I am a yellow lover through and through but it’s a wildly under-utilised colour in fashion in general. Occasionally in the vintage inspired realm you’ll get a plain yellow dress on offer or maybe a print or two, but it’s definitely under represented on the whole. Imagine my excitement, then, when I saw this multi-yellow toned striped cutie available from Joanie Clothing. If this dress were a person, it would have been an ‘our eyes locked across a crowded room’  love story. The reality of that is that I felt the jolt of an immediate ‘Add to cart’ impulse as soon as I saw the product photo pop up on Joanie Clothing’s New In page, but let’s not dampen the romance of a new found love with reality, shall we?

Dress: Sunday Floral Stripe Dress by Joanie Clothing
Cardigan: Bronze Tootsie Cropped Cardigan from Doll Me Up
Belt: eBay
Brooch: Vintage
Bangle: Brown Fakelite by Splendette
Wedges: Old

On the whole Joanie Clothing is a company that makes vintage inspired clothes that are more accessible for the modern woman who can’t handle or doesn’t like the truly extra aspects of authentic vintage styling. For example the hemlines are shorter than their vintage counterparts would be, the skirts less full. That means for ladies who don’t want to deal with petticoats, or ladies who feel skirt gathers add weight to their hips, or for just plain petite cuties, their range has a lot to offer, particularly when you consider much of it is budget-friendly and available in plus sizes.

This Sunday floral striped dress in particular instantly charmed me because the print felt very authentically vintage to me. If I closed my eyes and pictured the skirt with an extra 1.5 yards of fabric in the gathers and 4 inches longer I could easily expect to see it pop up in the Etsy store of one of my favourite vintage sellers, touted as a 1950s sundress with lots of life and love left in it. It’s a simple but eye-catching print, combining shades of yellow and green on a white background with sweet floral borders enclosed by striped panels that creates a summery, fresh, lovely print. And while it is undoubtedly a summer dress, the egg yolk tone of the stripes and some of the darker flecks of green allow it to be styled with a richer, warmer colour palette that can take this dress through to autumn, should the weather allow it. A print that has such open styling options as that is always a win for me.

The wonderful print aside, there’s a lot more to recommend it as a summer dress for both the vintage lover and modern lady alike. The spaghetti straps feature sliders that allow you to adjust your fit, it’s made from cotton and lined throughout to make for a comfortable, airy wear, and there’s pockets. What more could you want?

I ordered mine in a size 18, though by the size chart I should need a 20 for my 45 inch bust. It is a very tight squeeze but I can manage the size 18 with the right bra. According to the chart, their 18 is made for 42.75 inch busts and 35.75 inch waists. This dress flat measures 36 inch in the waist with half an inch give and 43 inches in the bust, so it’s very true to size. The skirt measures 25 inches long and will only accommodate a slim volume petticoat.

The Sunday Floral Stripe Dress comes in UK sizes 8-22 for £38. Joanie Clothing ships internationally and offers a 10% off discount code to returning customers and new subscribers to their newsletter.