The thing I love most about border print pieces of clothing is that the prints feel like artwork in a way most other fabric designs don’t. Whether the design features the architecture of a far away city’s famously beloved skyline or a scene of an anonymous corner cafe on a spring day, they tell a story as they wrap around your body. And never has that been more true than of Trashy Diva’s recently released Carnival border print collection.
Come on, you must know by now that I’m a little bit crazy for nautical colour combinations. Give me red, white and navy, give me anchors, give me stripes! I just don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it. But I suppose, sigh, that it is sensible sometimes to have separates that can make up a nautical outfit but don’t have to, that can be paired with other pieces for a different kind of look. I mean, I guess.
These pieces from Dolly & Dotty both indulge my nautical love and gift me with a somewhat reluctant possibility of versatility.
It’s not often I reach for anything other than a full-skirted 50s dress. Even all the beautiful gathered border print skirts I own get massively overlooked, because wearing a dress is just so much easier than pairing together separates. Dresses always come across as effort intensive and fancy to people who don’t often wear them, but those of us with a closet full of dresses know the secret truth: they are the laziest, easiest way to look put together with almost no effort. With my 50s style swing dresses, that just means zipping one up and tugging on a fluffy petticoat underneath. Continue reading
I’ve featured Vendula London here on the blog several times, a handbag and accessories company known for their quirky designs and funky style. Last Autumn I was in raptures over their romantic storybook style clutch bags, pieces I’m still in love with, but now that it’s spring I’m looking forward to outfits that revolve around sundresses, chunky wooden bangles, bright and light colours that feel good in the sun. In summer I flit back and forth between wearing bold colours and nautical theme ensembles, so I’m often on the look out for a bag that can pair with both. Enter the Maisy charm bag, the perfect versatile handbag for my summer style.
The Fairy Doll dress by Collectif is one of their staple dresses that receives new print and colourway releases every spring/summer. This year the offerings are tropical themed samples of deliciousness, and I’ve been eagerly waiting for this orange and green combo of bamboo summer fun to be released since I saw the preview of SS17 last September.
I knew I loved the dress instantly purely for its vibrant print, but I didn’t realise it was going to be such a comfortable, easy wear. With no zips and only stretchy, stretchy smocking, this is a perfect dress for wearing on hot summer days when tight waistbands can pinch and rub as your body temperature rises. Plus, that stretch factor means it’s an excellent dress for travelling in both style and comfort, something I appreciated massively when I wore it this past weekend in the hot glasshouses of the Royal Edinburgh Botanical gardens and walking round the gorgeous (but hilly) city.
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.
The first time I clapped eyes on this Voodoo Vixen dress was in the briefest glimpse of a behind the scenes snapshot Miss Victory Violet posted on Instagram while she was modelling it for their SS17 catalogue. It was instant love, immediate obsession. Never mind that all I could see of it was the neckline, never mind that the picture was a selfie more so than a dress sneak peek. That neckline was all I needed to know that it would be a perfect vintage morsel, and a bestseller to boot. I was not wrong.
I don’t really do trousers, not as a pinup. I wear jeans for work, as well as steel toed boots and a hi-vis jacket, because hello, Warehouse Supervisor life is the glammest of glam. But outside of that, in the vintage style realm of the 50s that I prefer, trousers are either high-waisted fitted styles or high-waisted swing styles and it’s that high-waisted part that I struggle most with. Because while my hips and butt are delightfully rounded food-storers, it’s my stomach that literally takes the cake. Often when I’ve tried these styles in the past what fits my hips won’t fit my waist, or sometimes they’ll fit my waist but they won’t really be truly high-waisted enough on me, ending at that weird belly button height that does favours for no one.
Well, Collectif saved the day, and my butt. Last summer when they launched their Kirsty jeans I heard talk that they were both truly high-waisted and stretchy as all get out. I eventually gave them a try and was delighted to find the talk to be true. Anytime I need to get out of the house quickly or want to be totally comfortable, I reach for my Kirsty jeans, so much so that I bought myself a back-up pair in this past winter 50% off sale. I figured that was me all set for a while with my pants needs.
And then along came Nomi, AKA Kirsty 2.0. Featuring the same high-waisted rise and comfortable stretchtastic denim, these babies are Kirsty jeans with the side zipper replaced by a partial front zip and 3 featured gold buttons, front pockets, and a slightly darker hue. Basically, babies, I love them.
Shoes, glorious shoes! One of the things I most love about the transition from winter to spring is being able to get out all my summer shoes again. Whether it’s wedges, peeptoes or my prettiest flats, it’s nice to be able to add more variety to my footwear in a way I feel winter just doesn’t allow. In spring and summer, I can mix it up between brights and pastels, raffia and cork, ankle ribbon ties and slim straps, metallics and leather.
Admittedly, for all my excitement to bust out the lofty wedges, I do spend 90% of my social time still opting for flat shoes. As much as I love the extra height and sass offered by a stacked wedge or precarious stiletto, the reality is I live a car’s drive from absolutely everywhere I need or want to go, and remembering to take my heels with me to the car as I slip into my safe-to-drive-in flats some days is just too much to ask. Plus, while I feel comfortable and capable in heels, I don’t hate my feet enough to want to walk in a pair of them for an extensive period of time (read as: more than 200 feet) so flats tend to just win out for comfort and practicality’s sakes.
That brings me to this season’s Lulu Hun offerings, which include several pairs of adorable flats. I tend to just buy plain ballet flats in every colour from New Look because they’re easy to find and are cheap, but they are just that, plain. Lulu Hun, on the other hand, is offering bows and cut outs, stripes and gingham, as well as sandals adorned with pineapples, bananas, and cherries. For ladies who want to keep their feet planted firmly on the ground but clad in a cute shoe as they do so, there’s a lot to choose from.
Remember how I said a few posts back that I’m really picky about prints, that I generally stay clear of animals and fruit but that there’s exceptions to every rule? Well helllloooo Springtime 2017 Amy, who is, apparently, breaking her print rules ALL OVER THE PLACE.
This time around, it’s fruits that have got me feeling adventurous, namely lemons. Oh did I say adventurous? Clearly I meant zesty. Ba dum cha!
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Miss Amy May 