Look, it might not be December yet, but I put up my Christmas tree today and Thanksgiving is out of the way in America so I’m officially calling it–Christmas is coming! Which means it’s time to sparkle, baby!
You must know by now that I have a thing for velvet. With Christmas coming up fast, it’s the perfect time of year to get a bit plush and lush with some velvet on ya body, whether that’s as luxurious trim on a piece made from another fabric, a little glimpse of a velvet top layered under other items, or a full-on, can’t-be-denied, say-hello-to-my-velvet-dress!
The latter, especially, is my favourite kind to flaunt for some festive fun, and thanks to Collectif I’ve added a truly stunning velvet number to my collection with this Clara dress. But as if the festive perfection ends there; paired with these rose gold beauties from Hotter Shoes–could I be any more ready for Christmas? I think not. Praise be and pass me the candy canes!
One of the fun things about the vintage inspired world is that the seemingly opposing style types of timeless classic pieces and novelty designs exist side by side. It’s one of the things that confused me a bit when I first became a pinup, and 5 years on I still rarely feel drawn to the novelty elements of vintage fashion. One time of year when I do like to indulge in a little bit of fun in that way is at Christmas. Each year it’s fun to find a new festive dress I can wear in the run up to the big day that will bring joy to the other Christmas lovers I meet.
Whether it’s in the supermarket, running errands, grabbing a drink, or when meeting one of my best friends for dinner, if I can wear an obnoxiously Christmas themed outfit that will make the people I encounter happy, that makes me happy. It’s like the pinup version of a Christmas sweater, I suppose. And this year, just as last year with their Holly print dress, it’s Hell Bunny who’ve brought the Chrimbo joy to vintage dressing with this Nutcracker number!
Considering how much I love a bit of velvet in the colder seasons, you’d think I’d own a classic velvet Audrey-style swing dress. Somehow, I don’t. Or, I suppose, didn’t, because here comes Dolly & Dotty, ready to fulfill my velvet festive dreams, and in my favourite colour no less.
Ah yes, finally; it’s velvet season. While it’s getting cooler outside and the notion of wearing bright colours starts to feel more and more ridiculous as you open your curtains each morning to increasing dimness, the opportunity to reach for something luxurious and plush starts to feel a bit like a very small happy reprieve. Velvet is here to save us, darlings, and it’s looking damn good doing it.
It’s the first week of December, so that means it’s time; time for abandoning your shame when you find yourself humming All I Want For Christmas in the middle of the workday; time for saying ‘it’s Christmas, it’s fine’ when you make several awful food choices in a row in a single day even if it is waaay too early in the month to be getting that lax with your nutrition; time for climbing into the attic to get down the decorations and for gift buying (or wrapping already, if you’re super organised); and time, finally, for unapologetically Christmassy outfits, like this Holly Berry 50s dress from Hell Bunny.
Unique Vintage is one of my favourite websites for vintage clothing. I own several glamorous evening dresses by UV and the final dress in our party dress series here. the Dovima, is of that same ilk. There’s no two ways about it. The Dovima dress is pure, unadultered Old hollywood glamour. When it first launched in it’s original black and champagne colourways a couple months back I complained to more than one friend about how beautiful it was and how much that pained me. I had no good reason to buy a stunningly elegant evening dress that couldn’t be dressed down for daytime, and so Dovima and I couldn’t meet and love one another as I knew we should. Plus, in all honesty, I was a little bit worried that my upper hip area might look a bit prominent in a dress so sleekly draped of skirt, so I tried my best to put her out of my head, thinking we were not meant to be.
But it’s Christmas time. That is the party dress season. And Dovima is now available in rich red and emerald green, two of my absolute favourite colours. If that isn’t a sign, I don’t know what is. Dovima and I are obviously meant to be after all. And what better way to finish off this party dress review series than with the love that has blossomed between this beauty and myself.
Zoe Vine is a London based brand committed to recreating the style and glamour of eras past for modern women. You might have seen some of their beautiful summer pieces on some of your favourite pinups last season, so I was excited to see what their AW line would be offering in the way of party pieces for the upcoming festive period. Zoe introduced me to Ava, her slinky and sleek pencil dress featuring a boat neckline, three-quarter length sleeves and the most gorgeous green velvet pattern. This is exactly the kind of dress that would make me feel like the most glamorous of dinner party hostesses, so on Ava went and out came the canapés ready to celebrate.
Vivien of Holloway, UK based and made-in-Britain vintage style clothing brand, know a thing or two about occasion wear. They offer a small selection of classic styles in dozens of colours and prints, and each cut is elegant and timeless. Their Grace dress is a prime example of this, a swing dress with a modest draped crossover bust, a nipped in waist, and a full circle skirt. It would make for the perfect chic party dress for this upcoming festive season, so it’s the first dress in my series of party dresses I’ll be reviewing for you over the next couple weeks. Christmas is coming, so it’s time to trim the tree and fetch the presents in this pretty!
I have fairly good luck when it comes to winning social media giveaway contests somehow, something I attribute to the universe balancing out my otherwise terrible luck by on occasion humoring me with a free dress, so I was thrilled a couple weeks ago to win the Oh My Honey Dresses Instagram giveaway of one of their gorgeous candy cane dresses. It arrived a week before Christmas, custom made, and fit flawlessly, a dress so perfect for Christmas that I bumped the dress I had previously ordered for my Christmas day wear to another holiday event so that this confection goodness could take centre stage on the big day. Everyone who has seen this dress has fallen in love with it, so I knew I had to feature it on a blog post to give you a full run down on how I wore it for the most festive Christmas look ever and to let you know a little bit more about the other beautiful pieces this UK company designs and makes here on our fair British shores.
Glitter Candy Canes Dress (Photo belongs to Ohmyhoney.co.uk)
Miss Amy May 