Re-designing my Peter Pilotto sweatshirt....

 

This top started out as a sweatshirt i.e. it had sleeves. I bought it when the Peter Pilotto for Target collection was launched and although I loved the blue and white print, I really didn't like the print on the sleeves. With a trip to Cornwall and Guernsey coming up, and with its fleecy lining, I knew that it could have a place in my wardrobe but not in its current form. So today I made the decision to chop the sleeves off. And here's how it went:

Get one top and one pair of scissors....

Try on the top and get a rough idea of where you want the finished length of the sleeve to be, then cut a bit below that so that there's room for a turn up;

Use the chopped off sleeve as a measure against the second sleeve so that they end up pretty much the same length. Two minutes later, job done!

Kirsty flippin' Allsop, eat your heart out, you're not the only one who's good with a pair of scissors. (I wonder whether she would think of using the chopped off sleeves as leg warmers though? I feel  a Flashdance moment coming on!)

My Peter Pilotto for Target order has appeared at last!

I'm sure that Net a Porter have very good reasons for instructing their couriers not to deliver on Saturdays, for refusing to let them leave a parcel with a neighbour, for not allowing a parcel to be re-directed to a work address and for insisting on a signature - but it doesn't half make life hard! I think that this parcel finally reached me on Thursday - which was 11 days after I ordered it and because life has been so busy, I didn't even open it until today.

 

Now I agree that it's vaguely ridiculous to show a picture of a black box - although arguably not quite as ridiculous as showing clothes which aren't even available any more - but I was trying to be positive after the whole delivery debacle. I have to admit that the Net a Porter black boxes are lovely and in this case, they probably cost more than the clothes in them. However they're so lovely that that if you're not careful you could end up being seduced into thinking that the contents are more desirable than they really are (if you're thinking what I think you're thinking, hold it right there!)   

 

This is what I ordered - from left to right, a printed sweatshirt and a printed long sleeved top...

...plus trainers in the same print as the top.

 

Dealing first with the quality, I felt that it was really good. Although available through Net a Porter, the Peter Pilotto range was a collaboration with the US store Target, which is probably equates more to our Primarni than anything else. The sweatshirt is thick though and has a slight fleecy lining which I always find welcome.

 

I love the bold, graphic print and the colours in it and with a white shirt layered underneath, this sweatshirt might just find itself getting a trip out on Friday night. 

 

 

The long sleeved top is also really good quality and I was surprised at how much I liked the print in real life.

 

It's slightly longer than the sweatshirt and perhaps a bit roomy on the torso so I'm going to have another play before I decide which way to jump with this one.  However it's substantial enough to be layered over a denim shirt so that's possibly an option and at times, a little bit of room can be a good thing.

Just imagine what you could achieve in life if you had four feet - and double of everything else too! I added the printed trainers to my order at the last minute, just for the hell of it really, to see what they were like.

And whilst I most probably wouldn't wear them with the top in real life, I didn't look at them and think urrrgh, hideous, they have to go back. They do have to go back (or go on ebay for some vastly inflated price but that goes against my principles somewhat) because they're a bit big for me - but I'm really pleased to have tried them and I will definitely be giving some more a go - which is handy because already I've spotted two pairs that I like elsewhere.

I find that tops, rather than dresses and trousers, are more successful as online purchases where things can't be felt or tried on and I know that others have had difficulties with the fit of dresses. I suppose in simple terms there's more to go wrong!  If PP and Target get another little thing going in the future, I wouldn't hesitate in seeing what was on offer - if only for the Net a Porter black box.