures ease up a bit.
    And I'm so delighted you like Bastyan - I'm a huge fan (wearing a gorgeous black drapey jersey dress from last season as I type) and the red goddess dress I posted about is everything I'd hoped it would be - the gift that keeps on giving.
    Really enjoyed reading your blog too. xx

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  11. Mrs T: I look forward to reading your posts whenever you have time to write them. Thanks for turning me onto another great UK invention. And thanks for your comment!

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  12. Wow amazing dresses and thanks buddy for sharing with us.

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