One of the (admittedly quite a few, according to our respective partners!) things that makes us squeal in excitement is when we get an email through from a brand that really appeals to us. When that brand mentions silk, luxury, different levels of bust support and high craftsmanship, you know that behind the scenes, Char and I are exchanging frantic, excited emails to one another.
NK iMODE is one of those brands. They were founded in 2003 and have the ethos that lingerie is an everyday luxury for everyone to enjoy – one that fits very well with our own. They describe their collections, which combine soft silk and delicate lace, as timeless, refined and versatile, and we have to agree with that. I feel like a person of any age would find something to suit their tastes within their collection.
The company is based in Canada but their collections are stocked in boutiques across the US, Canada and Europe as well as in high-end department stores. In the UK, you can find them in Selfridges.
We were offered a silk each to review in our own sizes and given some suggestions of which might work best for us based on the levels of bust support. These range from “natural”, with no bust support, simply free flowing and loose, through “moderate” with softly-brushed elastic and contouring for a relaxed fit, to “maximum” which is lined with a gossamer elastane-mesh on the neckline, armholes, back lace insert and under the bust for a higher level of support.
We’ve each got our own stories to tell with our obsessions with all things silk and beautiful, but personally, I’ve always held silk as the epitome of luxurious lingerie. It conjures up the ideals of being a lady of leisure, content to lounge around the house doing whatsoever takes her fancy in only soft, flowing fabrics. Silk for me is elegant, refined and sophisticated, as well as grown up.
Generally, I don’t think of myself as an elegant person: I’m clumsy and more kitschy, no matter how hard I try. Fun story to illustrate this post – I recently was trying on wedding dresses with my mum, sister and Char in tow. I’d come out of the fitting room in a variety of dresses in the style I actually finally decided on (no spoilers!), but decided to try one completely different in style too – without giving too much away, this one was very simply and very elegant. I’d barely stepped out of the changing room before my mum said: “No! That’s much too elegant for you!” and was waving me back in to get the next dress on! To be honest, I really liked the dress (not as much as the one I’ve got!) but I totally agree with her – I would have ruined it!
But that doesn’t mean I don’t still want to be an elegant person – I dream of the days I can lounge around the house, lady of leisure adorned in flowing silks. And with this gown, I’m part way there!
I was directed to the maximum support silks for my 28GG bust and was so pleased to see that one they recommended was the Victoire Remember Moi in shell – it was the one I’d immediately been drawn to on the site as I’ve always wanted to try a full length gown, and the delicate, shimmering shade of shell ticked all the lady of leisure boxes for me.
The gowns arrived beautifully packaged – the outer box was discreet, but inside was a black, sophisticated and sturdy box bearing the NK iMODE logo, held together by magnets (I always love touches like this!). Inside that, the silks were wrapped in tissue paper – again, another thing I love as it feels like unwrapping a gift. The only slight niggle I had was that the silks within were in plastic bags – this meant that they were very well protected, but after the box and tissue paper, it didn’t feel quite as luxurious. But in the scale of things, that’s the smallest niggle ever!
I could tell immediately upon unwrapping my gown that I was going to love it. The silk flowed through my hands like water. It’s entirely different to the satin-silk fabric you find at a lower price and feels so much smoother against the skin.
For my current 28GG, 27″ waist and 38″ hips, I chose the size “Amazing” (medium). This seems to be the right size for me as any smaller would have been too tight over the hips – this style of silk wants to be free-flowing and fluid across the body, and this size works perfectly across the lower body for me. At 5’6.5″, it falls just to my ankles meaning I don’t trip over it or get tangled in it (a concern for me being so clumsy!), but it still looks elegant (how many times can I say that word in one review?!).
The maximum bust support level is very good – I can feel the elastic working in the cup section to keep my bust in place, and it has a higher level of coverage that encapsulate the breasts more than the other styles. Each cup is divided into two with a vertical seam down the middle which gives a very natural shape.
I would potentially have liked it to be slightly tighter across the underbust as I feel it could provide a little more support for me there, but I know that I do have a deceptively small underbust in comparison to my bust and hips. The level of support though is ideal for what it needs to be – it keeps every in place, even if I’m laying down on my side or moving around in bed.
The straps are made from the same silk as the lower part of the gown and are adjustable with sliders. I was worried that because the silk is so soft and fluid that it might slip through the sliders once they’re in place, but I haven’t found this to be a problem.
The appearance of the silk gown is exactly what I wanted it to be. It moves fluidly with my body and has a gorgeous open back section that dips right down into the small of my back. I just want to swish around all day in it! The only problem I’ve had is that because of the nature of the delicate fabric, it creases quite easily and I’m reluctant to take an iron to it, even a cool one, despite the fact that you can do that. I did run it over with an iron after unwrapping it (very carefully and on a low heat!) which removed the majority of the creasing, but by the time I took these photos after a few wears, there were creases in it again. Not that this changes anything about the wearability as I still feel so swishy and sophisticated in it, but it does show up in photos!
The Victoire Remember Moi Long Gown in shell is available to buy at NK iMode for $318 CAN (around £188) in sizes XS to Large.
Stay tuned for Char’s review of her silk NK iMode gown, coming soon!
