The Everlane experience

A couple of years ago I became aware of the American brand, Everlane.  It prides itself on being an ‘ethical retailer’, by sourcing its clothes from factories that environmentally sound with good pay and conditions for workers.  Everlane also says it abolishes the traditional retail mark-up, so you’re able to get a better understanding of the true value of your garment.  It’s a refreshing ethos and the brand’s simple designs in classic colours are super appealing in this age of fast fashion in saturated palettes.

After months of stalking Everlane’s website I signed up for an account earlier this year and my first order arrived a few of weeks ago…

The one item I’d had my eyes on for ages, was the cognac suede Day Heel.  Even though I’m petite, I don’t often wear heels as I find a lot of them a painful and way too high to be practical. With a ballet flat inspired shape and a two inch block heel, these were a pair a shoes I could see myself wearing when I needed to dress up a little, but still wanted to be comfortable. I have a hard time shoe shopping on account of my ridiculously small feet, which are anywhere from a 33-35. I often end up in the children’s section, so to find a ‘grown up’ pair of shoes, in a huge range of colours, that looked easy to wear and went down to a size five, was rather exciting.

The shoes arrived carefully packaged, each heel individually wrapped. I still need an innersole and a half in each to make them fit (in my books, that’s pretty good – I have been known to wear up to three full pairs of innersoles in shoes before :o) I haven’t had the opportunity to wear them out yet but pottering around the house in them, they’re a winner so far.  They’ve got just enough height to give me a lift, but as Everlane attests to, they certainly feel like a shoe you can wear ‘all damn day’.  I’m looking forward to providing a more detailed review once I’ve had the opportunity to give them more of a workout – hopefully soon now spring’s arrived!  Given the nature of suede, I will be giving them a coat of waterproof spray to ensure their longevity.

Given Adam and I will heading back to the U.K in late autumn for our wedding, I decided I wanted to treat myself to a cosy new knit that I could dress up or down and wear with a variety of colours. It’s a bit clichéd, but when I spotted Everlane’s Wool-Cashmere Waffle Square Crew in cream, I knew I’d found my ‘wedding jumper’. I’ve often steered clear of box cut items as they can be overwhelming on my small frame, but I really liked the looser look of this knit, so decided to try something out of my comfort zone.

The sweater is thick, without being too bulky and given it’s wool-cashmere, is exceptionally warm. The sleeves aren’t too long and I love that the long cuff allows you to roll up the arms. I’m really liking the slightly roomier fit and the waffle texture is divine. In super cold weather I could easily wear another layer underneath. I’ve worn the jumper a few times now and I’ve got a feeling this is going to become a cool weather favourite.

Sticking with the box-cut look, I also ordered myself a Square Tee in burgundy. It’s often really hard to find nice looking, long-wearing basic cotton t-shirts that don’t lose their shape, so I was eager to see if the hype surrounding Everlane’s t-shirts was true.  This tee is a little shorter than I was normally go for, but given I wear a lot bottoms with mid to high waists, it actually works quite well at elongating my legs.  The cotton has a lovely weight and the colour is rich, almost spicy.  The wider neckline feels modern and I like that I can still tuck the t-shirt in if I want to. The tee has just been washed for the first time and it’s retained its shape and not lost any colour.  There are no internal tags (which sometimes scratch me) and the slightly fitted sleeves makes it feel a little more dressier that a standard crew-style tee.

Due to back-ordering, I received each of my items individually rather than in one big package. Being in Australia and given the company was moving warehouses at the time of my order, it did take quite a bit longer than what the Everlane website specifies.  I didn’t need any of my items in a hurry so it didn’t really matter, but it’s something to keep in mind – particularly if you live regionally.  I did email customer service to chase up when my items would be shipped and I received a personalised response within 12 hours- which certainly won points in my book.  I should also note, the prices on Everlane’s website are in US dollars – so if you’re shopping from abroad, you’ll need to take the exchange rate into consideration as well as any fees your credit card may charge for overseas purchases.

I’ve been quite chuffed by my first Everlane experience and will definitely consider more purchases from the brand in the future.  Have you ever shopped with Everlane before?  What did you think?

Have a wonderful week. x

This post is not sponsored, but does contain a referral link. If you shop through that link I may receive an online credit.  As always, all opinions are my own.