(Because this review ended up being too long, I have split it between the "review" and "experience" section.)

I like nerds. I also like my tits. Logic dictates that I would therefore enjoy showing my tits off to a bunch of nerds. And this logic is right on target: I actually picked Coquette's Darque Military Outfit because I thought it would fit in at an anime convention I'm attending in April; that, and I thought the whole costume was really sexy.

The Darque Military Outfit arrives in a clear plastic package with a cardboard image showing what the costume looks like. Well, what the costume SUPPOSEDLY looks like; there are a few differences between the display image and the actual costume. For one thing, the display image shows the costume with a silver zipper, but the zipper is actually black (which I preferred, since it's not as noticeable.) Another minor difference is the decorative braid, which looks like its a pale brassy color on the package, but is actually a really bright gold. The model on the cover is holding a rather nice black crop, and while the package doesn't say anything about a crop, I still felt it was a little cruel to show such a fine piece of equipment and not include it. A final note on the packaging: it mentions what is included and the size of the item, as well as the company's web address, but it doesn't include washing and care instructions.

All of the items are made out of stretchy black lycra material, with red cotton accents and some fake gold finishes. This material has incredible elasticity, so it can stretch up to several inches most ways to fit your body better without completely ruining its original shape. It doesn't "breath" quite as well as cotton, but it's not as stifling as PVC, so you could definitely wear it for an extended period of time without sweating to death. Lycra is VERY sensitive to heat, however, and the bright colors make washing this costume a bit of a challenge. If you want to wash the top, panties, and bra, I recommend putting them in an old black pillow case, knotting the pillow case, and washing them in cold water on the gentlest cycle possible. To dry, try keeping them in the pillow case and putting them in the dryer on air fluff/delicates for a few minutes, then hang dry.

The centerpiece of this outfit, the top, is an opaque black tunic with a mandarin collar, keyhole neck, and slightly pleated bottom. The pleated bottom adds several inches of length to the costume, so unless you have very long legs, the costume will stop around mid-knee. The mandarin collar is really cute, but none of the buttons on this outfit actually go through button holes: they're all Velcroed on. Hence, fastening the Velcro on the mandarin collar can take a few minutes, and if you're moving around a whole lot, it might need refastened. The gold decorative braid tends to be a bit bunched up when you first unfold the costume, so you may have to flatten it with books to make it hang down properly. The red cotton trim is very bright, looks nice, and doesn't itch or rub. There is a black zipper running from the middle of the keyhole neck to the bottom of the top.

There is a minor maintenance issue with the top that deserves a mention. I noticed a few loose threads hanging around the buttons of the costume immediately after I opened it. Personally, I recommend that you cut away loose strings as soon as you see them to prevent fraying or having the decorative materials fall off.

The crotchless panties have a lot of red cotton trim on them. There's also a fake pocket on the front with a button, and some red fringe that hangs down over your bum. Being crotchless, the panties have two red cotton braids that run between your outer labia and thighs, which may dig in to your skin if you're a bit heavier and can be uncomfortable for long-term wear. They're relatively stretchy and super-cute, however.

The bra is-surprise surprise!-black lycra with red cotton trim. Each cup has a flap that is decorated with a button and is connected to the bra by Velcro, allowing you to have a "peep hole" effect. There are red strings that tie around your neck and back to secure the bra. Hence, the bra does not provide a lot of support and, like the panties, it is therefore not a good long-term-wear option...but hey, peep-hole underwear is rarely something people wear out to lunch with their parents.

A quick note about the bra and panties: because they have so many decorative pieces and because the top is meant to be worn tight, you will see the buttons and lines of the underwear through the dress. If you want to wear this outfit out in public, I have to recommend wearing simple "no seam" cotton undies to avoid lines.

The hat is packaged flat, so you have to push it back in to shape, but it's not too difficult. The gloves, unlike most of the costume, are not stretchy at all, and they're very tiny with super-long fingers. I have thin arms and I had to work them up a little bit! I recommend wearing the gloves once or twice before you actually go out in the full costume to stretch them out.

One of the best things about this costume--and what attracted me to it in the first place--is that it's sexy while still being demure enough to wear in public. Again, the top is rather long, so when you bend over, you're still covered to roughly your mid-thigh. Also, all of the black lycra is opaque; I actually enjoy wearing this costume without a bra because I have smaller breasts, and unless my nipples get really hard, you can't see a thing!

One thing I feel obligated to talk a bit about is the sizing. Coquette's sizing is actually right on target, and because the lycra material is pretty stretchy, you'll probably want to pick the size that's closest to your measurements, or even a bit smaller. I'm technically a small in Coquette's sizes, but I got the costume in a S/M, and while it still fit comfortably and tightly, I would've liked it to "cling" to me a little more. So keep that in mind: this costume WILL stretch and looks better when it's TIGHTER, so when in doubt, go for the size that's an inch smaller than your measurements rather than an inch larger.

----- EXPERIENCE/ADDITIONAL NOTES -----

I thought this outfit was super-cute when I saw it on Eden Fantasys, and I was pleasantly surprised by how nice it was in person. I tried it on and immediately knew a small would have fit better than a small/medium, but it still fit well.

If you get this costume and it doesn't look as tight as you want it to, try wearing a slightly-padded bra underneath. This will stretch the tunic top out a bit.

I don't know much about sewing, but by the looks of the seams, you could probably take this costume in a bit if you had to. You could also cut off the pleated bottom and hem it for a uniformly "tight" mini-dress look, since the pleats do make the very bottom of the outfit a bit more "loose."

Bonus: you could definitely wear the top as a tunic top with an equally stream-lined skirt or jeans, especially if you DID hem it.

I'll write a follow-up review about how things went over at the convention in April! In the meantime, I have a picture of the outfit up at my blog, and will add a link to my HNT utilizing this costume ASAP.

Alas, for a shortness of funds prevented me from attending the convention! However, I DID wear this costume in public with a few alterations: I removed the frill on the bottom and obviously wore different undergarments. I wore this outfit out because I was attending a celebration for fleet week with my MF (even though we don't live in New York, you can still find parties in big cities,), and I wanted to fit in with the military crowd while looking sexy at the same time. It was a total hit! I highly recommend this costume, as long as you take extra-good care of it and check the sizing prior to purchasing it.