Once upon a time, there was a fair skinned girl with hair red as age-darkened cherries, who didn’t know blue was a shade that, on her, looked sweet and true.

…That girl is me, that realisation came a few years ago, and now thanks to Miss Candyfloss I’m fulfilling all kinds of fairy tale dreams I didn’t even have with this darling Bella dress, a vision made in blue.

Dress: Bella-Blue dress C/O Miss Candyfloss
Cardigan: White cropped cardigan from Amazon
Hair Flower: Marsha Duo by Alternate Normality
Bag: Vintage
Shoes: Old New Look

This dress may be simple but thanks to this stunning cerulean blue I don’t think anyone could claim it’s plain. This shade of blue is one rarely used, not just inside vintage inspired fashion but in the wider world of fashion, I feel, and this dress really makes me realise what a shame that is. I can’t think of a single skin tone or hair colour that wouldn’t look wonderful in this shade, and for a fresh spring or summer’s day I can’t imagine anything more airy or eye catching.

In terms of construction, this dress has a couple of easily-overlooked treasured features. The buttons, which upon first glance might appear to be basic white plastic buttons, are actually pearlescent, sweet little half pearls that are also functional. The other lovely feature of construction are the straps, which can be worn both cross-backed or as standard straight shoulder straps. This is possible because the straps fasten to the back of the bodice with buttons, of which there is choice of 2 on each strap so that you can wear the straps not only in those 2 ways, but you can also adjust fit. The spacing of the buttons are about 1.5 inches apart, but if you want to adjust the fit further you could easily move them along the strap to the perfect place for you, something even a non-sewer can manage.

I really wanted to layer a white blouse under this dress, not specifically to honour Belle’s look during the scenes that clearly inspired this dress, but just because I thought it would look sweet. In considering such layering, I began to ponder how many other tops and sweaters I had in my wardrobe that might work under this piece, of varying colours and styles. I was surprised to find that simply using a cropped cardigan gave a hint of a nod to Belle’s bread-buying and book-swapping endeavours but also produced an unusual yet sweet look I haven’t ever previously considered sporting. The simplicity of the dress means there’s endless ways to style it, both for work and play, day and night.

I’m wearing this dress in my usual Miss Candyfloss 2XL and as usual it’s a perfect fit. The bust measures 42 inches flat with stretch to 45 inches, while the waist lays flat at 36 inches with stretch to about 37.5. The skirt is 28 inches long and can accommodate a slim-medium volume petticoat.

The Bella-Blue dress comes in sizes XS-5XL, and Miss Candyfloss ship worldwide, in addition to having stockists across the globe.

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Disclaimer: The dress featured in this review was gifted to me by Miss Candyfloss with no obligations to review. All opinions expressed are truthful and my own, with no input from any of the companies listed or any other individuals.