Happy Thursday everyone, I hope you are having an awesome week! I can’t believe that I totally mixed up my days and I didn’t have this done for yesterday. I guess I have had a lot on my mind and work was nuts when I got back Tuesday. I guess you could say when I get focused, I really get things done! So if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook then you know that I mentioned in my sneak peek that I was going to be featuring a new brand on the blog today. I can’t believe how many new brands I continue to find and how many additional options have become available since I started my blog less than 3 years ago. And while there are many brands that have launched collections or ventured into plus that don’t offer above a size 24 which is a whole other discussion and the fight that I work continuously on, it is inspiring to see change happening. Maybe it’s not as fast or to the level that I would like but progress is progress!
Today’s featured brand is Atelier Sorokka, a brand that I stumbled across on Instagram. I quickly went to their website to check it out and I was immediately drawn to their beautiful designs and fabrics. But more importantly their mission statement spoke to me. It’s not about dressing one specific body type or size range, it’s about dressing ALL women.
On their website’s homepage, you will see a powerful image of women of different size, ethnicities and age with this statement:
“We’re fighting for women’s equality by giving an opportunity to buy the same dress if you are tall or short, curvy or skinny. The main benefit of custom clothing is to fit you like a glove. Use our chart to identify your size or leave measurements of your bust, waist, and hips on the checkout page to get a perfectly fitted item. Moreover, you can personalize everything from a choice of fabric to a length and colour.”
The definition of the word Atelier is a workshop or studio, especially one used by an artist or designer. Through my interactions with the brand I have learned that design is at core of what they do and the time they spend and passion they have for creating is inspiring. The fact that they don’t look at my size as a deterrent and are confident they can create any garment that I can dream of and have it fit perfectly is honestly a dream.
Many of you might compare them to brands like eShakti which are clearly built on the concept of customized sizing and features and offer sizes 0 to 36. I think the difference here is the level of design. I personally feel the designs are more sophisticated, chic and on trend, they clearly have a European aesthetic and as we know fashion in Europe is always ahead of North America. If you want to make a statement or need a gown for a formal event then this is the place I would go. Or do you have a design for a dress in your head that you have always wished you could buy but have never found it? Well then look no further because they will work with you on your custom design and make that dream a reality.
So some of you may be reading this and thinking ok Lisa this sounds great but how much is this going to cost me? Not to worry because I have you covered, I know that budget can be important! Their prices range from $56 US to $199 US and customization for your measurements or to alter the length or sleeves is included in the price, there is no additional fee. In addition to dresses they also make separates, outerwear and even swim.
I am guessing that your next question is how long will it take to receive your beautiful piece? If your item is a solid colour, it will ship within 24 to 72 hours after you place your order. If the item has a printed fabric, lace etc., then it will take an additional 24 hours to create. They ship worldwide and standard shipping can take up to 10 business days depending on where you are located. You also have the option to expedite shipping. If you are looking to create a custom piece, then you contact them and they will go through the design process with you and provide you with a price.
And for all my brides out there, they also do bridal gowns! They have some beautiful gowns on their site and they are only $400 US. That is a great budget friendly alternative. And if you provide them with your measurements then you will save time and money on alterations which can be very costly.
So let’s get down to the details and talk about this fabulous dress that they made for me. For this piece I took a style that I saw on the website and it had it customized for my personal preferences. I also did provide my measurements to ensure a great fit. I have said it before and I will say it again, if you don’t know your measurements you should! Take the time, find a friend and measure each other! Once you experience the joy of wearing a garment that was made to your measurements you will never want to go back. And if you have a challenging body type or you are much smaller on top then you are on the bottom or vice versa this allows any style to work for you. There are no limitations like you have in buying from a traditional store with ready to wear pieces.
This dress is called the Aphrodite and my absolute favourite thing about it was the gorgeous lace fabric. The detail and intricacy of the pattern and the quality of it looked amazing and I couldn’t say no. The original design had a high neckline and more of a mermaid style silhouette which I decided weren’t for me. I personally can’t stand a high neckline, it makes me feel claustrophobic. So I asked them to open it up and use the beautiful edge of the lace fabric as the outline of the modified neckline. I am absolutely thrilled with how it turned out. I also asked for the skirt to be not as form fitting and more of a straight cut. This was personally a good decision for me as the lace doesn’t have any stretch and I wanted to have more freedom to move in the dress than a mermaid fit would allow.
The dress does come with a separate lining which I really appreciated because I could adjust everything to lay on me properly. Sometimes when linings are built in or attached to a zipper they don’t lay properly and then they bunch up and that is a pet peeve of mine. It also means that if you wanted to amp up the sex appeal on this dress you could go without the lining and wear a bra and panties underneath. Or you could customize it even more and ask them to make the lining shorter so that you could show off your legs under the lace!
When I was contemplating how I wanted to style this look I decided that I wanted to play with some black accents and the romantic feel of the dress. I had this black silk belt from another dress already in my closet and it was perfect to accentuate my waist and the bow added a feminine detail. I did provide some links for some belt options for you if you wanted to recreate this. From there the obvious choice was to add some diamonds and pearls…
These shoes are by J. Renee and are available from Full Beauty. I loved the muted silver fabric with a hint of black that tied into the rest of my accessories. They are available in wide and extra wide widths and the small heel is perfect for me. I have had this statement clutch from Aldo for a few months now and I finally found the right dress to wear it with. I love a bag like this that is fun and adds interest to your look. And the black fit into my colour palette perfectly.
The piece de resistance are these statement earrings that I had in my collection from H&M. Unfortunately I have had these for quite some time so they are no longer available but I did provide a link for a similar alternative. And I did mix my metallics by adding these gold statement bangles which are staples from my accessory collection. You can never go wrong by having key accessory pieces in different metallics as part of your wardrobe. They instantly complete any look.
This is the type of clothing that I crave to see in the plus size fashion world. So while traditional ready to wear brands take their time to get up to speed and produce more options that I want to wear I look to the untraditional and not mainstream options that do exist like Atelier Sorokka who are making pieces that I WANT to wear in MY SIZE. If you want to give them a try, use the code LISA10 to receive 10% off your order.
Special thanks to Rebecca of Rebecca Northcott Photography for capturing these breathtaking images.
Dress by ATELIER SOROKKA | Belt by ELOQUII (alternative here) | Belt alternative by ELOQUII | Shoes by FULL BEAUTY | Clutch by ALDO | Bracelets by AVENUE (alternative here) | Earrings by H&M (alternative here) |
