Do you ever find that, out of nowhere, you unexpectedly become a bit obsessed with a certain colour, print or motif that never much moved you before? That’s me right now with red rose prints. I don’t know how or why my love for them appeared so suddenly, but it’s here nonetheless and so is my need to have a dozen rose themed items in my wardrobe, you know, because I can’t do anything by halves. Lucky me, then, that this Annie dress from Dolly & Dotty arrived at this most serendipitous time.

Dress: Annie Rose Thorns dress C/O Dolly Dotty
Cardigan: Black MAK Cropped cardigan
Bangles: Splendette assorted Fakelite
Belt: Voodoo Vixen
Bag: Downton Book Clutch by Vendula London

This dress is a gem, combining a classic cut and a beyond-gorgeous print. A sleeveless style featuring a high rounded neckline and a full pleated skirt, it makes for a lovely vintage silhouette, with the vivid red of the roses and green of the thorns on the black background adding an aurora of sumptuous romance to the look.

Adding a white cropped cardigan and cute shoes to this dress will make for a sweet style, especially for spring and summer, but it’s easy to lean into the sensuality of the print at this in-between time of year with dark tones and texture layering, like the black velvet of this book style clutch bag. It closes with a back zip, huzzah, and can fit a medium volume petticoat for a lovely injection of puff.

I opted for the size 18 to best fit my bust and on the whole it’s very true to the size chart. The waist flat measures 37 inches with stretch to 39, and the bust flat measures 42 inches with stretch to 46. The skirt is 27 inches long.

The Annie dress comes in many different prints and colours, so if these roses aren’t for you (what?!) you’ll still have plenty of options, from luxurious lace to colourful summery prints.

The Annie Rose Thorns dress comes in UK sizes 8-26. Dolly and Dotty ship internationally, have regular sales, and new subscribers to their email newsletter receive a 10% off discount code.