I’ve never been a frequent wearer of wiggle dresses, always preferring the comfort and aesthetic of a swing dress or skirt. Still, I do have some lovely pencil dresses hanging in my closet, ready and waiting to for my more confident days. The great thing about this wiggle dress by The House of Foxy is that the peplum feature means this dress requires no confidence summoning; designed specifically with curves in mind, it serves the dual purpose of being incredibly chic whilst also working as a comfort blanket for those of us who struggle a little with our tummies.

Dress: 40s Lana Peplum Dress in Black Stretch Crepe C/O The House of Foxy
Brooch: Vintage
Bag: Kooki Di Lou
Shrug: Velvet Bolero by Lindy Bop
Belt: Off the Hell Bunny Blue Bell dress
Shoes: Current season Primark

An homage to 1940s Film Noir starlet Lana Turner, this dress is all simple glamour. In addition to the peplum, it features a high mandarin collar which dips into a keyhole neckline fastened by a hook and eye. The short sleeves allow you to add shoulder pads if you want to lean into the 1940s silhouette, while also allowing you to add layers, as I have done above, for those chillier times of the year. It closes with a hidden back zip, so there’ll be no struggling bent sideways at the waist trying to get a side zip closed right to the top.

It’s clear that this dress will be a perfect party piece for the upcoming festive season, ready to be accessorised and glamourised to your heart’s content for every dinner party and cocktail soiree in your diary. While it would be easily and well suited to evening glamour, it would also look wonderful styled with gloves, a fabulous vintage hat, seamed stockings, low heels and a well-tailored jacket for a cozy daytime look. In this black stretch crepe version especially, the styling options are endless!

I wasn’t certain what size would make for the best fit for me as my voluptuous hips can often create an issue in pencil dresses. The House of Foxy team were happy to help and assured me a size 20 would likely make a good fit for my 52 inch hips, which it certainly did. There is some stretch to the fabric, but nothing compared to fabrics like velvet or bengaline, so taking your measurements and consulting the size chart is the best way to ascertain your correct size. My size 20 dress flat measures 44 inches in the bust with stretch to roughly 48 inches, the waist is flat at almost 37 inches with stretch to 39 inches, while the hips are 37 inches with stretch to 52 inches. The skirt is 27 inches long.

The 40s Lana Peplum dress is available in UK sizes 8 to 24 in plain black, plain mustard, a Poppy floral spray print and a mint Crocus floral print. All House of Foxy designs are proudly and ethically made in Britain and Europe.