Utterly Divine [Heart of Haute]

Divine by name, divine by nature, this faux-fur trimmed jacket first caught my eye at London Edge previews back in September and hasn’t left me since. You might think, considering that, that I had planned to buy it, but I actually talked myself out of needing it in an unusual spurt of very adulty budgetary conscientiousness. (Yes, because I’m sure real adults say ‘adulty.’ I also say ‘Growed-ups.’ I’m not kidding anyone, am I?)

Yes, it’s a gorgeous piece that can be worn both as top and jacket, but I have more than one faux fur trimmed coat and rarely wear wiggles, with which I felt it would pair best, so it just made sense to let it pass me by.

…Buuuut then UK favourites Deadly is the Female began to stock it and OH WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT MUMMA’S GOT HERSELF A SEXY NEW FLUFF JACKET. Whoopsie! #sorrynotsorry

Black Divine Jacket Heart of Haute Deadly is the Female Continue reading

Party Dress Season: Unique Vintage 

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.

Unique Vintage Emerald Green Dovima dress Continue reading

Party Dress Season: Vivien of Holloway 

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!

Vivien of Holloway Grace Cotton Sateen dress Continue reading

Fur Trimmed & Fabulous [Collectif Andrea]

Earlier this AW season Collectif released their Juliette dress, a gorgeous black pencil dress with faux fur trim on the neckline, cuffs and hemline. I swooned and coveted. It was so classic and chic. Warm too, I suspected. And of course it sold out quickly. So I was thrilled to see they were bringing out a matching skirt too. Sporting the same luxiourius faux fur hemline trim, the Andrea skirt has all the glamour of the Juliette dress with the additional versatility of a skirt.

And guess what? I love it.

Collectif Andrea Skirt Continue reading

Classic Cassandra [Chi Chi Clothing]

It’s time for another pretty dress from Chi Chi Clothing! Last weekend I attended the wedding of a dear friend in America, flying over from England to attend after a year’s wait for the happy event. That year long of knowing I would be coming meant I was constantly on the look out for what dress I would wear on the big day. I changed my mind several times, of course, but after I discovered Chi Chi Clothing a couple months back I just sort of knew at the back of my mind I would end up choosing something Chi Chi in the end. I even ordered a dress custom made by another company and was excited to wear that for the wedding, and yet as soon as I saw the Cassandra dress a couple weeks later I knew I had found the winning dress.

With a full pleated skirt that features netting and requires no petticoat, thin spaghetti straps, and a high neckline that is modest but still displays some collarbone delicacy, I fell for the simplicity and understated glamour of this dress.

I wanted to be glamorous and vintage for the wedding, but didn’t want to be too bold or step on any toes, my usual aim for being a pinup at someone else’s wedding, so I decided to pair this with a large faux fur white stole to keep with the glamorous feel and provide a little warmth. I added clear crystal bracelets and a crystal brooch for some pops of glitter, and, because it’s me, I chose my red bedazzled heels and matching bedazzled box clutch.

Chi Chi Clothing London Cassandra dress Continue reading

Custom Cute, Custom Chic

Today on the blog I thought I’d share something a little bit different with you. This isn’t a review or a How To, but more so a glimpse into a particular day in my life, a particular day that was very stylish and fun and resulted in several lovely photos I wanted to share with you because I’m proud of them, for several reasons.

I come from a big family, child 4 of 5. My siblings and I are diversely talented, but my younger sister, Rachel, has the talent that it would perhaps have been more useful that I, the vintage style lover, would have had: she’s a nifty little clothes maker. She’s in her final year of her Costume Design degree and already doing lots of ridiculously impressive work freelance on international stage shows alongside her mentors, which she would be very embarrassed about my mentioning, but hey, a big sister’s gotta brag. Every term for her university degree she undertakes a new design-and-make project, and this unit she designed a Hungarian embroidered retro-inspired peplum waistcoat fitted to the exact measurements of her lucky big sister, Miss Amy May 😉

I’m not quite lucky enough to get to keep it–and God do I wish I could keep it–but I did have a fabulous day shooting this gorgeous piece styled as 3 separate outfits for her portfolio. We took to the streets (and a galleria, and the pier,) with her photographer friend in tow, and these are the shots I’ve been granted special sisterly permission to share with you.


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