Now this wouldn’t be a party dress series without a touch of glamorous satin! Vivien of Holloway have always produced their signature dresses in a range of duchess satin colours, from bridal white to Cadbury’s purple, from bombshell red to unique blueberry. My absolute favourite among the gorgeous selection on offer is this Forest Green and I’m sure you can understand why.

Festive glamour goals, meet your new best friend, Vivien.

Dress: Forest Green Duchess1950s Halter Neck Circle Dress C/O Vivien of Holloway
Faux Fur shawl: eBay
Necklace: Old Aliexpress find
Heels: Old everything5pounds.com

The simplicity of the Halter Neck Circle Dress means it lends itself beautifully to many an event. The richness of this green is beyond lush, a shade that’s downright perfect for Christmas but will work well at every other time of the year as well.

The bodice is boned, nipping in your waist before flowing out into the 27.5 inches long full circle skirt, which will take even the puffiest of petticoats with joy. The straps of the halterneck are thick enough that they cover that little under arm bulge so many of us are blessed (cough) with, making it a flattering wear even for those of us who have a little extra padding up top. Still, if you’re not a sleeveless dress kind of lady you can easily add upper arm coverage as I did with a vintage-style shawl or a bolero, the latter of which Vivien of Holloway also offer in shades that match their dresses. The Forest Green satin bolero would be a perfect finishing touch to your festive outfit, and many other evening looks throughout the rest of the year.

Vivien of Holloway use vintage sizing in their clothing, not the standard UK dress sizes that high street stores and most other British repro brands use, so it can be a little confusing for ladies new to the brand. The way to ensure the correct fit is to take your measurements either in front of a mirror or with someone else’s help, and match them up against the measurements listed on VoH’s own size chart. Most of their dresses are made to nip you in at the waist, with many of them boned, so it’s not unusual for you to need an extra pair of hands to zip you into your dress even if it is the right size for you.

With the lack of stretch in this duchess satin fabric, I opted for the VoH size 20, which is for 42 inch busts and 34 inch waists (hips aren’t relevant in this dress.) The no-give fabric makes this dress a 100% true to size piece, as the 34 inch waist in this VoH size 20 really is a no-budge 34 inch waist and the 42 inch bust also stands firm with no give. If you’re between sizes and don’t feel it’s possible for you to size down then you may have to size up in this style.

The Forest Green 1950s Duchess Halter Neck Dress costs £99 and is available in sizes that cover 24-38 inch waists, as well as coming in 12 other duchess satin shades and over 75 other fabrics, colours, patterns and prints. Vivien of Holloway ship internationally, with their last recommended postage dates before Christmas being today the 7th December for international customers outside of Europe, 14th December for Europe, and 21st December for UK standard delivery and 22nd December for UK next day delivery.