I have a thing for mermaid skirts. It’s kind of an inconvenient ‘thing’ to have because not a lot of companies design great dresses or skirts with a mermaid hem. Even when they do it can be difficult to find one online because some companies list it as fishtail while others get real basic and call it a ruffle hem. The search can be arduous. It has vexed me many a time before. I was pretty psyched, therefore, when I saw a while back that my favourite brand, Pinup Girl Clothing, had produced a mermaid hem skirt that wasn’t just a mermaid skirt, but elite.

This Deadly Dames Flamenco Mermaid skirt is a gorgeous high-waisted cotton sateen design with a ruffled lace mermaid skirt and a pleated skirt back. And It. Is. Stunning. I lusted after it for a long while before I finally got my hands on it and when I did I was not disappointed. I took it out for a spin in historic Lewes town a couple weeks back paired with the previously reviewed Pinup Girl Clothing Dixiefried Vintage Bustier top and had great fun confusing the locals with my early Saturday morning glamour, rain be damned.

As is the usual beautiful case with PUG, this skirt is available not just in multiple colourways–black, teal with black trim, and red with black trim–but in extended sizes too, from XS to 2X, all costing $108.

When it comes to PUG I am always an L, despite falling between L and XL on the size charts. I own many a different item from them, from Jenny dresses and skirts to a vast array of tops and multiple non-boned dresses too. Buuut when it comes to bottoms I’ve never bought a wiggle skirt from PUG before, only the voluminous Jenny skirts, so I asked PUG to help me check what size I would need. My hips are 42.5inches and my waist 32-33inches depending on the time of day and my recent eating habits. The size chart for this skirt lists the waist in the L as suitable for a 30.5-31.5 with the XL suitable for a 33.5-34.5. The PUG team sized me into an XL and they were right to do so. The XL had a little extra room on me, expectant with the sizing being designed to accommodate an extra inch or so that I don’t have, but the L definitely would not have fit me without some serious sucking in and resultant muffin top action, if at all. This is an item to follow the size charts on, for sure, and I like that it’s fitted on me without being so tight that I feel uncomfortable or self-conscious.

The detail on the hem of the skirt is stunning and I’m sorry that the mist of the rainy day means I only have this slightly-blurry photo of the back hem to show you just how lovely the pleating and lace ruffle detail is.

This is a gorgeous skirt and a true classic, not just in design but in it’s glorious celebration of curves. I love the balancing effect the hem gives to my ample rounded hips, especially with the high-waisted fit as I feel this silhouette dares each eye it catches to do anything other than make the journey from waist to hips to hem in a triple whammy of fabulousness. I feel hourglass and proud in this skirt, a modern girl taking cues from Old Hollywood itself, and that is nothing to be sniffed at. Long story short: PUG does it again! Why am I not surprised?