Part three of this Pinup in Sleeves series is coming to you as a guest post from my darling friend Sophie, fellow British Belle, blogger at Petticoatsandteacups and Instagrammer @missfififvonfosse. 

Hello readers! Fifi von Fosse here from Petticoats and Teacups, invading Miss Amy May’s Pinup in Sleeves series! As a vintage loving gal liking a little bit of upper arm coverage, I jumped at the chance to write a little post for you, telling you all about the gorgeous LindyBop ‘Holly’ dress.

So picture the scene. It’s early November, and you are just starting out your search to find the perfect festive dress. Up pops the Holly and voila- the search is over! Coming in at £29.99, it wasn’t exactly a bank breaker, especially leading up to the Christmas shopping rush, and the gorgeous deep berry colour just screamed festive perfection to me.

One of the first things that struck me was that the Holly is essentially Lindybop’s bestselling ‘Audrey’ dress with added sleeves. Genius! And given that the Audrey is a particular favourite for me, it was a no brainer that the Holly would be a great choice. The only reservation I had was that because I was now having to take sleeves into account, I was quite dubious on sizing. I usually take a UK 12 with LindyBop swing dresses, as I have quite a small waist in comparison to my hips. My upper arms however have quite a bit of extra chunk, but alas, I went ahead and ordered the 12 and hoped for the best.

When the dress arrived (only 1 day after I ordered, nice one Lindy!) I was pleasantly surprised that the colour was spot on to what was shown on screen, and the fabric was a nice heavy cotton with a lined bodice. However, now was make or break time. As I slipped the dress over my head, I knew it was going to be a struggle. The sleeves combined with the small side zip opening left me with my arms stuck above my head and a face full of fabric, running around trying to find my mum to help me pull it down. Oops!

However, once I managed to get it on, all my worries were put to the back of my mind, because it was bloody gorgeous. Yes, the sleeves were a bit tight but I think I knew that was going to happen all along. In a perfect world we would all have dresses tailored to our shape but unfortunately, those of us on a budget don’t have that luxury! The full skirt houses my cheapo ebay petticoat perfectly, and the sleeves fall just below my elbow, the perfect length.

Overall, I think the Holly is one of those dresses I would like to call a ‘Pinup Staple’, a beautiful basic that is a must have, to either be dressed up or down. It also comes in black, blue and a few floral options, of which I will definitely be purchasing soon!

Thank you for having me!