Two Star Dog Bias-Cut Skirt - TENCEL® (For Women)

Elasticated gathering is a little irregular on one side, but with a jacket over it that won't show. Waist size is quite tight, the Small is more like a 6. Colour is well illustrated.

Tencel is such a problem fabric. While its hand and drape are exquisite out-of-the-package, it becomes coarser after laundering. It tends to look rumpled, and takes a stain extremely easily. To boot, stains are difficult to remove from Tencel because of the fineness of the fiber, I suppose. Also, the color of Tencel tends to moderate a bit with laundering, which can be a good thing, but is difficult to judge in advance.

In this case, I was pleased with the after-laundering color of both the pink and the green. The pink is a pleasant raspberry shade that is simultaneously soft on the eyes yet rich. The green before washing was like a soft version of apple green, which, while lovely, did not work well into my wardrobe. However, laundering and starching remedied that, and the color has moved to a very soft, slightly bluish green, which works well with soft coral pinks and baby-chick yellow.

The secret, I've found, with Tencel skirts is to do what I call a "starch dip". I take 1/2 cup of powdered laundry starch and dissolve it in about 1 1/2 gallons of water in a dish basin. Then I take the clean skirt and dip it into the solution, swishing and squeezing a bit to saturate the fabric. Then I hang it on the line to dry. When dry, there are areas of white swirls of starch on the surface, which easily brush away with a clothes brush. But the fabric now becomes softer in color, has more body and less tendency to wrinkle while simultaneously having a lovely fluid drape. Best of all, the starch acts as a guard against deeply set stains, as it absorbs liquids before they can soak into the fibers. With the "dip" method, if I just avoid squeezing or wringing after the dip, and shake/smooth the fabric to avoid wrinkles, I don't have to iron at all. With this method of treatment, both skirts are an excellent addition to my wardrobe.

Yes, the waistband was a bit small, but within a range that I find comfortable. I usually wear a small or extra small and the small fits me spot-on.

With regard to the sewing quality control, the hem was longer on the left than the right on all three skirts that I received. One was so bad that I returned it. The other two are within 1/2 inch difference, and not really noticeable. On close inspection, it appears that the waistband stitching is a bit off, so that the skirt hangs a bit awkwardly right next to the right front waistband, and that translates to a shorter length overall. For some reason this problem was less noticeable after laundering and starch-dipping, so I am keeping two of the skirts.

I do recommend buying this skirt, in either color, with the above caveats. With a little fussing, they are a very good value and I'm glad that I made the purchase.

fabric seems to stain easily tho...

This is a nice easy to wear skirt. I wear it for work, and it goes nicely with many types of tops. T's, button downs etc... Also, I get to the train by bicycle and this skirt is perfect as the fabric and fit hang nicely on the bike and does not fly up in the wind :D

I love this skirt, but am having my seamstress put in a more relaxed elastic in the waistband. The one in the skirt is VERY tight, and I don't have much of a waist, so it's the band that has to go. Otherwise, I love the material and the drape of this skirt; nice shade of green, also.