Violets In May is an Etsy shop offering custom made vintage inspired pieces. Everything is designed and made in England by mega-babe owner Lola Diamond, pinup model and confetti lucite addict. Her store is perhaps best known for her kick-ass playsuits, offered in a variety of wonderful fun prints, but she also offers slinky lurex pencil dress, voluminous gathered skirts and a selection of beautiful structured tops. I’ve been following the store for a while but somehow had yet to order anything, until noticing a recent post of the Brittany playsuit being offered in a new green tribal print fabric.

I was sold.

I’ve developed a big thing of late of tribal print fabrics, so I cyber-surfed over to the Etsy store immediately to see if this fabric was available on any other listings. After a bit of perusing, I messaged Lola to ask if it was possible to have a skirt made in this fabric.

Lola’s communication and customer service is swift and friendly, so she instantly toldme I could custom order a piece in any of her fabrics. We discussed what style and volume I wanted in my skirt, she let me know the price, and within minutes my custom listing was up for purchase. It really couldn’t have been any easier–or quicker, actually, which makes a wonderful change from dealing with larger companies whose customer service departments are so inundated that it can easily take a day (or several) for anyone to get back to you. With Lola, I just had to leave a note upon check out letting her know my waist measurement and everything was sorted.

Skirt: Green Tribal Print skirt custom made by Violets In May
Top: Alika blouse by Tatyana
Shoes: White Laser cut wedges by F&F at Tesco
Bangles: Splendette woven bamboo bangle & assorted others

When my skirt arrived 3 weeks later it was genuinely perfect. I’d essentially asked for it to be the same style as her This Old Town skirt, so it’s a handmade cotton gathered skirt measuring the 26 inches in length I’d asked for and custom made to my waist measurements. It fit perfectly, which you might think would be a given of a custom order, but I’ve definitely had experiences in the past when a custom made item has turned up and been too roomy for me. Since this material is cotton with no stretch, it’s even more important that it’s properly sized, so colour me happy over the fit.

All the stitching and handiwork is neat and clean, which, once again, you might assume should be an automatic requirement of anyone offering custom made clothing services, but, yes, I’ve received some messy custom pieces in the past (and they were more expensive than this skirt for a similar item, just to add insult to injury.)

This style of skirt costs £60 from Violets in May, but they do offer other full skirts in different volumes and styles, with prices varying from £40-£60. Wiggle skirts are also available, alongside her famous playsuits, structured tops and a plethora of dresses, all offered in an array of colours and prints. The question is, what shall I order next??