Need - Nanette Lepore "Ladies Night" Corset in sz 0

 

Ever since I saw this Nanette Lepore "Ladies Night" corset on one of my favorite bloggers, I knew I had to find a similar piece for my own wardrobe. Normally I would never be interested in something like this, because I would assume that it could only be worn 2x a year on special occasions. But ChloeConspiracy proves corsets to be super versatile. Here she is tucking it into a pencil skirt, and here she is wearing it over an A-line skirt. Unfortunately, a few roadblocks stand in my way to acquire this gorgeous corset:

1. It's from several seasons ago, and even if it were current, it is too $$$ for me ($275 to be exact).
2. Corsets are difficult/costly to alter due to the boning. I tried on a Nanette Lepore dress in 0 and it was too big, so I'm not sure how a corset in size 0 would fare.

The only NL corset top that I was able to find in stores was this purple tank one from Bloomies which clearly is not the same. At WHMB, however, I actually found a plethora of corset or bustier-style tops. Some picks in size 0 (I wonder whether 00's are all sold out, or if they just didn't make 00's in bustiers?):

1. Gorgeous silk sweetheart neckline bustier, ($88 full price - sigh)
2. Waist-slimming belted peacock bustier ($88 $50) - this one is my favorite
3. Brushed rose floral bustier ($88 $50) - left only in sz 0, but a lil' too fancy for my tastes.

Although none of the above are exactly what I'm looking for, I have a feeling that WHBM may come out with something in Spring/Summer that I will love, in a petite-friendly size. I also found this to be interesting - Ruffle Tube Top in XXS ($68 $19.98) - it's just a tube top, but has a sweetheart neckline, plus boning construction on both sides. Hmm.

So a month ago while at the Banana Republic outlet, I saw a pouffy cotton blouse that strangely had the potential to temporarily fill this gap in my wardrobe. A PXXS was baggy in the torso, but the details were nice. At the time it was a ridiculous $44.95 at the outlet, so I passed, but this weekend it was on sale for $18! And there were a ton of them left - with not one, but three PXXS's. Ok ... don't laugh ...

Banana Republic Factory Store jeweled, ruffled and pleated 100% cotton blouse, $44.95 $18

Now, readers may be thinking ... this oversized blouse is hids! It may be acceptable to wear while milking cows, but it's nothing similar to the Nanette Lepore beauty! Yea, I guess it can't really compare. But click "Read More" to see the potential of this blouse with alterations.



A little pouffy (PXXS measures a generous 17" from armpit to armpit, and 16" across the waist):

I can tell it's meant to be a breezy summer blouse, hence the looser fit. I had to wear a white cami underneath as the blouse was a tad bit sheer.

I almost wish that I bought two of the same blouse - one to keep loose for wearing casually in the summer, 1 to alter slimmer for tucking into pants/skirts. Here it is with about two inches hastily clipped in the back from the armpits down to the hem (which is what I will ask my tailors to take in):

Still clipped 2 inches, tucked (rather unevenly, oops) into linen pants to show "potential" for summer work outfits:

Now, let me reiterate that I am sure the design and quality of this BR blouse is nowhere near NL's corset, but it will have to suffice for now while my search continues. I estimate alterations to be about $15 (hopefully less!), bringing the total cost of this blouse to about $33.

PS - There was a box of clearance costume jewelery at my local BR outlet (by the front register) with additional 50% off. I like that its "hypoallergenic" since my ears and neck can't stand Forever21 jewelry. Lookie what I grabbed for $5 each in an attempt to build up my accessories collection: