There are some things that just feel extra special when done in autumn; drinking hot chocolate, going for a brisk walk in nature, digging out your favourite cosy cardigans and blankets, and wearing certain colours. Sure, jewel tones look great all year round, but burgundy, in autumn, when the leaves on the ground act as a gradient of colour building in pigment towards the same maroon you’re wearing–well, that’s a fall delight.
One of the easiest things for a woman to wear is a wrap dress. The great thing about them is that they’re so well-loved and respected that they’ve never gone out of style, so it’s typically possible to find them on the high street and at your nearest mall as well as online. For me, they weren’t something I appreciated until I began to dress in vintage styles. Ironically, though, one of the things I love most about them is that unlike many of the swing dresses hanging in my wardrobe, I don’t feel like I have to style them up in a vintage fashion to wear them.
On days when I don’t have the motivation to get pinned up, when I need to get out of the house quickly, or when it wouldn’t be fully appropriate where I’m going to turn up in a 50s swing dress and floofy petticoat a-swingin’, a wrap dress is easy to throw on, comfortable to wear, and always makes me feel put together even when the effort sunk into that ‘putting together’ was minimal. They’re chic, they’re timeless, and thanks to this Lotta wrap dress from Joanie Clothing, they’re also totally sassy.
One of my favourite things about spring is when our fruit trees begin to blossom. Thanks to the late snow this year I was a little paranoid that they wouldn’t, but eventually the little buds began to show themselves, just a few weeks behind schedule. Now the blossoms are in full swing, making me endlessly happy each time I look at them.
This Waldorf dress from Unique Vintage, while not technically featuring blossoms as part of the floral print, still puts me in mind of those delicate, fluffy flowers that bring me such joy, thanks to the gorgeous colours of the print; the white flowers and their rich green leaves set against a soft blue that feels like sky. It all reminds me of a clear spring day encouraging the growth of the blossoms I love, so on just such a day recently passed I couldn’t help but head out into the garden to introduce it to Waldorf.
Do you ever find that, out of nowhere, you unexpectedly become a bit obsessed with a certain colour, print or motif that never much moved you before? That’s me right now with red rose prints. I don’t know how or why my love for them appeared so suddenly, but it’s here nonetheless and so is my need to have a dozen rose themed items in my wardrobe, you know, because I can’t do anything by halves. Lucky me, then, that this Annie dress from Dolly & Dotty arrived at this most serendipitous time.
I am all about stripes. If they’re white and navy? I could not be any more about stripes, no way, no how. A striped vintage style dress is so chic and classic that it literally never goes out of style. Add in how easy it is to style a dress like that and you’re laughing. It’s surprising to no one, then, that I’m pretty loved up with this Dolly & Dotty offering that’s new in their summer range.
eShakti is a clothing website offering a wide range of dresses, tops and skirts, many of which are vintage inspired, and all of which are available to be customised to not only your own measurements and height, but also to the neckline, sleeve length and skirt length you want. You can also ask for zippers to be moved to/from the back or the side and have pockets removed (but what kind of crazy would opt for that?!) And this special customisation fee available on all pieces? It doesn’t cost an arm, a leg, or even your first born. Whether you want just a zipper moved or the entire piece made to your measurements as well as changing the length, neckline and sleeve type, all customisation costs just $9.95 per item. (Previously it has always been $7.50, but over time costs have inflated and they’ve had to implement their slightly higher fee from March 1st.)
They offer designs in tons of prints, colours and styles, all reasonably priced, often available on offer, and, of course, I’ve been dying to try them out for a while. They don’t ship to the UK, frustratingly, and hopefully that will change someday and soon, but I have readers all over the globe, plenty of which live in the USA and Canada, where eShakti ships to, so I wanted to check them out for you guys at least. So, while I was stateside in October last year, I bought 3 dresses in a 3 for 2 deal. Continue reading
The first time I saw the below picture of Idda Van Munster I got that keenly envious, inspired, awed feeling I get when I see an example of vintage perfection.
Idda Van Munster
I presumed the dress Idda is wearing was true vintage, not only because it looked so authentic but because Idda is a diddy little slip of a thing compared to I, and everytime I see a slim woman in an authentically vintage looking item of clothing that I immediately love it’s always vintage–and consequently out of the realm of acquirement and possibility for myself and my 33 inch waist. Hence why the reaction I get to seeing such pictures is a sharp inspired envy, because they are things I cannot have. Continue reading
I’ve been aware of The Pretty Dress Company for a while and you recently will have seen me review their gorgeous Femme Fatale Gingham prom dress, but that wasn’t actually my first TPDC piece. Back in August, they offered a Bank Holiday 20% off discount code that I could ill resist. It was a tough call what I wanted to get because there were just so many beautiful pieces, but I followed my heart to the Priscilla dress in lemon gingham.
A classic midi sundress with wide, flat pleats making up the full skirt and spaghetti straps, the shape of this dress is one of those classic, quintessential summer style sundresses that I love so much. It’s lined, closes with a back zipper, and has pockets, my forever favourite. Just as the weather was getting ready to welcome autumn I took this dress with me to my September modelling job for Deadly Is The Female, a long time stockist of The Pretty Dress Company. There, Deadly team members photographer Gayle/Porcelain Photography and hair stylist Lauren/Lolita Noir indulged me in shooting this beauty as we wandered around the gorgeous Somerset town of Frome, Deadly’s home.
Continue reading
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.
I’ve featured Heart of Haute before reviewing their Milan dress and Diva skirt suit. The Beverly dress is one of their classic designs they often release in new prints, totaling up to 15 available colourways at my last count. Their new colourways have been quick to sell out this season, with their red matrix flying out the doors, so I was lucky to get my hands on their Metro Silver to review as part of this party dress series.
The Beverly dress is a more conservative option for ladies concerned with bust lines but that doesn’t detract from its glamour or prettiness. The neckline is wide and scooped, displaying the delicacy of the collarbone offset with a bow detail on the left-hand side. It’s fitted through the waist with princess seams leading into a full skirt, which is approximately 25 inches long and ends just below the knee on me, at my height of 5 ft 7. It closes with a back zipper and is 100% cotton.
Miss Amy May 