A friend of ours, Lucy Archibald, has just started Poplin, a small company making beautiful (and bang on trend) pyjamas and night shirts out of gorgeous cottons and silks. Piped in contrast trimmings they all look highly covetable and there’s the added benefit of looking at them as a double value purchase -not just great PJs, but also perfect summer shirts for when the weather warms up.
We’re thrilled to say lovely Lucy has offered TWR readers a 15% discount on their purchases AND free shipping! It pays to be connected. We also pinned Lucy down and asked her a bit more about her fledgling company.
TWR So, Poplin, what’s this all about then?
LA Personally, a lot of my favourite clothes aren’t about showing off, or presenting myself in a particular way, but about how they make me feel. I sometimes think about those pieces as a “shortcut to chic”- things that you can just throw on, that are totally easy to wear and instantly make you feel great. Poplin is about that feeling of comfort and dependability that great clothes can give you.
The design aesthetic is really simple and versatile- every woman can really make the pieces her own, and I love that both my sister and my mother can wear the same design and both love it! I think women of all ages have that experience of coming back from a long day at the office/studio/swotting in the library… and really wanting to kick off their shoes and sort of “take the day off”.
But I wanted to offer things that would feel crisp and comforting, rather than slobby.They’re for cooking supper in after work (check out the Cooking In Your Pyjamas posts on the Poplin blog), for reading in on a Sunday afternoon. Clothing for those lovely downtime moments, for women who care about design and fashion, beyond the kind of “peacock”, public dimension.
TWR Pyjamas, aren’t they supposed to be a hot trend for summer?
LA I think the top-to-toe pyjama look is quite tricky to pull off in real life. But the Poplin separates mixed together with other pieces from your wardrobe can quite easily work as seriously flattering day wear and when you look at them that way they’re also really great value!
The black and gold striped Marlene top for instance is a beautiful hand-printed 100% silk satin, with lovely detailing on the cuffs and buttons, but it has that slouchy, androgynous cut of a pyjama shirt that is so “on trend”. It would look great with fitted black trousers and flat slipper-style shoes, or even wide leg trousers for the more long legged.
The navy silk Audrey top would look amazing with printed trousers or shorts in the Spring. And I’m looking forward to wearing the Bardot Nightshirt, one size up, with sandals in summer or on holiday. It can really work as a more tailored, tomboyish alternative to a kaftan.
TWR How would we avoid looking like we’d forgotten to get dressed?
LA I’m actually planning a little “editorial” feature, styling some of the pieces to show exactly how they can work as daywear. I think we all want multi-functional, cross-seasonal, hard-working pieces in our wardrobes.
Since TWR has often been caught doing the school run in PJs and Uggs (note from Jane – not me – ever!), it’s clearly time we smartened up our act and bought some new ones.
The Poplin website is here….for the 15% discount and free shipping you need to put in the code WR 007 (The Women’s Room’s own James Bond code!). Prices start from £85
Very nice and all but on what planet is a size 12 -14 a Large ? come on let’s be a bit more realistic with the sizing.
Good point Becky, Lucy, are you listening? A
I think this has more to do with vanity sizing than designing/sizing for realistic body types. Some, indeed many, of our customers are a size 8-10 which we call Small, so by the time you get to a size 12-14 that’s termed a size Large. I could have called a size 8/10 xxxs but what’s the point?
When it comes to our designs though, I’m totally realistic and work on shapes that will work for all sorts of different bodies. Our nightshirts for example are perfect for women with large hips, as are our shorts- I worked for months on perfecting an a-line shape that would flatter female curves.
What’s in a name after all?