My First Review!!

A couple weeks ago, I was really excited to see an email from Fresh Produce, a coastal-inspired clothing company, asking me if I wanted to review something from their spring line.  I haven’t done any compensated reviews before because the offers that came my way didn’t mesh with my philosophies and because I’m not really interested in turning this blog into a site that just plugs products all the time.  (I’ve mentioned before, that’s not why I blog.)  I was poised to say no, thank you right off the bat, but after I spent some time checking out the company and learning what they’re all about (small business, made — in my favorite place — the USA) I decided it might be a fun change of pace.

So early last week, a little package arrived and the designated “present” opener helped me see what was inside.(She thinks everything that comes in the mail is a present.)

I had spent at least an hour wandering through their website, trying to decide what one thing I wanted to review.  Just like a mom, the first place I looked was at the little girl’s clothes.  Seriously, what is it about motherhood that makes us forget that we can shop for ourselves too?  There were some cute things, but, then, I remembered that Nora gets new things all the time and much more frequently than I do…so I decided to actually think of myself.  I always get sucked into the dresses, and almost got this one which is a convertible strapless dress/skirt that is just dying to be worn on our little island.  But, I thought smart again and decided to get something I could actually wear now instead of having to wait impatiently for June.  I decided on the Muse Top in Ocean Waters.I love, love the bright, colorful pattern and thought it looked like the perfect shirt to take me through the summer.

Here’s the review part:

The Good:  This top is cute.   It fits well and exactly as I expected based upon the style and size chart information.  The stitching looks great and its clearly well made.  It’s 100% cotton in a looser weave which will be cool and breathable in hot weather.  I can’t wait to wear it this summer.  On top of liking the shirt, I am most impressed with the fact that Fresh Produce is a woman-owned business which makes it’s clothing in the USA.It may not be Nantucket, but buying made-in-California is definitely better than made-in-another-continent, and I am all about supporting American businesses.

The Not So Good: The one thing I wasn’t too keen on is that the cotton was not as soft as I expected.  I’ve washed and worn the shirt a couple times already and it did soften up, but it’s not the kind of fabric that could be worn right off the hanger.  The other not-so-good thing?  I wish they had a better website!  (I know, this is going to sound incredibly silly and ridiculous, but when you do 90% of your shopping online, these things matter.)  The site was easy to navigate and products had appropriate information, but I was disappointed that I couldn’t zoom in on pictures of the clothing (which sometimes made it hard to see details) and that many of the products didn’t have back views.  Much of the clothing had inadequate views of the available color options as well, including the shirt I got (honestly, I had no idea what print or color I was getting in the mail!).  Of course, if you find Fresh Produce in a store, this isn’t relevant at all, and I wouldn’t say it was problematic enough to stop me from shopping there, but it’s still worth mentioning.

The Bottom Line:  Their website is a little annoying (says the OCD web designer), but I still recommend Fresh Produce.  I am very pleased with this shirt and have been getting compliments on it every time I wear it.  It is going to look fabulous thrown over a bathing suit and shorts or paired with jeans for a trip out to dinner — in short, I might just live in this shirt this summer. (Oh, and the looser fit means that if I get fatter for some reason, it will still fit!  Hah.)  You should definitely go check out Fresh Produce.  Some of there more popular items include cruise wear, resort wear, and casual tops…and, if you’re a mom who forgets to shop for herself, there’s children’s clothes too.

Please note:  This is a compensated post; in exchange for writing this honest review, I was given a free shirt.  The opinions and viewpoints in this post are 100% mine and were/are not influenced by Fresh Produce or my free shirt.  Or the house they bought me in ‘Sconset.  (Just kidding…although I’m happy to write a glowing review about whatever you want in exchange for a house, so if you’re giving away a house please let me know.)