Category Archives: Clothing Reviews

A Heart of Haute Picnic [Picnic Circle Skirt]

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If you read the blog on Monday then you will have seen me reviewing the Heart of Haute gingham Sarah dress. The first time I saw a picture of that dress I fell in love, wanting it in both the coral and teal green colourways, but since I’m (supposed to be??) a responsible, restrained adult I thought I ought to be a sensible and limited myself to buying only one dress.

…And then I ended up with the teal gingham print Picnic Circle Skirt as well anyway, so life is good and adulthood really isn’t as bad as everyone says it is so what’s the big deal??! (Remind me of this joke in a couple weeks when I have to pay all my bills. I won’t be laughing then.)

Spring and summer, to me, is all about gingham. I do love florals, the occasional polka dot, and other fun, bold prints, but gingham is not only summery and fresh, but it’s a timeless and less innocuous way of rocking a print for those who fear or dislike novelty. It’s cliché to wear gingham on a picnic because red and white picnic blankets are over presented in picnic pictures and scenes, but damnit, some clichés are just worth fulfilling–because they’re just so good. It’s a classic. And who am I to knock a classic? So, yes, we’re picnicking again, darlings, crack open your pop bottle and pass the cake.

Heart of Haute Teal Green Picnic Gingham Circle Skirt Gretta Shirt Continue reading →

A Heart of Haute Picnic [Sarah Dress] 

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If you’re on social media and you follow your favourite clothing brands then I’m willing to bet this has happened to you: you’re checking your feed, scroll scroll scroll, when you see a picture posted by a brand of their newest release, with which you immediately fall so in love that you rush to their website to place an order, blood pumping, because you’re half terrified it’s going to sell out in those few seconds it takes to load up their page–who even KNOWS how many other ladies just saw that exact same Instagram picture and are scrambling to buy too?! You know, at midnight–and half pumped because you are about to buy yourself a new love of your life.

This happened to me with the Sarah dress by Heart of Haute, only I was slightly delayed by the fact that I wanted to put both the coral and the teal gingham dresses into my cart. The recent bill for the work I’d had done on my car’s brakes said really that wasn’t going to happen, so a choice had to be made between the two. BUT WHICH COLOUR? I wanted both. I’m more drawn to blues and teals as a rule, and I was a bit worried the coral might secretly be a true pink only pretending to be coral–pink and I do not get along. Buuuut if it really is truly coral, I reasoned, that’s an unrepresented colour in my wardrobe compared to my plentiful selection of blues. Oh but wait, they also do full circle skirts in the same ginghams though. Do I buy one skirt and one dress? Why is shopping so hard? Why aren’t I rich?

A few hours later, I was a big girl and bought only one dress, feeling slightly panicked as I did so because an Instagram follower warned me the coral dress was selling out in many sizes. But it was okay, I got her. I got the coral Sarah. And you guys. She’s just lovely.

Heart of Haute Coral Sarah Gingham Dress Continue reading →

Bewitched By Sabrina [Dolly & Dotty]

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I first spotted the Sabrina cape by Dolly & Dotty at London Edge earlier this year. I’m fond of capes and capelets in general, but as a curvy woman I do tend to feel when I actually don one that all the extra fabric results in me losing my waist, which is something I can’t really visually afford when constructing an outfit. This particular cape is a more cropped length, which not only makes it adorable but also stops it from eating up the outline of one’s body, regardless of curviness, as well as making it petite-appropriate. I was certain it would end up being the perfect incarnation of my cape-love so I’ve been eagerly awaiting its release since I first spotted it in January. I’m thrilled that it’s finally available!

Dolly & Dotty Sabrina Cape, Gina Top, Falda Pencil Skirt Continue reading →

Delicate Daffodil [Trashy Diva]

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I am typically all about big skirts, cinched waists and a glamorous 50s brush out, but occasionally I think it’s good for us all to try something different. When it comes to your style, stepping out of your comfort zone every once in a while can help you find new things you didn’t realise you might like, add disparate elements into your ensembles and generally shake things up a bit. Sometimes it can even give you an entirely new appreciation for your body or a previously overlooked aspect of it. Trashy Diva offered to send me their Jolene wrap dress from their new Deco Daffodil line, a dress more 40s than my usual 50s fare, so I happily took it as an opportunity to embrace a style I usually overlook.

Jolene Wrap Dress Deco Daffodil Trashy Diva Continue reading →

Minty Gingham Goodness [Collectif Pamela] 

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You guys all know by now: I’m kind of into gingham. My collection is forever growing and it just so happens that Collectif’s current Spring/Summer season is nothing less than abundant with gingham. There are playsuits, shorts, tops, swing dresses, cropped trousers and wiggle dresses all in gingham of varying shades. The mint pieces, one of my favourite colours, were my predictable favourite. So enter the Pamela doll dress, a mint gingham confection of sugary summer sweetness.

Collectif Pamela mint gingham doll dress Continue reading →

Sundress Sylvia [Voodoo Vixen]

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I might accidentally be collecting yellow dresses. You might think that’s not a colour in which one needs a lot of different dresses, but I’m going to have to disagree. Particularly since, in my defense, each dress offers something different to the other: one’s polka dot, another is gingham, one plain, yet another is eyelet lace, and the last sports a vibrant blue Hawaiian floral. And now there’s Voodoo Vixen’s Sylvia dress, which has a mixture of many of those features, as well as something else entirely. It’s one of those dresses that is far prettier in person than pictures are able to capture, but I’ve given it my best shot for you anyway.

Voodoo Vixen Sylvia dress Continue reading →

Marnie & Me [Tatyana]

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It’s obvious that red is one of my favourite colours. It’s my go-to for lipstick 99% of the time, and my favourite shoe and accessory colour for 90% of pairings as well–honestly, half the time that I don’t wear red shoes with something it’s only because I’ve told myself I should stop being so predictable and repetitive, not because I think red shoes won’t work with that outfit. So, saying all that, it’s probably not surprising that a lot of the SS16 pieces I’ve been most anticipating release this season are items featuring a lot of red. The Tatyana Marnie dress is one of them.

Tatyana Marnie dress Continue reading →

Little Miss Dyann [Retrospec’d] 

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My recent review of the Norma Jean was about my first Retrospec’d dress. When I browsed their website that first time some weeks back, I probably added about 10 items to my wishlist right away. As the brand was new to me and costly to buy in the UK and have imported, I chose to try the Sunday Rose Norma Jean dress first amongst my favourites I’d picked out because it was on sale. As soon as it arrived and proved to be a gorgeous high quality piece that fit well and felt incredible on, I began thinking over which Retrospec’d piece would be my next. It was no easy decision.

I opted for the Dyann dress. Retrospec’d offer an abundance of prints and patterns that look authentically vintage, but what I loved most about the Flower Pot Dyann was that I hadn’t yet found any other repro companies offering this shape and style in the bodice. The ruched bust lined by a contrasting red band that loops up onto the shoulders to form the straps, then is echoed again in the belt, is so feminine and sweet that I couldn’t get it out of my mind.

Dyann Flower Pot White Retrospec'd Continue reading →

Sweet Apple Tart [Trashy Diva]

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I’ve pined over many a Trashy Diva piece for a long time. Their price ranges are a little higher than my typical repro purchases from brands like Pinup Girl Clothing and Unique Vintage, so ideally I’ve always hoped to try one on before I took the cash-thrashing plunge. I’ve never been able to find any of the pieces I’ve wanted stocked in the UK, though, so I just tried my best not to expose myself to TD too frequently to lessen those keenly sad unrequited feels.

But, you know, I turn 30 this year, and I enjoy any excuse to spoil myself, so when I made some extra dough recently from selling pieces from my wardrobe that were going unworn, I decided to treat myself to my first Trashy Diva piece. I umm‘d and ahh‘d over which direction to go–dress or skirt? Chambray or gingham? Oh, or seersucker? Eventually, I settled on the first ever TD piece I had fallen in love with: the Apple Tart dress.
Trashy Diva Apple Tart Seersucker dress Continue reading →

Terrific Tahiti [Collectif Mahina & Dolores]

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There’s something I really love about summer prints more than anything else. It’s probably that I love vibrant shades, nature-inspired prints, and things that are a little unusual–and the new Tahiti palm print from Collectif’s SS16 range has all of those features. The second I saw the previews of this print I was sold: oh God, it’s coming in a cross-strap style sarong dress? I love those! Oh jeez, AND a swing dress? I LOVE THOSE TOO.

So. You know.

I had to own both.

Collectif Palm Print Dolores & Mahina Tahitian Sarong dress Continue reading →