Urkye Kokarda tops!

I placed another Urkye order almost a year ago, now, and never got around to reviewing it. No time like the present-- most of these tops are still available, and Urkye does have regular sales (I'd recommend signing up for their mailing list, if you like some of the items you see, for notification of new products and sales-- it's perhaps one email a month, they don't flood your inbox with junk. Also, they tend to sell out really quickly when they do have sales, so getting the email the day before may be your only chance to get what you want-- I've been too slow for the past few sales and haven't been able to place an order recently)!

I've had these pictures for a while (my hair did not magically grow a foot!), and I own three variations of this shirt-- two short-sleeved, and one long-sleeved. Kokarda piaskowa (a beige-oatmeal color), Kokarda bakłażanowa (a muted  cool plum shade), and Dzwonek w granatach  (navy, long sleeves). I own all of these in size 36oo/ooo (which is the size that should fit according to Urkye's measurement chart).

One thing that I can state with fair certainty, is that Urkye's clothing has more ease than BiuBiu-- another way of stating this is that Urkye's clothing runs a bit larger (BiuBiu is more form-fitting). I generally order true to the measurement chart, because I don't like my clothing to be tight and I like the way the clothing looks and wears with a little extra room, but for all Kokarda style items (including, from what I hear, the Skołowana dresses), even if you prefer a little ease, I'd recommend ordering down a size if possible, unless you are tall/ have a long torso.

All these tops are made of a really durable-feeling, soft jersey material that I really like and that have held up excellently thus far.

The muted plum is my favorite colorway (unfortunately, it is currently sold out).  It's a great color for my complexion.

The reason I recommend ordering down, especially for the short (I'm 5'3" or 1.60 m), is that these tops are quite low-cut. I wore them a few times without a camisole underneath, but quickly realized that the top was too-low cut to be appropriate-- or, in other words, I looked down and realized anyone standing near me who is taller than me-- which is most people-- could see my bra. Since most of the Urkye models appear taller than I am, I think it's simply that the tops are designed for someone who is taller or with a longer torso whose bust-line sits at a lower place on their torso than mine (though I find the lengths of the shirts to be perfect-- long enough to prevent accidental hiking up, and they hit at a flattering level on my torso. But they'd also work on longer torsos, I think). In my experience, the grading in the Polish brands is quite good and I think the length issue would be mostly resolved by going down a size, but I don't personally own a smaller size so I can't say for sure.

The oatmeal color is also really flattering, but is a bit too close to my skin-tone-- from far away, I sometimes see people doing a double-take (not uncommon for beige tops, but perhaps worth mentioning). Darker colored bras and tank-tops can show through slightly, but it's still a nice, sturdy jersey material.

I know I saw some people who expressed concern about the bell-shaped sleeves on the Dzwonek long-sleeved version of this shirt. I'm not a theatrical person at all-- I don't dress dramatically-- and in person I like the sleeves. They push up easily and stay where you put them (due to the elastic around the wrist), and I think the sleeves emphasize the waist-line without being overly dramatic or attention grabbing. That said, tastes vary and there probably are some people who wouldn't care for them.

The "camisole fix" for the too-low-for-me neckline (I'm wearing a white camisole in all the oatmeal-kokarda pictures-- in that case, I think the visual break-up of beige is good for contrast as well).

Even though I have to resort to a camisole-- a common fix for shirts that don't fit the bust well-- I still find clothing designed for a larger bust far more flattering on my body than any other shirts I own. I think I'd probably wear these shirts even more if I had them in a size down and didn't need to wear a camisole, though-- as the short-sleeved variations otherwise are perfect for hot weather but I don't like to add layers in the heat. 

Urkye continues to add new styles on a regular basis, and there's many more items I'd love to buy if I can get there before my size sells out! The manufacturing quality has remained consistently high in every item I've tried, and the prices are incredibly reasonable, especially for the quality. I do wish they'd have more business-y clothes, as that's where most of my wardrobe-needs are focused now-- but they are, in my opinion, the best for budget-friendly, bust-friendly casual shirts.

Other bloggers' reviews of the Kokarda and Dzwonek:

Boosaurus!

Les gros bonnets

Undressed to Impress