Very few people in this world have a bum small enough to pull off a tiny pair of sailor-button striped hotpants, but luckily we have Isabelle on hand to give it a good go. Looking "a bit like the ringmaster" (or Sally Bowles, I thought) our girl had great fun posing - complete with jazz hands - in one of the most difficult outfits to pull off, Kate's mustard and black striped backless waistcoat and hotpants. We had to add the hat for comedy value...
As those of you who've followed the collection will know, there was a jacket finish this ensemble off, but as we could only buy 5 items each we gave that a miss. We actually all love the shorts despite the fact they will suit about 1% of the country. These are a size ten, and I'm tempted to suggest Topshop don't make them in any bigger sizes (as much as I love my curves, I understand they don't look good in everything). This is definitely a piece for slim, confident women.
The waistcoat ties across the back three times with big grosgrain ribbons (you'll see this better in the video later today) meaning you can - to some extent - 'tailor' it to fit. However, we realised there was a happy medium somewhere. Tie it too tight and even the skinniest girl gets flesh piling out above, loosen it and it gapes at the front. There must be a girl out there who fits into these Kate Moss waistcoats perfectly...sadly she's not Isabelle or Laura!
The general consensus chez CQ is that these items - while good on their own - look a bit too costumey when worn together. We'd perhaps add a shirt under the waistcoat or wear the shorts with a plain black top for a slightly easier to wear look. And ditch the hat, of course!
