Bardot!

She personified the sexy free spirit, so quintessentially French.  No surprise that the folks at Talbots would want to hitch their wagon to some of that allure, and named this their Bardot Dress.

Une femme was intrigued more by the styling than the name, though.  A full skirted dress with a dropped waist and princess seaming on the bodice had the potential to be a flattering, versatile piece for summer. The cap sleeves were worrisome, but I thought if the rest of the dress was great, I might be able to work around those.

Mes amis, I never even tried it on.  The package arrived, I opened the box and even from within the plastic wrapping the fabric looked stiff, like coarsely woven denim and with *yellow* top stitching. Yellow, people. The image that sprang immediately to mind was…

NOT…

When I returned the dress, I heard one of the Sales Associates remark that the dress runs *really* small in the bust, so wouldn’t have worked for me anyway.

Oh, and that full skirt in the same fabric?

Flying out the door apparently, and almost sold out, so if you’ve had your eye on the skirt, I wouldn’t wait too long.
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36 Comments

  1. Hilarious! It does photograph beautifully. Sounds like it might be a bit warm too and with short sleeves. Hmmm. But I do love all the Talbot’s shoes for spring. Gorgeous, practical, maybe a little high for those of us who actually have to get somewhere ….

  2. I am terribly disappointed in the “new” talbots. Seems they have forgotten all about we women of a certain age. Good luck to them pulling in our daughters…I do not see a bright future for Talbots – and the stock market agrees lately. I personally am crushed as it was always my “go to” place.

  3. When I saw that dress in the store I *knew* you would return it. The sleeves are not only cap, they have a significant, deep cut-in at the front.

    Tried on that full skirt, too poufy and short, I looked like a Tommy Tippee cup. Their ideas are good but the execution falls far short.

  4. Talbots is not using quality fabric. I recognize they are trying to hit a certain price point, but promising designs end up looking cheap.

    I am tempted to try their denim jeans. They seem to have made an effort there. My complaint is that they do not carry the long (versus the regular) in their stores. Has anyone tried their new jeans?

  5. I can’t wear anything with a waist–with or without a full skirt. I remember the much-touted Mizrahi Liz Claiborne transformation, which also featured waists with full skirts. Even the great Michelle Obama (who is very tall) looks to me like June Cleaver in that silhouette. Now as for the real Bardot picture: I think most of us can wear a long tunic/tee with capris.

  6. Brought the skirt home – you should have seen the stricken look on my husband’s face! I did order the pink burlap sheath because I’ve just been craving pink lately. We’ll see… My experience with their washable knit tops has been disappointing – don’t think the fabric quality is very good. Dress is dry-cleanable which should be OK – I usually only dry clean once a season.

  7. i was shown that denim dress by the talbot’s sales associate (who was wonderful, by the way). i immediately knew it wouldn’t fit and would be too hot in our southern summers (also too tight in the bust). i saw the skirt but it was was too much fabric for me, even in the petite size.
    i ended up getting a breton top which i love!
    talbots has gone “j crew” in their styling, but i did notice the fabric is not up to the same standards as j crew. sounds like the fit isn’t either.

  8. That Bardot photo (the red) is divine.

    But I must say, few women (in my opinion) could wear that dress, though it’s very cute on the model.

    Oh, for it to be acceptable again to have a chest and hips – and know what to do with them!

  9. I got the latest Talbot’s catalog in the mail a couple of days ago, flipped through it, and promptly placed it in recycling. I am so over Talbot’s. They get beautiful women to model for them, they style their clothes in the catalog perfectly, create little seasonal themes that pull me into the store … and it always ends in bitter disappointment. Their stuff never works for me in fit and the fabrication is never up to par, and I just refuse to be taken in by it anymore.

    They’re trying so hard to transmit the idea that they’re not your mother’s Talbot’s … and they’re right! They’re actually my grandmother’s Talbot’s! Argh!!

    My heart is too tender to sustain so much disappointment, so now I just stay away. ;o)

    Marsi

  10. The first picture, for a moment, I thought that was a picture of you form the not so recent past. Truly. And don’t tell me I need glasses.:-)
    I like the idea of the full skirt and yet I feel like I am better served by a pencil skirt. Wish I could find a gorgeous pencil skirt in denim that looked more Bardot and less Green Acres.

  11. Bardot may have personified sex in her youth, but for the past 3 or 4 decades she’s personified.. fascism. Real fascism, not a figure of speech, complete with fucking no2 of the Front National, and repeated convictions for racist speech (repeated even since the fairly recent passing of the law that permits prosecution).
    So you’ll excuse me if I think Catherine Deneuve, Jeanne Moreau or Simone Signoret are a better role model, even with dangling cigarettes..

  12. Vintage inspired apparel has become quite the rave this past few years and the mainstream brands are eager to get a piece of the action.
    This usually means they tweak their normal designs to give the impression of vintage design, omitting all the interesting and quintessential details that make the styles they’re trying to emulate worth purchasing in the first place.
    I think this dress is a typical example of this practice: sure it looks gorgeous on the model, (with proper lighting and photo editing of course!) but at a closer look one immediately notices all the flaws: cheap inappropriate fabric, shoddy construction and bad fit.

  13. I’m with LuxeBytes on this one. Talbots, into the trash. Hope they come to their senses, and soon. Not hopeful. So now I depend on EF for casual day wear. Sorry for another disappointment for you Femme.

  14. I think when it comes to Talbots, it is necessary to go into one of their stores and actually see their merchandise.

    I’ve tried one some very cute shoes in their stores, but have never purchased any because of disappointment with fit and quality of construction. For example, their flats have absolutely no support.

    I’ll have to notice next time I am in a Talbots store if they still have a section called “Talbots Collection” which historically has been their higher priced better quality items.

    I remember a beautiful dropped waist striped slik dress I purchased from Talbots about 20 years ago (when I was 40). It was beautiful quality.

  15. The Antiques Diva – thanks so much!

    Tabitha – I know, it’s really too bad. I get what they were going for, but it just lost something in the execution.

    L’age moyen – I love the design of some of the shoes, but again in person they don’t quite deliver.

    LuxeBytes – remember the recurring Peanuts cartoon strip with Lucy and the football? She always pulls it away at the last minute? That’s how I’m feeling about Talbots these days. Though I have to say the nautical striped top that I picked up a few weeks ago is *fantastic.* Hope they bring that one back.

    LBR – you’re very sweet, thank you. I’m guessing I was still in diapers when that picture was taken! I’m finding pencil skirts are the thing for me too. The fuller ones are romantic and blah blah but when I put one on I feel like Ethyl Merman.

    Anonymous – I can’t blame them for chasing after the next up-and-coming demographic, but I’m frustrated that the quality has taken such a nosedive. Even 2-3 years ago the fabrics were so much better.

    Duchesse – LOL @ Tommy Tippy. Yeah, I took one look at that fabric and that was it. I opened the plastic just to feel it, which confirmed my initial reaction.

    Susan – Sal at Already Pretty LOVES their jeans. I’ve tried them a couple of times and was underwhelmed with the fit.

    frugalscholar – back in my 20’s, I’d picked up a couple of “June Cleaver” dresses at thrift stores. I loved them, but I had a smaller waist then, and they were probably much better made than these modern versions. Yes, I love that look with the capris.

    Leslie – I’ll have to go look that one up. I usually don’t give sheath dresses a second look at they aren’t a great style for me. I hope it works out well for you.

  16. Oh, that’s too bad. I was intrigued by the dropped waist, but if the denim felt like Mr. Green Jeans, you did the right thing.

    I know nothing about Bridget Bardot. Still doing the cultural catch-up. Anyway, this gives me an idea for some new movies to put in the netflix queue.

  17. coffeeaddict – I think you’re right about omitting the details that made the piece worth having in the first place!

    Marguerite – yes, it’s very disappointing when the execution just doesn’t measure up. I’d love to see them perhaps do fewer pieces, but with better quality.

    materfamilias – I know! Had they just gone with a softer fabric and better finishing, this story might’ve had a different ending!

    Belle de Ville – agreed! Some stretch and drape are essential to a design like this.

    Elizabeth – yes, I can no longer get past bad fabric. Thanks, I’m always keeping an eye out.

    That’s Not My Age – I would have been interested to read your impression of Talbot’s. The skirt does seem to be popular.

    WendyB – there was a tractor too in my mental image, and some cow manure. It was a frighteningly vivid image. Probably a flashback from my years at a college with a large Ag department…

    Style Odyssey – I love that Breton top too. It’s one of the best pieces I’ve found there in ages. I agree they’re chasing the J.Crew customers, but they need to pay attention to consistent quality.

    Miss Janey – the fabric is actually linen, it just LOOKS like denim. But still too stiff, and too much of it.

    Big Little Wolf – I just LOVE that look: the Breton top, the capri pants. I think manufacturers have found it cheaper to produce garments that don’t take breasts and hips into account…

  18. Susan Tiner – Mr. Green Jeans!!! Oh, that brings back a lot…makes me want a carrot now. Have fun with the “BB” research!

    Marie-Christine – please know that I am certainly not endorsing her viewpoints (which I was unaware of until now) only mentioning her status as a cultural icon from that mid-century period.

    Tiffany – if it had been a soft linen (and without yellow topstitching) it might’ve had a chance.

    RoseAG – yes that Tencel fabric seems to be softer. The jacket you mention is make from the same stiff fabric, and has the same yellow stitching. 🙁

    Susan – unfortunately they discontinued the “Talbots Collection” which did have some very well-made pieces (though the selection was always limited).

  19. What a pity. I imagined the fabric to be like a soft linen, with enough structure to hold the skirt, but some drape too …

  20. I prefer denim-type dresses to be tha tencel fabric as it is soft and drapes nicely.

    I like the Talbots Jackie Fit J’Adore jacket that popped up when I clicked on the Bardot dress.

  21. I’ve had my eye on that dress and the skirt.Alas, I am on a shopping hiatus until I graduate and get a full time gig…:( I guess its for the best, considering your review!

  22. Reggie Darling – thank you! I try to remind myself when paging through (yes) catalogs of the image I saw once of a catalog shoot from behind the model with clothespins and various apparati holding the shape. And there’s no substitute for checking the hand of the fabric.

    RoseAG – let us know how you like the jacket. I’d imagine that even if the bow isn’t removable, a few snips and perhaps a discreetly placed snap or two could make it so.

    LuxeBytes – yes, I’ve found a couple of pieces in the last few months that I really loved, but considering Talbots used to be my “go to” retailer for work wear and well made classic pieces, it’s disappointing just how hit-and-miss it’s become for me. But I understand a lot of younger women are LOVING the new Talbots. Please please yes, do blog!!

  23. This is hilarious! I really enjoyed this post. Really, it is amazing how often what looks marvelous on a model in a catalogue (Reggie is showing his age here) turns out to be a disappointment when one actually has it in front of one.

  24. Upon further clicking I see that jacket comes in an array of colors. I find denim difficult to wear in a jacket as I’m always playing the does/should it match game with the bottoms. However, “Almond” has a lot of potential matches with what I’ve already got, and the sleeves are 3/4 length.

    The question I can’t answer from the web is whether the bow at the neck is optional.

    There’s a Talbot’s near a Borders that’s going out of business near me, perhaps a stop is in order….

  25. Ok, I have to be totally fair here: I got a PERFECT tissueweight merino wool turtleneck sweater with 3/4-length sleeves (black) from Talbots.com about six months ago. Did I mention that it is perfect? Do you know how hard it is to find a thin, comfortable turtleneck sweater that isn’t long sleeved? Honestly, I couldn’t even believe my luck.

    But everything else? MEH.

    Your comment about Lucy and Charlie Brown was also perfect. I just hate feeling like a chump that way!

    More and more and more, I believe that it’s very difficult, if not almost impossible, to find the tailoring, craftsmanship, style, or fabrication below a certain price point. The clothes I most love in my closet are the ones I went “for broke” with: they’re expensive. Some I got on sale (St. John pencil skirt, orig. $600, paid $238), others I paid full price (agnes b. snap cardigan, $150). I feel at my best when I wear them because they’re so perfect.

    God, I should be blogging about this idea ….

  26. As I mentioned in my blog, we two seem to be the only ones buying, maybe trying and returning. I like your honesty about writing about it. And I am sure that there are others too.
    One reason for my haste in shopping is, that the shops over here, mostly get only one piece of clothes per size, so I have to make quick decisions. That is easy. The second reason is my trauma from my childhood, the few times we went to stores with my mother, when she always said that we are only looking, not shopping!!