Phase Eight Dress In Dark Pink, How I enhanced It. Dress of the day number 815 by Angela Lansbury

 


Phase Eight

Today I received my dress and matching jacket from an Evri delivery driver. I took it out to show it to her. She immediately recognized the label. Phase Eight. She said, 'They used to be from Debenhams'. 
The Phase Eight website tells me they are a British company.


I looked at the dress style, fabric and manufacturer and washing instruction labels.

The Pink Dress

Information

Made in China.  Size 14. 

The colour is deep pink. 

Silk Surprise

To my surprise, it said silk. Not 100% silk. I remember when I was a teenager in the Nineteen Sixties, anything not one hundred per cent silk was regarded as a con, a cheap imitation.  Nowadays, in 2026, fifty years later, even a tiny amount of silk seems like luxury. A privilege. A joy.

The lining is acetate.

Inspection

Feels very soft.

It has a side zip. The zip is longer than the part which the manufacturer has allowed to open.

The pattern is black and red flowers and leaves. Two shades of red, darker matt and lighter shiny brighter lighter pink.
The skirt part is fold over, wrap, like the top. 

Unnervingly, the shoulders are just the very thin, delicate top layer without any lining. Will they eventually tear through?

The more I look at it, the more I like it. What a pity I don't have the slim figure to do justice to it. Never mind, it makes me feel happy.

The Black Jacket With Pink Petal Edging

The jacket has a hook and eye which holds it in place. So it covers the cleavage. 
The main part is plain black. A little dark for summer. But it co-ordinates with the bright pink of the skirt. The pink petal edging is around the collar, and also the cuffs of the short sleeves.

 Later I tried on my dress, then looked for matching accessories.

The necklace 

I spent a long time trying to find the right necklace. Big pendants looked clumsy. Hearts and ovals created an overall too busy effect. 
The necklace fills in the V shaped gap. The choker effect draws the eye away from my bust and towards my face. 

The hanging part fills in the V neatly. The pendant part hangs a long way downward, drawing a line from the bust to my face.

The Missing Headband, Hair Decoration And Hat

I tried on clip-on fabric roses in my hair. I tried on a fancy hat. Nothing looked right. They just distracted from the dress. 

I concluded: A plain dress needs a fancy hat. A fancy, patterned dress needs a plain hat or no hat.

Useful Websites
Debenhams
Phase Eight
Ebay

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