Lingerie Review: Studio Pia’s Soraya Robe
Studio Pia is an ethical, woman-run, luxury lingerie company, with an atelier in London. You can read more about them in one of my past blogs here.
The Soraya collection has been my lingerie “Holy Grail” set for several years now. I have been patiently awaiting the addition of my bra size (arriving this year) to their range to complete my set, and in anticipation, purchased this stunning robe over the holidays. Soraya means precious jewel, and that certainly is an accurate description of where this robe stands in my collection.
I know this is a coveted item for so many readers, so I’m going to get very detailed in this review. Let’s jump into it!
Design:
As I glance down whilst writing this, I see a sea of golden lotus blooms, twinkling over dark silk.
It’s a gorgeous design, marrying black peace silk with glimmering art nouveau inspired floral embroidery. It also comes in white, which would make for the most marvelous bridal robe.
The robe is a kimono style, with a drop shoulder, and tapered bell sleeves. It has a thick sash, which is very flattering. There is a single small tag at the nape, so no other tags throughout the garment to potentially rub against, an intelligent design choice.
While this robe looks absolutely stunning when paired with the rest of the Soraya set, it also lends itself well to any other black lingerie you choose to wear. It has many styling options if you elect to wear it as outerwear. I’ve recently worn it with a camisole and jeans for a casual glam look.
My one negative for this robe would be that I find the belt loops are sewn too high (5” down from the armpit), and are therefore closer to my bra band than my waist. You can easily wear it without the sash in the loops if it were to bother you, but this may be something I would get altered in the future. I’ve passed this feedback along to the company.
Sizing and Fit:
This robe is a One Size Fits All.
I was worried whether it would do up over my bust, as is often the case with O/S robes (I know my full cup sisters out there are nodding right now). However, I needn’t have worried! I’m thrilled to report that it fully closes on my bust. I’ve also found that I like to wear it slightly open, with the embroidery just touching in the middle - it gives a beautiful glimpse of whatever you may be wearing underneath.
The sleeves are ¾ length on me, with the black silk ending at my elbow. The length hits me just below mid-thigh, with my bum still being covered when seated. I find that a lot of robes do not cover the bum when sitting, so this is always worth noting!
Material:
The robe is mainly made out of peace silk, which I will elaborate on below. Both admirers of silk finishes will enjoy this robe due to its crispness on its inner side and the satin sheen on the outer. The flower embroidery mesh is carefully trimmed rather than being a straight edge, which is a nice touch. The embroidery is a little scratchy in places on bare skin, but minimally so. I believe this to be unavoidable when using metallic thread. This isn’t noticeable enough to call it a negative, just something I’m noting.
Ethics:
Traditionally, silk production involves boiling the cocoon the silkworm builds (thus killing the silkworm) and unwinding the silk strand that makes up the cocoon. To make a single kilogram of silk, around 6,000 silkworms are killed. Peace silk is made by a process that prioritizes the life of the silkworm over keeping the silk fibre intact. The silkworm is allowed to complete its life cycle and emerge from its cocoon as a moth. This process is more time-intensive, and also means that due to the moth nibbling its way out and breaking the fibre, there is less usable silk. Peace silk is usually not processed as much as normal silk, so it can have slightly less of a sheen and less slip. Due to the amount of silk used in this robe, this point is something to keep in mind. I know I certainly feel a lot better about buying peace silk products where possible.
Durability:
I’ve owned this robe for a couple of months now with reasonable wear and haven’t experienced any issues (other than misplacing the sash since I don’t use the too-high loops, it’ll turn up!). The seams are sturdy, and the peace silk itself seems reasonably hardy. Silk is, of course, a delicate fabric, but the weave is strong.
While I always recommend washing brand new items by themselves, I experienced the most dye bleed in its first wash than I ever have on a piece. Just something to be mindful of the first time you wash it. If you can’t wash it by itself, definitely don’t throw any whites in that basin! I have not experienced dry dye transfer, so it’s not concerning to me, just something to be aware of.
Overall, yes, I would certainly recommend this robe. It lends a touch of elegant magic to your normal activities, be that a cup of morning sunshine, or later that night in the boudoir. It’s a fabulous statement piece, but also durable enough to be an everyday robe, all the while being fully ethical.
The Soraya robe is available in both Black and White at NIN Luxury Lingerie for €599.
This piece was purchased by myself, and all opinions are my own.
@Silk.Sheets.Lingerie.Peeks is a Lingerie Blogger from New Zealand. She enjoys a good cup of tea, long walks on the beach, and rolling around on her large hoard of knickers like a lingerie-obsessed Smaug.
