A252194 - GILI Leather Top With Ponte Side Panels and Exposed Zipper

Favorite Son · ‎12-07-2012

I ordered this top in black and saddle and both arrived today. Here's my review, for those of you who might be on waitlist or considering a purchase once any returns are posted back into inventory.

Nice idea, but smells like vinyl and is defective

I really had high hopes for this piece. I ordered black and saddle in my ordinary non-QVC size. The ponte is MUCH better quality than the ponte I have seen on anything here. It is dense and thick and does not appear as though it will pill. The exposed zipper is a nice touch. Shaping is very good. Armholes are not so large that you can put your head through them. But when I opened the package I was treated to the smell of a new child's inflatable swimming pool - decidedly vinyl-ish. The saddle colored top has an area of pronounced puckering right above the right breast. The leather was stretched and worked too much while sewing, and the area immediately to the left of the stitching is indented - decidedly so - and it won't smooth out. (Why should it? I don't have anything to fill it out there.) I'm not really willing to go around with THAT happening on the front of my chest, so I'll let the black one hang for a week and see if it airs out. If it doesn't, it's going back with the defective saddle colored one."

Bird mama · ‎03-12-2010

Awww Bummer. Lisa's looked kind of tight and puckered on her and I assumed she was wearing one size too small again. I wonder what they did to the leather to make it smell like plastic - ewww.

There are many elements: wind, fire, water
But none quite like the element of surprise

Favorite Son · ‎12-07-2012

On 3/11/2014 Bird mama said:
Awww Bummer. Lisa's looked kind of tight and puckered on her and I assumed she was wearing one size too small again. I wonder what they did to the leather to make it smell like plastic - ewww.

Ewww is right. However, I implemented a backup plan. When I got on the leather jag and decided that that might be my clothing purchase for the month, I also checked Nordstrom Rack. I found a Trina Turk piece that is very similar, except it has the zipper in the front. I ordered it, too, because Nordstrom always has free shipping and free returns. It isn't here yet. But I have a feeling that it will smell like leather and not like chemicals and so both GILI items will be going back. Oh, and the price of the Trina Turk item was slightly less than the GILI top, by the time tax and shipping and handling were piled on.

jazzbabe · ‎03-09-2010

FS, thanks for the review. I was interested in that top but decided to wait for reviews. I thought I remembered seeing leather shells at Nordstrom online in the past so I did a search for one to no avail during the GILI show. I hope you like it.

Favorite Son · ‎12-07-2012

On 3/11/2014 jazzbabe said:
FS, thanks for the review. I was interested in that top but decided to wait for reviews. I thought I remembered seeing leather shells at Nordstrom online in the past so I did a search for one to no avail during the GILI show. I hope you like it.

Try searching for Trina Turk Tatyana or Trina Turk Tatyana 2. The former has zipper in back, the latter has zipper in front. They are marked down everywhere. There are even some with the zipper on the back available on eBay. I wanted the zipper in the front.