Monday, January 26, 2015

Diva Essenza- champagne wraps on a beer budget ;)

Please note: in light of subsequent events I would not recommend the purchase of a Diva Milano wrap.

Diva Milano's 'budget' line, the Essenza range, is just as gorgeous as the Milano slings. Having a few Divas already in my stash (the linen blends are particularly marvellous in summer, and their width is VERY toddler-friendly), I knew I'd love the aesthetic of the wraps I was sent to test. 

Fresh from the air mail satchel, this all-cotton woven felt like cardboard, and it went straight in the wash before I even attempted a carry. It was much less crunchy after one wash, but I still wasn't keen, so I twisted it up into a distorted knot and left it around the stair bannister for a couple days to relax the fibres a little. 

At 250gsm, this is a medium weight wrap in the Diva range; and with a 12kg 2.5yo, that's absolutely ok. Our first DH was a little challenging, working with a pattern that had lifted and textured nicely in the wash and you can see my passes are not the tidiest! HOWEVER, this sloppy job got us through an hour grocery run with no pain and  quite a lot of excitable child-bouncing (I may have mentioned sushi...)



I left Diva in the car for a couple of days (hoping some heat would beat the crunch out of it) and grabbed it out again for a quick and dirty ruck on a post office trip. 

Oh yes. Muuuuuch better. Passes still hold like velcro, but much easier to tighten and gather up strand by strand, and our single layered ruck was
fine and dandy. 

If you want a wrap that is newborn-ready straight from the box, this is not the best wrap to save in its packaging. Get it out, wash, iron, love on it and break it in, and you will have something really lovely that will accommodate your child right through to toddler days. 

I can see that this is going to get fluffier, cushier and more forgiving with more wear, and with the Diva aesthetic, this is a very atractive wrap with which to dress up the most boring of mumiforms. It may be the beer-budget line, but definitely caters to champagne tastes, with an accommodating width, nice cush and not too much bounce. 



Please note that I have not been paid to write this review. Any and all opinions expressed are my own. 


8 comments:

  1. Trop belles ces echarpes!!! Les divas sont superbes!!

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  2. My favorite pair of jeans, definitely. :)
    or a chinchilla.

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  3. Gorgeous budget wrap!
    If I could convert anything it would be my favourite floral kimono. Buttery soft and beautiful!

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  4. If i could convert anything, it would be a Natibaby Forest green/brown linen blend wrap.

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  5. I woul convert a pizza and juice to a ring sling so if I'd get hungry during a city trip with my baby, I could just eat it :)

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  6. Any puzzle I get to do with my little man is my favorite.

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