I am a sucker for mustard. The colour only, not the condiment. If you try to put English mustard on my plate for Sunday roast, I will make sure it doesn’t touch any of my delicious, sacred food. If you put American mustard on my hot dog, as happened to me last summer after an hour’s wait in line at the seaside one summer evening, I will be full of rage. But the colour–that I can’t get enough of.

It’s no great surprise, therefore, that when I saw this mustard yellow Marianne set from Lindy Bop my reaction was ‘Yes please!’ I have mustard cardigans, accessories and shoes so far, but no swing dress, despite my wardrobe being about 90% swing dresses. So, really, it kind of had to happen.

Dress & Jacket: Mustard Marianne set C/O Lindy Bop
Hat: Striped Cocktail Saucer Fascinator from eBay
Shoes: Black Minnie D’Orsay heels by Bettie Page Shoes

The Marianne swing dress and jacket set is made from a brocade fabric that gives it a luxe, formal feel. The jacket and bodice of the dress are both lined, with the dress closing in a hidden center back zip. The jacket closes with large matching fabric covered buttons, but unfortunately all of mine felt quite flimsy straight out of the package so I’ll be reinforcing them and keeping the spare button safe just in case. The flared swing skirt can fit a medium volume petticoat without trouble, but anything too voluminous will stop the skirt laying properly due to the pleats. The set is machine washable at 30c, a God-send in the land of vintage-inspired fashion that so often suggests dry cleaning.

In terms of fit, I actually have this set in the pencil dress version from it’s original release at the beginning of last year in a size 16. I tried that jacket on recently and it’s now too snug to lay nicely in the upper arms/shoulders, so I opted to size up into the size 18 for this swing set. This jacket lays much more nicely, not too tight even on my large upper arms, and skimming my waist without hugging it too tightly or flowing too loosely. In last year’s set the jacket had a kick pleat in the back that made it sit much too wide around the ribcage and waist, so I’m pleased to see they removed pleat that from this set to get a better fit.

Specifically, in this 18 the jacket flat measures 45 inches in the bust, with 3 inches of stretch. The armholes measure 21 inches and the sleeves are 19.5 inches from shoulder point to cuff. All in all, it’s a comfortable fit, something I don’t often find in jackets and coats these days with my shoulder, arms and bust proportions, so that was a pleasant surprise. On the dress the waist flat measures 38 inches with stretch to 40 inches, making it too big on me even after taking it in a little, but as I had to size up for the jacket this was to be expected. The dress definitely sizes large compared to the size chart, and I found it’s also quite long in the torso, hitting me about an inch too long in the waist, so that might be something you have to bear in mind as well as mine measures almost 18 inches from the top of the shoulder strap down to the waistband.

Finally, let’s talk about the colour. This set does come in 4 other shades–black, red, navy and turquoise–so there are other classic options for those less fond of mustard than I am. If you, too, share my love for this honey yellow, though, it must be said that as much as I adore accessorising with mustard, as the main colour for an ensemble it’s difficult to work with. I think it’s a colour that looks good on a lot of different complexions, but it’s such a bold, vibrant colour that adding other colours to it can feel like overkill, yet adding too much black undoubtedly brings to mind bumblebees, wasps and possibly certain basketball teams. Since this set is such a structured, strong look in a bold colour, I decided to fully lean into that by adding a dramatic fascinator. The white stripes help cut up the touch of black enough that I felt adding black strappy shoes, and possibly even a black bag, wouldn’t give off the buzzing of bees. If you like this colour but are worried about accorising it,be assured that it can be done. I believe in you!

The Marianne swing dress set is available in UK sizes 8-26 for £55 in 5 colours, and Lindy Bop ship internationally.