The review: Witchery-Madison PINK collaboration

What? A capsule collection of 9 pieces in black/grey/navy/white & accented by pinks.

Everyone else glosses over the detail.
Is the style hard to wear for the average Aussie woman?
Does the fabric have a nice hand?
Can it be laundered easily & cheaply?

I answer all those questions & more, for you. 

Ribbed hem cami - in hibiscus
$130

100% silk including the lining, except for the ribbed band which is 100% wool.

STYLE TIP: Flattery? A blouson-y style like this isnt flattering for the average woman over a size 12 as it hides the waist & balloons out the tummy/hip area.

FABRIC TIP: The bright shiny fabric shows every ripple in the stitching but this is typical of bright shiny fabrics.

STYLE TIP: Exposed arms can be covered with a cardi or jacket - make sure the jacket is longer than the ribbed band otherwise you will look wider than you would like.

Also available in soft pink - tea rose.

Suede sleeve cardi - grey
$200

The main part of the knit is 45% acrylic, 44% wool and 11%

nylon. The trim on the lower sleeve is suede.

FABRIC TIP: Due to the suede this needs specialist dry 

cleaning. Factor this cost into your buying decision.

Due to the high synthetic content, the knit feel sticky to the 

touch. Not the best hand.


STYLE TIP: The colour is a very light grey with yellow 

undertones. 




STYLE TIP: Love the drapey lapels and the oversize look. 

Great for layering. Not the best style for petites.



OTHER COLOURS: Witchery have also done this in a black 

- not part of the madison collection for $229. While they look 

identical, they are not. The black has longer leather 

component on the sleeves than the grey which has a shorter 

grey suede sleeve. This would explain why the black is more 

expensive than the grey. 

Chunky knit - navy

$170 

I love this as a sweater & its hand washable.

It is also 80% natural fibres (wool, angora) and 20%

synthetic.

The detail on the shoulder is lovely.



STYLE TIP: Contrary to the description, this isnt a "relaxed" 

boxy 

body. Yes, its boxy, but its snug - not relaxed.


STYLE TIP: The high roll neck isnt flattering to the average 

woman's non swan like neck. A scoop or vee neck would 

have been more universally flattering but perhaps less 

fashion-y.


OTHER COLOURS: The also have it in a cream (same 

price), identical item, just not tagged as a madison item.




The jersey pencil skirt - navy

$130

Gorgeous pencil shape, beautiful feature zip at centre back.




STYLE TIP: A longer line pencil, so not for petites.




STYLE TIP: Pencil skirts are not the best shape for pear 

shapes. The reason is that the narrow width at the hem 

emphasises the pear's excess width at the hips. Make sure 

you take time to look at your proportions in the mirror to see 

if this makes you look hippy. 


STYLE TIP: The skirt also had diagonal panels at the sides 

of the hips - nice & directional & helps to suck in hips/thighs.

FABRIC TIP: The fabric is stretch 82%viscose, 10% wool, 

5% nylon, 3% elastene. But its thinner than a ponte and  

doesnt have as much stretch. I am disappointed.


FABRIC TIP: Tag says Dry Clean Only. Why? No one 

seems to be able to explain to me why a fabric with that 

composition is DCO.


The "wool peplum dress"

$190

In a grey stretch marle, this has the same fabric as the

pencil skirt.


I always wonder why they insist on calling it the "wool" dress 

when the wool content is only 10%. I guess the "viscose" 

peplum dress doesnt quite have the same ring to it.


In contrast, there is no reference to "wool" in the marketing 

description of the skirt even though it is the same fabric. 



STYLE TIP: Unless your body is terrific, stay away from this. 

From a style point of view, the fact that it is a very light 

colour also doesnt help to hide lumps & bumps either.

I am also not thrilled with the back - its a black elastic sewn 

across a scoop back. 

To me it looks like an "add on" - it 

doesnt look like an overall style trim - just a piece of elastic 

holding the dress together. Honestly, I believe that if this 

was a proper ponte fabric, the elastic wouldnt be necessary - 

but since this fabric is thinner and lacks proper stretch, 

something is required to keep together the sides. 



The knit trim pleat skirt

$150

This is 100% polyester and lined in viscose with an knit waist 

band which allows for fluctuating sizes. 


STYLE TIP: Roll the elastic band over for a different length 

of hem.

Interestingly, no-one is willing or able to tell me whether the 

pleats are permanent or not. 

Further, no one is willing to tell me why the skirt is Dry 

Cleaned Only. I can understand why it would be DCO if the 

pleats were not permanent, but that would mean that if you 

spilled water on it, they would dissolve. Realistic? 



I have asked Chatswood Chase, Westfield Chatswood, 

and Castle Hill, as well as the Facebook page...but no one 

can explain why permanently pleated poly is DCO.



The pants - in navy

$130

Tailored waistband with 2 pleats on either side.

100% viscose & hand washable (yai!!)

With a side off white stripe giving it a military feel.

In a cropped style.

Elastic back for comfort and size flexibility.

STYLE TIP: Not a bad pant, but if you have a belly, stay 

away from 

pleated waist bands & go fro flat fronts.



FABRIC TIP: This fabric will get very shiny after ironing - so 

iron on the reverse side.

I am not sure how cropped "cropped" is, so if your gut 

feeling is that its too short, go with your gut.

The coat - dusty pink

$499

75% wool, 20% alpaca, 5% nylon

Fully lined.

 FABRIC TIP: I totally approve of the fabric composition, but 

when you look at it close up, the "texture" is actually like a 

long pony hair. Not sure how neat this will look after alot of 

wear. In a dark colour, it wouldnt matter, but in a light colour, 

it may be problematic. At that price & quality, I would want to 

be sure of the longevity before I bought it.


STYLE TIP: Oversize coats are huge ATM. But a double 

breasted coat that is as heavy as this, isnt for petites or slim 

frames. It'll just swamp you. 


Overall a terrific collection but as always you need to be 

aware of your preferences & your body shape & whether 

they suit the item before you invest.