Hell Bunny’s SS16 line offers the same varied mix of styles as their usual lines–some truly cutesy stuff, a bit of tropical, some kitsch, a range of plain staples, and a touch of nautical. For the first time they’re offering handbags too, but the piece that most stood out to me, lover of nautical themes that I am, was the Marin dress.
Available in red and blue, this dress sports a full circle skirt, pockets, a rounded neckline reaching up to self-tie shoulder straps and a nautical print featuring everything from rum bottles and ragged flags to crabs, ship wheels and compasses. My 4 year old nephew had great fun studying the print recently when I went to spend the morning with some of my family, although he did question why a ship would be in a bottle–I dunno, little dude, people have hobbies, I can’t explain how that ever came to be.
My favourite part of this dress isn’t, surprisingly, the pockets, although I do greatly appreciate that they’re deep enough to fit my iPhone 6 even in its battery pack phone case, but the tie strap shoulders. I think shoulder straps that can be tied manually are not only great for customising the fit of a dress–is there anything more annoying than shoulder straps that refuse to stay on your shoulders because they’re too big?–but also manage to seem both wholesome and sexy all at once.
Dress: Navy Marin dress by Hell Bunny
Cardigan: Red Tootsie Cropped Cardigan from Doll Me Up
Shoes: Red Espadrilles by F&F for Tesco
Hair Flower: Ivory Blossom Falls by Alternate Normality
This dress is lined in the bodice and closes with a back zipper. I wear a petticoat 99% of the time when I wear a full skirt, but I actually love the way this dress falls even without one, which is nice to know since it means I can rely on it for more lower maintenance wear for casual or practical situations where a petticoat isn’t the best idea. However since it’s a full circle, it happily takes a very full petticoat with ease.
Hell Bunny pieces typically run large and that holds true in this dress. I ordered it in my usual Hell Bunny 14/L, which is made for 32 inch waists, but I flat measured the waist at 34 inches and stretched it to 36 inches. You might consider sizing down if your bust will allow that and you like a snug fit.
Hell Bunny are wholesalers who don’t sell any of their own pieces direct to customers themselves, so pricing and availability varies across their global stockists. I purchased my Marin dress from Tigermilly.co.uk for £43.99, but you should be able to find a stockist in your country on eBay or with a quick search engine check if you don’t have a store near you that you can check or ask to order in for you. This same print will be coming in a halter mini dress, apron and circle skirt in both the red and blue colourways.
I really love this dress so I’m glad to see a review of it! I think you’ve confirmed for me that I would definitely need to get the length taken up, being a shortie, so it might drop down my priority list a bit now… but it is so pretty and I LOVE the tie straps. I wish more dresses came with them – it would make my petite life so much easier…
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MORE TIE SHOULDERS
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Ooohh! I love the tie shoulders! I ALWAYS have to have my dresses altered because of my short torso that leaves extra room in the shoulder areas….win!
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Tie shoulders are just adorable! That’s why I love them. But they’re definitely useful for you pint sized cuties ❤
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This looks absolutely perfect on you! Tie straps are wonderful — I’m pretty short, so I’m always dealing with straps that are too long because dressmakers assume that women with my measurements are also normal height >:(. Thanks for the sizing info, too! I’ve found that Hell Bunny consistently runs a size larger than most of the other repro brands.
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Hell Bunny always run larger–I kind of like that, because it means I can either size down to fit tight or I can size up/true and know that dress is going to be more roomy than my tighter dresses, so it’s a more comfortable option for when I need it
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What a nice dress – love the pirate print and the fact that it has pockets! And you’re right about the tie shoulders being great for adjustments.
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