Papillion Sequin Skirt

The first time I laid eyes on the sequin, full skirts from Papillion was at M Frederic in Studio City a short time ago. The color they had in stock were the orange/yellow with black (ala Paris Hilton) and I thought they were interesting, but overly expensive for the quality of the fabric. I was a big fan of sequin and ethnic print pieces last season and have a very beautiful skirt already, so the Papillion left my hands without even an inkling of purchase.

Fast foward to the holiday season this past December. I had a friend who wanted one as her Christmas gift and she found a seller on eBay who had plenty, but more importantly, was willing to cut a tiny deal if I bought two of them. I got the friend the teal/brown one she wanted and took a ivory/black one for myself – while I wasn’t exactly sold on the piece at the M Frederic price, getting it for a lower price made it much more worth it. The first thing I notice about this item is the fit, followed by the fabric. It’s cut to be high on the waist, which is a look I’m still not entirely ready to accept, so we sized up a bit in order to have it fit lower on.

The styling and detailing of this item is very nice – I don’t forsee it shedding a ton of sequins like some batik style pieces, and while the fabric is still a bit stiff for the original retail cost I had seen, it’s not bad for the price I paid for it (about $75 excluding tax and shipping).From a fit standpoint, I went up two sizes in a L and will need to exchange, but a M would work well on somebody who is size 2-4, putting the skirt low on the hip. While going with a bigger size on a full cut item like this sometimes means there will be too much fabric, I don’t find this the case with the Papillion – in fact, I think it adds a bit more to it with the extra fullness.

From a workability standpoint, it hits on an odd place for me – about mid-shin, which doesn’t make wearing with boots as flattering as if it were a bit higher on my leg. I don’t mind, though, because this’ll be something I can wear with a variety of footwear. It’s also very cute with a good range of tops – I’ve seen girls wearing them with tie front sweaters and wide belts, and I love the idea of it with something glamorous, as Paris Hilton wore with hers, though I like it best mixed up with items that are a little rugged. I am working to exchange mine with the seller and will have outfits up on future fashionstyleme updates.

Overall, I have to be honest – I don’t feel it’s the best buy – Wet Seal has similar for even less, and I think despite it’s novelty and cuteness, it’s the sort of thing that might feel old and replacable in the (not to distant) future. While I’m happy to have one, I say get it if only you love it, find it for a good price, or wait it out until you find a few other, cheaper options. With all the fabulous batik and ethnic style pieces expected to come into the market this season, truth be told, I suspect we’ll be able to do much better than this.

The Specifics
Material: 100% cotton
Sizing: Size up if you want it low on the hip
Care: Hand wash in cold or dry clean only (dry cleaning recommended)
Price: $75 – $100 depending on store. Availability: eBay, shopintuition.com. There was a nice knock off version on wetseal.com for $59.