Review: En Femme’s Garo Sparo Vest and Skirt

So, En Femme announced a new collaboration with Garo Sparo last year and not too long ago they revealed a few pieces from this new partnership.

And of course they are stunning.

I heart leather and En Femme has quite a few vegan leather items that I love and wear as often as I can. I was very drawn to these new items not only because the corset vest and the skirt were vegan leather, but also because, well, they are simply beautiful.

I was thrilled when En Femme asked if I wanted to review them.

Girl, yes.

I should really do unboxing videos so I could capture my initial reaction when I, well, unbox something but with these items I really, really should have.

“Oh my goodness.”

On God those were my first words I said when I opened the package. These items are beautiful and, well, heavy. I mean, not heavy heavy but vegan leather can usually be pretty light but the material used here feels incredibly similar to actual leather.

I feel that clothes and confidence go hand in hand. Some outfits need a confident girl, some outfits give you confidence. But I also feel that sometimes an outfit can be… ah, intimidating.

Usually in a good way. Like, do I have the… everything it will take to pull this outfit off? I mean, I wear leather on the regular and I don’t feel as intimidated by an item very often anymore, but that old, familiar voice echoed in the far reaches of my soul.

You can’t pull this off. Pack it up.

Of course, being the stubborn bitch that I am, I was even more motivated to wear it.

So I did.

Like most items I review, I scheduled a photoshoot. And like most items I am intimidated by that are in my little photoshoot suitcase, I had my second thoughts the morning of the shoot.

Photo shoots take a little time easing into. Before Shannonlee starts working her camera magic, I will have spent the morning running around getting my makeup done or remembering to hydrate myself or pick up a few items for the shoot. We arrive at the studio, get a feel for the space, chat about stuff, and discuss the clothes and the vibe of what we’re trying to do.

It’s like… one of those meetings that your boss wants to have BEFORE a meeting. But photoshoot planning is waaaaaaaay more fun.

It takes a few camera clicks and it takes a few minutes for me to mentally transition from running around to posing and smiling and, well, not smiling. If I am feeling flustered or stressed this mental transition takes more time and more effort. 

This is even more challenging if I have the added mental hurdle that a certain outfit takes. Lingerie is like that. When it’s time for me to undress I have to take a deep breath and just… disconnect from my brain for a bit. Which is never easy or successful. 

It’s been a while since I’ve done a photoshoot for an outfit that intimidated me the way this corset vest and skirt did. And I’m not even sure why. I wear leather/faux leather on a regular basis but I think this particular outfit was a little daunting because this was the highest quality of vegan leather I have ever seen. It was like trying on a $900 evening gown, lol.

We did a few outfits to ease into the mindset that a good photoshoot requires until It Was Time.

I had tried on the outfit when I received it but that was in male mode. That was a simple test to make sure it fit. But this was The Moment when I was in heels and makeup and I would find out if I could truly rock the outfit.

I mentioned earlier about the paradox of HAVING the confidence to wear a certain outfit and how a certain outfit GIVES you the confidence. It’s not enough for the outfit to fit, the outfit has to feel comfortable. It has to feel like YOU. I’ve worn things that fit, that were cute, that just weren’t ME. But this outfit, especially the WAY it fit, felt wonderful.

These two pieces can absolutely be worn with other items. The vest can be worn with jeans, the skirt with a different top… but I wasn’t sure how the pieces would look when worn together.

Very striking, as I found out.

But see for yourself!

Pencil skirts and leather/faux leather skirts don’t usually lend themselves to ease of movement. It’s not uncommon to more or less hobble around in a skirt (depending on the material) that has this length. However I was delighted to experience that it moved with me easily and I had no issue strutting (this outfit BEGS to be strut in, lol) around or going up and down stairs.

The vest is, in a way, without compromise when it comes to putting it on. The vest feels and looks like genuine leather, meaning that there’s little give when it comes to dressing. It felt comfortable wearing it, however. Depending on your perspective of what makes a corset a corset, it’s up to you to decide if this vest can truly be called a corset vest. There is no back lacing so cinching is not possible. It either fits or it doesn’t. If you are going to add this vest to your wardrobe, please please please get your exact measurements. Not the measurements you want, but the measurements you are. If you plan on wearing shapewear, such as a cincher or breast forms, take your measurements with them on. Even if you know your measurements, review the chart on En Femme’s website and order accordingly. If I have a criticism it’s that this vest runs small and you might want to opt for a larger size. I followed my own suggestions here and it still felt small. However, once I zzzzziped it up there was no discomfort at all. It didn’t feel tight or restrictive.

This is a pricey outfit. It might not be something that every girl is going to add to her wardrobe but if you are feeling yourself, and I mean really feeling yourself and you are ready to project confidence, this outfit might be exactly what you need.

Thank you to En Femme for this gorgeous ensemble!

Love, Hannah