Hello lovelies,
It’s no secret that I love Youtube. At the end of a hectic day or when commuting I love catching up with my favourite Youtubers. One I’ve been watching for quite a while now is Elle Darby. She posts an array of content ranging from clean with me videos, hauls, vlogs, fitness videos, what’s new in etc. Her famous catch phrase is ‘grab your tea and biscuits’ and she really is the epitome of staying cozy and comfy. Her channel is the definition of hygge to me. Earlier on in the year, Elle announced she would be launching her own lounge wear label, ”Angelle Collection”, she refers to her viewers as the ‘Angles’ – so it’s a nice play on words of her name and viewership.
I’ll be honest, since losing a little weight, all my old lounge wear items sadly no longer fit me so once this announcement was made… I was curious. Elle openly documented the process and launch of the collection, it was nice to see a Youtuber engaging her audience with the process. Once I saw the trailer released on the Angelle Collection youtube channel, I wanted to purchase a few bits, this is my honest review of the whole process.
One thing I love about Elle is that she actively gives back to her viewers. To launch the collection there was a party in which you could apply for tickets to meet Elle, her boyfriend Connor and shop the collection before everyone else (I believe these tickets were free). Unfortunately, I missed out on applying, but Elle did state that she would be doing more of these types of events with each collection. As I was unsuccessful in getting tickets, the only way I could shop the collection is online via the website once the stock officially was released on the Angelle Collection website. Aside from the launch party, I love that Elle reached out to viewers to apply in order to model the collection, it was refreshing to see that Elle took into account different ages, ethnic backgrounds and body types during this process, a inclusive brand for sure.
Prior to the website launch I didn’t think the communication was clear, which was a shame. On the Angelle Collection Youtube page, Elle released a video talking through all of the items and announced the date the collection would be live to purchase, however there was very little information regarding the time the website would be launch and furthermore an idea of sizing. Within the comments, I did see many people enquiring about this alongside wanting to know the fabric composition / where the items are produced. There was very little information on this which was a little disappointing as for many this is important when wanting to purchase new garments. I hope in the future there is a little more transparency about these specifics and details.
On launch day I was shocked at how quickly the items sold out. I like many others placed items into my basket however, when attempting to check out the page claimed that the items were no longer available within the size (this was within 3 minutes of the website launching) Unfortunately, I did not manage to purchase all parts of the collection I had my eye on. Luckily, I managed to purchase the Best life crop top and shorts in the colour passion pink and storm grey. Due to the problems with purchasing, I had to buy the best life crop top in passion pink in a size medium as the size small had sold out.
There was a delay in the posting of the items, however Elle did state that this would be the case as the release was based on a pre-order system. My items came around a month after my purchase at the end of September. There was a longer delay and I did see many enquiring on the Angelle Collection instagram page about this issue. Elle claimed there were issues with the courier which meant there were some cases whereby items were sent out later than anticipated. Many were disappointed especially after some claimed they had emailed customer service with no replies. I’m not sure if some are still waiting for their order to arrive, but again I think the communication perhaps could be improved for future collections.
The order arrived in a nice pale pink plastic packaging with the Angelle logo in a cream white colour, I think it reflects the brand quite well.
Upon opening, I was a little disappointed to see that the items were in a clear plastic style zip lock bag, I think it might have been nicer if wrapped in some light pink tissue paper, however this is probably just me being fussy. I ordered the following items; best life 1/4 crop top and shorts in passion pink and calm grey. On opening I was a little taken back that the tag labels were attached with a safety style pin to the clothing itself as this will leave a small hole once removed, I’m hoping this will be considered in the following launches. I was also a little alarmed to see that there were many hanging threads / unfinished stitches alongside some of the labels. In my honest opinion, it takes away from the luxe / quality branding of the collection. This was perhaps the biggest downfall especially as the brand was marketed as a high quality collection with the total for the best life set being £50 (£28 for the crop top and £22 for the shorts).
With regard to comfort, I cannot fault the items. The material is incredibly soft and feels comforting against the skin, both the shorts and crop top are made from synthetic materials; nylon and spandex. The spandex definitely makes the outfit flattering as it has a little stretch to it which gives it less of a restrictive feeling, perfect for lounging around the house.
As for colour, I did unfortunately decide to send back the passion pink set as I believe the colour was too grey in tone and did not flatter my skin tone. From the images I thought it was be brighter in appearance but this was not the case. As for the storm grey set, it’s definitely more of a blue hue which I think would be complimentary for all skin tones, it’s just a shame that the pink made me look a little ‘washed out’. I would say that the sizing is accurate for these particular items, the storm grey set fits me perfectly, for reference I ordered a size small and I’m a size 10. The medium in the passion pink was a little too baggy for my liking, however I suppose it depends on how you want the items to fit you.
I’m interested to see what Elle has in store for her Christmas launch, I’d also love to purchase the iconic ‘You do you boo’ jumper. If there’s a restock hopefully I’ll be lucky. Did anyone purchase any of the Angelle A/W collection? What are your thoughts? I’d be interested to know.
Lots of love, Lottie x
simply-lottie.com 