I couldn't help but wonder, what kind of clothing could a company known for swimwear really turn out? Perhaps sensing my disbelief, the people behind Venus's newest line of clothing offered to let our Stiletto Jungle Girl Talk panel give their goods a test drive. Armed with nothing more than the address for the Venus online store, the Girl Talk panel set out to shop, select, and try out Venus clothing. The results?
"I feel that the Venus clothing line is very stylish," starts Michelle, a 41-year-old nurse from Orange County, California. "I had a hard time picking just one item to review, but I did manage. I picked a very stylish, sheer babydoll blouse. [pictured right] I say babydoll, but a very sexy baby doll blouse. We all know those are hard to find, but Venus has it. I'm not kidding!
I wore it to a Christmas party Friday night and as soon as I walked in the door I started getting compliments, and they continued throughout the night. It was very stylish, very trendy, very classy, and did I mention comfortable! All dressed up, and I still felt comfortable. As for sizing, I think they run little big. I ordered a large, but should of got a medium. Venus will definitely be added to my favorites list!"
"Okay, the Venus dress was SO CUTE," says Pearl, a 29-year-old LA-based music industry diva. "I was so excited to get it. I mean, who doesn't love to try out new cute clothing?? I ordered the Pleat Front Mini Dress [pictured below left] in a size medium, grey. As far as Venus in general, I am aware of their company because of their swimwear line, but I've never really purchased anything from them. I didn't know they were branching out to clothing. The clothing I saw on the website was cute; I'm not so sure about 'stylish.' It's almost like someone's mom tried to put together a bunch of clothes that they thought were stylish. So, they're kind of stylish, but there is something off in their color or detailing. They were still cute though, I just don't really see the clothes as super high fashion and style.
So, back to my oh-so-cute dress. I ordered the medium and I was swimming in it. No way am I a small normally, so the sizes are apparently huge. I think this dress is meant to fit a little big, but the dress was definitely huge on me. But, I actually REALLY liked it. The fabric was so soft and comfortable, and I loved the little shirring on the front. I wore it to a holiday party with black tights and boots. It was so perfect because I always eat a ton at holiday parties and I didn't feel uncomfortable at all in my nice flowy dress!
I think the quality was very good on the dress, but I wouldn't pay $59 for a clothing label I'm not so familiar with. I think they should drop the prices a bit on the clothing while they are still establishing a name for themselves in the clothing arena. Anyway, I am in love with this dress... I may even wear it to my Christmas dinner with the fam! So comfy and easy, yet still very cute. Thanks so much for this one, I loved it! I'm not sure on wearing other venus items, because like I said, the cuts or detailing on a lot of the clothing just wasn't my style, but I really loved this dress and if there is anything else that appeals to me and is a little lower priced, I'd definitely be in! And yes, I would recommend to a friend for sure."
"I absolutely loved the Venus clothing website," says Kim, a 23-year-old advertising sales director from La Jolla, California. "It had a diverse selection of products for people of all ages. It's a great site to explore and find fun things for yourself, and gifts for others. I ordered a beautiful, feminine bikini from the website, and it was better than I expected. Being a person who has ordered from the internet before, I know that sometimes you do not get what you expected in the quality department. The bikini top was a perfect fit on my size-c chest. I got the push-up top, and it looked natural as opposed to the overly bulky push-up bikini tops. [pictured right] The bottom was flirty and feminine. The bikini was leopard with lavender accent bows. The bottom was black and leopard, with a sort of scrunched up leopard over it-- skirt-like-- with two lavender bows on the sides of my hips. [click through for picture]
The top was true to size, but my recommendation for anyone else ordering swimwear from the site is to order a bigger size when it comes to the bottom. I usually wear a size 4, but the bottom was tight on me. It still worked but it was a little visually unappealing. I love the way the bikini felt sturdy, and comfortable. I definitely think everyone should take the time to explore this site."
It looks like it's three thumbs up for Venus clothing! While all three ladies were thrilled with their Venus items, they do recommend that you order one size down for clothing items and one size up for swimwear items that are not available in cup sizes.
Disclosure: Review items were provided free of charge by Venus; no compensation was received in exchange for this review. All opinions are the reviewer's own.
