Poppy Clips, Where Have You Been???
Poppy Clips. You may have seen them here and there, being hawked alongside your favorite LuLaRoe consultant's collection of Carly dresses. Ah, the Carly. The hourglass figure's worst nightmare. I hated Carly so bad. It didn't matter what size I tried on, it looked like a tent on me. There were patterns I loved in spite of the tent styling and bought the Carly anyway. I may have bought a LOT of Carly dresses- hoping that either I would figure out how to style them right or I would have ALL the uninterrupted time in the world to sew them to fit. I'll take them in, up, etc. I installed ties on the sides of them to gather it up in the back in a cute bow. I removed inches upon inches of fabric from the waist area to make them appear more fitted. I did everything I possibly could to make this dress cute for me. (I even removed the underboob pocket on mine) But you know... performing major surgery on a piece of clothing every time you buy one gets aggravating. And yes, I know what you're thinking- WHY BUY IT THEN??? I don't know! I'm a sucker for floral and stripey cotton, and damn it if they didn't do that on every Carly that crossed my path!! And what woman doesn't want to throw on a dress, toss her locks up into a messy bun and look like she didn't rock that carefree look on purpose? I almost accepted that I was not made to look carefree. Instead, I just stopped caring for Carly. The ones that I didn't alter made it into a drawer with other items reserved for schlepping around the house during that time of the month. Yes. Exiled to the drawer with the period panties. Life was not so grand for Carly in my home... Until PoppyClips happened. A quick gathering of the fabric on the back or side of one of these dresses then secured with a set of Poppy Clips, and I was fitted, flowy, and rocking carefree.
Poppy Clips have stolen my heart. My only issue with these little magnetic pieces of heaven is that I can't afford to buy all of them. The company was amazing enough to send me a couple pair to review, and here, I have examples (borrowed from their website and facebook) of how the classic Poppy Clips can be worn. In fact there are so many ways to wear these things from long sleeve security, short sleeve accessory, ruching the bottom of an oversized dolman or tunic, to a quiet little extra on your infinity scarf... the real question here is:
How the hell did I live without these for so long?
The clips can also be used to secure the rolled up hem of your skinny jeans, leggings, etc:
Even to accessorize your shoes or boots:
A quick google search showed more ideas: holding hair ties securely, rolling up a t-shirt for breastfeeding ease... the possibilities are endless. And as if Poppy Clips already hadn't won LIFE, they went and added a product to their lineup called Fit Clips. What's a Fit clip? Well, the ladies over at PC MUST have heard me screaming death to all Carly dresses from all the way over here, because they were designed to make all those tenty dresses I had to buy more fitted.
Fit.Clips. I am so happy right now. I unpacked these babies and went to town trying them on dresses I want to love, but haven't been able to. The way I'm built, I have large shoulders and a large chest, then a tiny ribcage and small waist. Without some form of modification, the dress styles hang straight down off my chest- easily adding the impression that I'm 30lbs heavier than I am. Having fought so hard to lose that weight, I'll just be damned. I had tried the knotting trick from the LuLaReps. I tried the hair tie trick. Nothing looked right. Until now. Fit Clips were just released last week, so I'm one of the first to try these out and I just love them. It takes a few tries to master the technique of getting the clip up there while bunching and clipping simultaneously. But once you figure it out, this product is a Godsend. I've shown it below on a dress that I just received that I'm about to review- and want to love- except for that loose fit. I really feel like I have a boob shelf. It's boob, then the fabric just hangs 6" straight down. I understand that some women appreciate this open, flowy style. But for me, it's really very unflattering. So how do you save a dress that you love everything about EXCEPT the way it fits under your chest? This is the answer without having to sew anything. It takes seconds to fit it to how YOU prefer it. Use the clip in the front, back, or on the side as I did below. And when it's all gathered and ruched inside the clip, the fabric lays beautifully and fans out on the bottom like it had always been designed to do that. This is also a great option if you've lost a little weight and that top or dress you love is just a wee bit loose now. Don't throw it away!! Clip it. The clips work with super high powered rare earth magnets. Once they are clipped, they hold on, so this will work with several thicknesses of fabric. (Please keep these away from your kids and pets, please)
Here's a before and after in a dress similar to a Carly in cut. (This one is My Amelia James, size small)
I tightened this dress up a bit more than I usually would, just to show that it's possible to make it as tight as you'd like. And it's all neatly hidden by the style of this clip- a nice, big, gray bow. (I showed one above with the button embellishments and no bow) Want some of your own? Buy them before I end up buying them all. And if you do, I'd sure appreciate if you used the affiliate link the company was so kind to provide me. You can do so by clicking the image below.
