That’s right, it’s that time again, time for me to show you all the most awkward, unattractive, and downright weird outtakes from more of my blog shoots. Continue reading
Bloopers & Outtakes [Round 4]
5
Tag Archives: 50s
Miss Madison [Lady V London]
There are certain styles of vintage dresses that are regularly recreated amongst vintage reproduction clothing companies. One of the most popular of these styles is that of the flared swing dress with the contrast ruched bust. It’s one of the first vintage silhouettes I fell in love with, years ago long before it ever occurred to me that I could begin dressing in that style. I remember seeing a vintage dress featuring this bust style in a movie and thinking it was the most feminine, lovely design I’d ever seen, and yearning for clothes to still be made that beautifully. Continue reading
Keen on Norma Jean [Retrospecd]
I’ve been aware of Retrospec’d for some time. It’s a vintage-inspired Australian brand founded and run by two sisters, with all their pieces made in Australia, largely from fabrics designed in-house. They pride themselves on making their garments to the highest standard, and lover that I am of high-quality vintage style pieces, I don’t know why I never really sought them out before now. I think I must have confused them with other Australian brands that aren’t available to order internationally and thus wrote them off as unattainable to me. Recently, a few different pinups I follow all mentioned them at a similar time and it spurred me to seek them out, curious to at least see what their full range looks like on the whole. Spoiler alert: it’s gorgeous.
Retrospec’d do ship internationally, for a really reasonable flat rate price, no less, so as soon as I realised that I began to peruse their online shop in earnest. I think there are some pieces that are only available in their Newtown NSW brick and mortar store, judging by items I’ve seen on their Facebook that I can’t find on their website. Still, there were at least half a dozen items that leapt immediately onto my most fervent wishlist. Since I would be ordering from Australia to England and dealing with customs charges, I decided to be sensible and pick my favourite item from the sale section as my first taste of the brand. I loved the cut of the Norma Jean dresses, so I opted for the Sunday Rose print. Continue reading
Marin & Me [Hell Bunny]
Hell Bunny’s SS16 line offers the same varied mix of styles as their usual lines–some truly cutesy stuff, a bit of tropical, some kitsch, a range of plain staples, and a touch of nautical. For the first time they’re offering handbags too, but the piece that most stood out to me, lover of nautical themes that I am, was the Marin dress.
Available in red and blue, this dress sports a full circle skirt, pockets, a rounded neckline reaching up to self-tie shoulder straps and a nautical print featuring everything from rum bottles and ragged flags to crabs, ship wheels and compasses. My 4 year old nephew had great fun studying the print recently when I went to spend the morning with some of my family, although he did question why a ship would be in a bottle–I dunno, little dude, people have hobbies, I can’t explain how that ever came to be. Continue reading
February Outfits Round Up
For the shortest month, February really didn’t feel all that short. I definitely felt like I had lost inspiration for getting dressed in a lot of cases because I’m just fed up of all the rain we’ve been having here in England, constantly messing up my hair and making my yearning for tropical prints look out of place. I’m looking forward to March with high hopes that it might finally bring us some sunshine, because if not the next monthly wrap up might just include a lot of me looking annoyed in sweat pants and hoodies staring out of rain-splattered window panes. You’ve been (only half jokingly) warned!
Navy Isabel dress by eShakti, red sateen slide belt by Pinup Girl Clothing, hand bedazzled flats (tutorial)
You’re Just Such A Sweetie [Heart of Haute]
If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a hundred times; I’m not really a novelty, kitsch kind of girl. I say that as a base rule so people can understand that my taste tends to lie in the more classic area of the spectrum and not often in the red-cherries area, but there are times here and there where I find myself liking something that’s distinctly more cute than it is distinguished. I can get down with select Erstwilder brooches. I can appreciate a candy cane hair accessory at Christmas. I wouldn’t turn down a cottage print circle skirt in winter. I like a good souvenir print.
And I instantly fell in love with the Meadow Daisy Print Sweetie dress by Heart of Haute.
San Vicente Gingham [Unique Vintage]
Unique Vintage really know how to do gingham. At this point I’ve sort of become an accidental collector of the picnic-tastic print, rarely able to resist adding a new gingham piece to my wardrobe, but one of my all time favourite gingham pieces is this UV Manhattan swing dress.
It might even have been my first UV purchase, it was too long ago to remember now. It’s one of those pieces that’s so gorgeous that every time I wear it people ask where they can get it, which makes me feel a bit guilty and sad when I have to admit it’s long gone. Today, thankfully, I won’t be putting you through such heartache, because this San Vicente gingham halter dress is not only a new offering from Unique Vintage in their SS16 line, but it’s also widely in stock in sizes XS-4X and comes in both pink and black gingham. Continue reading
Getting Kitschy With Erstwilder
I’m sure you’ve heard of Erstwilder. At this point unless you’re super new to vintage style, I’d be shocked if you hadn’t spotted Erstwilder brooches staring up at you from the collars and bust lines of dozens of modern pinup style loving girls across all of social media, if not in real life. The Australian brand produce hundreds of limited edition quirky and kitsch novelty brooches, for which they’re best known, as well as earrings and necklaces in that same theme.
From diner girls to dapper professor foxes, cute sloths (which is saying a lot, because sloths freak me out) to hot air balloons, from studious owls to camper vans, Erstwilder have and do find inspiration just about everywhere. Continue reading
Dolly & Dotty + Giveaway!
Dolly & Dotty are a fairly new vintage style clothing company, based out of Brighton in the UK and offering a selection of budget-friendly retro style pieces in UK sizes 6-24. I first found them a few months back when I came across the two dresses below and fell in love.
L: Anna dress, R: Polly dress
At the time both dresses were out of stock, so I inwardly whimpered a bit, tried to find them in stock anywhere else, failed, inwardly whimpered some more, then gave up. It wasn’t until Dolly & Dotty and I were in contact recently that I remembered the dresses that had escaped me, and I was thrilled to find that the Poppy dress, at least, was back in stock in Continue reading
Scratching That Seven Year Itch [Glamour Bunny Marilyn]
This is one of those dresses. You know the kind, a dress that makes you gasp or gape or murmur ‘wow’ the first time you see it. It’s a dress that immediately goes on your lust list, and yet for some reason you dont find it in your cart or in your hands for an age, and you’re not sure if you ever will. Maybe you can’t afford it, or you’re on temporary no buy, or it’s not the kind of dress you usually wear even though you love it, or you’re just not sure if you’ll suit it’s cut. You want it really badly but you’re half convinced it’s not meant to be.
The Marilyn dress by Glamour Bunny was one of those dresses for me. It was love at first sight, but the fact that it was a wiggle (I’m a swing girl,) all white (possible spills? Maybe unflattering on my shape?), embroidered (a bit fancy?) and £85 (probably too much for a dress I wouldn’t wear often) held me back.
Thank God for the festive season sales. Glamour Bunny very rarely does sales. During that period last year they offered 40% off for a day, and for Black Friday this past November certain dresses were discounted, but not all. I hoped they would offer something good for their Post-Christmas sale and I was delighted to see they offered 50% off. Marilyn, darling, it’s time you and I make it official.
Miss Amy May 