Here’s the thing about vintage inspired clothing companies—they know how to do a great skirt. And by great skirt, I mean FULL CIRCLE, baby! Flattering AND fun (you know, because of the swirl factor), you really can’t beat a full circle skirt, and this woollen Sophie skirt by Timeless is a sustainable winter gem. Oh, and did I mention it comes in several different checks? Because it does, and here’s two of ‘em!
Give me a sleeved, check dress when it’s cold outside and I will feel happy and cosy in my heart, even if my actual limbs still require tights and boots. I think one of the things that intimidates newcomers to vintage fashion is the idea that one must get unbearably cold in winter if one wears dresses year round, but I’ve always found that knowing how to style an outfit for practicality as well as appearances is a skill that serves one well no matter your aesthetic preferences. And speaking of practicality, how about looking at a sleeved, checked dress from a brand who think it’s pretty practical to make clothing from sustainable and recycled fabrics so they limit their contribution to climate change? Yeah, I think that sounds pretty good too! Let’s get at it.
I’m one of those people who is always early. The mere thought of arriving only on time, let alone late, stresses me out, so I prep and I plan and I arrive early, even if that means sitting in my car for 15 minutes before I turn up, only 1 minute early, to an appointment or social gathering.
Hell Bunny is the brand version of that. Twice a year, they’re the first brand in the vintage-inspired clothing world to begin releasing their latest line, sometimes getting out their first seasonal pieces before other brands have finished releasing their last straggling items from the season before. It always makes me chuckle. And so, many of their SS23 items have been out for weeks now, with others coming soon. This Nancy dress was one of their first spring drops and while I greatly appreciate Hell Bunny’s reliable promptness, it is in fact still January and was 2°c when I shot these photos, so please think warm, spring-like thoughts for yesterday’s Me as we look at this dress together.
I love trying out new lipsticks, so if social media ads tell me a new lipstick is long-lasting or transfer-proof I’m going to be very tempted to try it out. Unlessss that ad is from a premium brand like Nars or Dior, because I’m sorry, a new product from any brand is a bit of a risk–they all claim to be incredible in a myriad of ways, but personal body chemistry, preference and use plays such a big role in how a product works for you, so dropping £20-35 on a product that I might hate is just too much of a gamble for me. Plus, drugstore products are so good these days, often it’s not necessary to opt for luxury, certainly not for day to day wear. However, the Nars Powermatte ads really made me curious, and since I got a great bonus at work this Christmas I decided to treat myself by picking one up in the shade Notorious. Continue reading
I told you at the weekend all about how much I love the Stella dress by Lady V London, so much so that it spurred me to buy this Margot dress because I loved its similarity of shape, simplicity, and the identical fabric from which it’s crafted. Margot is sleeveless, but that’s never stopped me from wearing a great dress in cold weather. Let’s layer up and take a little look, shall we?
If you’re an avid reader of this blog then you’ll perhaps feel these photos are familiar, and that’s because they are. Early this year I bought the Stella dress by Lady V London on sale and fell completely in love with it, but because it sold out during said sale it seemed mean to review it here on the blog. Since it’s so lovely, though, I still wanted to shoot it, so I incorporated it into the outfit I wore to review the Peta flats by Charlie Stone Shoes. Fast forward to this Black Friday and I was hopeful that the Margot dress, a similar shape to Stella but sleeveless and collared, might be on sale, and when it was I excitedly bought one. I noticed as I did so that Stella was back in stock this season, and still is in many sizes across the 3 available colours, so I decided it was time to give Stella the review she so deserves.
Last Year Ecosusi kindly gifted me one of their Cambridge backpacks, a bag that can be used as either a backpack or a shoulder bag depending upon where you attached the strap(s), or can even carried as a briefcase sans straps. It was the first time I’d ever seen a bag that had been designed with such versatility in mind and I absolutely adore that aspect of it, especially since it was a lovely tan brown colour which pairs beautifully with half of my wardrobe. I decided I wanted the same bag in black (to achieve the perfect match to the other half of my wardrobe) so I checked to see if they made it in other colours. Sadly they didn’t, but during my search I discovered this maroon laptop bag, a near perfect match to one of my favourite pairs of boots—and if you know me, you know I love to get matchy-matchy. Considering they had a Halloween sale on at the time, it didn’t take long for me to transfer my ‘I need a black backpack’ wish to this bag instead. And lo and behold, I love it as much as my first Ecosusi bag! (Will I still be checking out Ecosusi in future to see if they ever make the kind of black satchel backpack I want? Of course!)
I freakin’ love boots weather! There’s something about the cosy feeling of donning tights and boots that just feels satisfying, maybe because I love that the combination is both practical (due to its warmth) and cute, something I can’t always claim of dressing in vintage styles. In this case, maybe heeled boots aren’t the most practical option for my feet in particular–more on that below–but these babies are only a medium height block heel, and it’s undeniable that they are incredibly cute. I can definitely sit pretty in them, at the very least!
While I dress pretty strictly 50s inspired (albeit not necessarily accurately) there are many other vintage eras or aesthetics I admire. I don’t branch out into them because there’s typically something about them that I feel won’t suit me, or would require me to wear a clothing item that I’m not particularly comfortable in. For example, would I love to rock a three piece suit for a hot Peaky Blinders look? Sure, in theory, but in reality I know I don’t feel at my best in trousers, nor a wiggle skirt. So, whenever I’ve seen a vintage friend rocking a sharp outfit including a killer waistcoat I’ve often coveted it slightly but mostly just been inspired by them and their incredible style. Well, rewind to January of last year when I saw the below photo of my friend Kat on Instagram and suddenly I was like ‘hold up! This is a waistcoat look I could probably get down with!’ Continue reading
I’ve always been a fits-and-starts reader. Every few years I grow tired of the genre that has previously been my obsession and I spend a year or so languishing in a novel wasteland, reading only if one of my very favourite authors releases a new title. I grew tired of crime and detective novels just before the pandemic hit, so when Bridgerton fever took hold of social media over that dreary, locked-down 2020 Christmas I decided to give the books a try. And lo’, what is this, a whole new fun, flirty, breezy genre I can burn through while everything else is still very miserable and restricted? Continue reading
Miss Amy May 