DISCLAIMER ** THIS SET WAS BOUGHT MYSELF WITH MY OWN MONEY. MY THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE MY OWN AND I HAVE NOT BEEN PAID FOR THIS REVIEW.
CREDITS ** ALL PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROOK BOUDOIR **
The luxury lingerie community had me easily convinced that my next voyage in lingerie and loungewear simply had to be luxury pyjamas. I am not sure how my mind differs in how I feel about buying pyjamas rather than a lingerie set for £300.00 but the jump from my usual £10.00 jollies I get from George at Asda was quite nerve-wracking. I guess it is because I know what I should be expecting from lingerie and I buy lingerie for a variety of reasons whereas, I buy pyjamas to wear them into the ground. I almost expect more of spending out on a pyjama set than I do lingerie. Put it this way, if I get a non functional set of lingerie, it becomes bedroom wear and therefore is still viable, if I get a non functional set of pyjamas it is going to be fodder. Hence why I knew I had to start with long admired brand Karen Mabon to avoid such a thing.
It was a stroke of luck that I managed to get a set from their recent online sample sale which was the closest thing to one of those TV skits where women fight over things I’ll ever be. I added things to basket and they were stripped straight out! If the demand for product doesn’t speak for itself I don’t know what does! I was an online battle for silk wares but I came away with something wonderful.
Karen Mabon is a Scottish born illustrator and brings lavish, beautiful and unorthodox and interesting designs to her wares which not only include pyjamas but scarves, homeware and bucket hats! With collaborations ranging from museums and palaces to skincare, movies and airports there is truly something for everyone in her designs which I think is wholesome and considerate unlike any other brand.
I do have to admit, I am still quite intimidated by Karen Mabon and being completely honest it is because they do give off this ‘wealthy’ ‘upper class’ vibe and I just… well, I’m not wealthy so that always freaks me out a bit! BUT despite this undertone I am (and anyone is) deserving of luxurious things so this is entirely my imposter syndrome. It also doesn’t help that I took this photos excitedly when I have absolutely no furniture in my house because I am redecorating does not help this factor at all so I could possibly reshoot this set in future for the blog.
Sadly there is absolutely nothing on Karen Mabons website regarding heir ethics on production and their sustainability so I cannot comment on that at all. It is apparent they outsource their production to China but that is all I really know so in lieu of that I do want to rave about their beautiful range of customer representation and diversity. They do go up to size 5XL too!
Karen Mabon wares are all about the illustration designs and patterns in my opinion. I managed to get the Snow Leopard design which features these big bold friendly leopards tapering through wildflowers and leaves on a deep rich navy background. I would say Snow Leopard is one of Karen Mabons less busy designs, not in detail but the softer more subtle colour pops as opposed to the super brights and busies that they can offer. Nonetheless whilst I describe it as more gentle it still has this amazing sweet tempered mixture of warm and cold colours that just POP. My favourite part is the show stopping glimpses of pink bringing that wow factor to the palette.
The design is a classic classy suit style with notched lapels (or better known here as a step collar) and button placket, it has a patch breast and on-seam hip pockets which are deep and practical. The shorts sport a covered elastic waistband with drawstring tie which whilst aesthetically beautiful does not stay tight on just a bow because of the slipperiness of the material unless you double knot it tight. This is a bit of a pain in the ass as I find myself tightening them to sop the waist sagging on me often.
In a likely much more expensive dream world I would love to see the fabrics pattern matched across the pyjamas but that aside it does not look out of place nor distracting across the garment pattern even if I do get a bit sad when one of the leopards is unfortunately beheaded.
I brought the set in a small and the sizing is gloriously generous which is what I want from pyjamas. I like to be free to move without caution and with comfort at all times. Not that you intend to look sophisticated in pyjamas but I tend to tuck the shirt into the shorts to look more defined otherwise because of the generous sizing I do become one short rectangle as everything loosely hangs. I don’t think buying to size will ever be an issue at all unless you want a more taught fit then probably size down! I just need some navy fluffy slippers to complete this look.
I am not an expert in silk at all and consider myself ever learning when it comes to the huge differentials between all different fabrics being sold under the illusion of silk nowadays. Whilst Karen Mabon does produce 97% silk wares this particular set is non-stretch charmeuse. It has a silky looking front and a dull backing inside. Charmeuse is usually made with silk, but this charmeuse is made with polyester. The shirt and shorts sets from Karen Mabon range from this charmeuse to Cotton to Silk. I find this fabric is very insulative and whilst it is a short summer set is keeps me lovely and toasty. It does physically feel synthetic but not in an off-putting way especially after a long wash. I am especially impressed that Karen Mabons pyjamas can be machine washed! (I will hand wash mine irrespective).
This particular set I am very aware is a sample therefore it does have imperfections throughout and was always going too The labels fell off immediately after the first wear and the buttons holes I can only assume aren’t finished properly as they are wiry and frayed and not neat at all especially as the outerwear of the set comes across as pristine. From appearances to front you would not know this is a sample whatsoever.
I can’t identify many varying stitches but as I always say, I am not an expert in this field especially on pyjama construction but I can see some of them are a bit obscurely overlapped and crossed but again, I imagine this is to do with it being a sample and not a standard garment. I adore the white piping that it integrated on the sleeves, short legs, the collar and centre folds and I do not imagine it is an easy feat to sew them in a manner that they look as good as they do!
Whilst the set is imperfect nothing about the outlined issues make it unpractical or problematic, just untidy inside which is overall entirely understandable for a sample.
The set seems to be selling online otherwise than the main website from between £91.00 to £125.00 but I picked this up including postage in the aforementioned sample sale for £65.00. I do feel my experience simply isn’t as authentic as I would want it to be because I brought a sample piece. I would truly like to buy a full set piece one day so I can do a more whole hearted review. Perhaps I will able to one day own a cotton and silk set from Karen Mabon so I can give a more detailed understanding of the difference in feel of the varying fabrics that they use through their designs.
Even at this point where I am unconvinced if the fabric choices affect my overall outlook on whether the set is reasonable cost-wise, I would pay in full for the unique, beautiful and majestic illustration designs. Having hand designed illustrations across a number of products is an especially difficult feat and that is simply phenomenal to have on the market and especially to own. There won’t be infinite numbers of these designs you see which makes them fleeting and special. So that in itself makes me covet this set.
I also adore that by having such designs this loungewear would be easily translated into outerwear. I’d even quite comfortably wear the pyjama shirt as an actual shirt with jeans and feel no which way about it. Having a versatile standout piece is a extravagance in itself.
I will be back for Karen Mabon in the future, most certainly, and maybe by then I’ll be from this humble beginning more experienced and worthy of a more formulated review.
The Lingerie Raven 