The Dixiefried Vintage Bustier top by Pinup Girl Clothing isn’t a new piece, but it’s recently undergone a design alteration so that it fits slightly longer than the previous cropped version, making it easier to tuck into your high-waisted retro bottoms, whether that be shorts, skirts or pants. It’s fully boned, fastens with buttons at the back, and features a beautiful ruffle trim. If you follow me on Instagram you’ll have seen me wearing the yellow version lately with my Laura Byrnes California High Waisted Parrot Print Pants, giving myself all sorts of tropical sassy feels and feeling a bit like a tiki princess.

I also have this bustier top in white and I wanted to give you pictures in this review of both colourways, so this past weekend I donned the white bustier along with my also-new Deadly Dames Flamenco Mermaid Skirt to wander around the historic southern English town of Lewes, where rain, mist and a lot of confused onlookers greeted me. I found the permenant Flea Market and it’s guarding lion statue, so expect some random shenigans as well as drizzle.

Mumma, I finally made it! Ravenclaw here I come

Let’s begin with sizing. Usually in PUG I wear an L. I have a 32 inch waist which puts me between the L and XL categories in most of their products, but personally I tend to find I can fit into the L and the XL usually swamps me. The bustier, however, is boned and has no give, so in this product PUG graciously confirmed for me that I should be an XL and upon arrival I discovered they were totally right. This top does up with buttons at the back, providing an authentic and more beautiful finish that a zip, but also meaning you don’t quite get that same ‘suck it in and force the zip’ level of give you can sometimes gain from working with a zip; the great thing about those buttons, though, is that you can easily move them to customise the fit of the top if it’s not 100% perfect on you, an easy job that wouldn’t require costly alterations for those who are ungainly with a needle and thread.

I’m sure the L in this top definitely would not have fit me and the XL makes for a perfect fit apart from the fact that it allows for a 43-44inch bust, which is a big difference to my 39 inch bust. Consequently I’ve got a bit of extra room up top that I’m not filling out, but the frills help disguise that for the most part and it means the bustier (no pun intended) ladies among you will fill up this top better than I. Plus, with those moveable buttons I think I can pull the top two buttons in a tad and ease any slight bagginess that might be currently noticeable.

The mid-length of this top means it will fit into your high=waisted bottoms without constantly threatening to break free nor causing you discomfort with full torso boning that digs into your stomach or hips when you’re sitting down. The cut and frill detail of this top means it can easily be styled in so many different ways, with tiki and vintage Mexicana immediately springing to mind as beautiful casual options, in addition to more formal options such as the way I styled it above with the Flamenco skirt. A top that versatile is definitely a staple piece in my book (or closet, more accurately.)

The Dixiefried Vintage Bustier top comes in 6 different colours, costs $76, and is available in sizes XS-2X.