Forget-Carly-Not [Horrockses Fashions x Joanie Clothing]

Posted on April 26, 2023 by missamymay

One of the strange things about modern fashion, I’ve found, is that many people view wearing any dress as making a great effort, producing a perceived automatic higher level of dressiness in the beholder, despite the fact that pairing separates together literally takes more effort than donning one dress. A dress by itself is its own outfit, with the option to add more layers and accessories to elevate its stylishness and to adjust for weather and occasion, yet even a casual dress can often be viewed as ‘fancy’ by some. For regular dress wearers, shirtdresses are perfect day-to-day casual pieces, but because they’re collared and generally modest you can wear them in all manner of environments, appearing put together with very little real effort expended. Choose a shirt dress in a classic Horrockses Fashion print from their Joanie Clothing collaboration and voila, your easy outfit is vintage loveliness layered upon vintage loveliness.

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Vada Is Back! [Horrockses Fashions x Joanie Clothing]

Posted on April 23, 2023 by missamymay

As someone who long ago gave up attempting to buy true vintage for a variety of reasons, I was thrilled last year when Joanie Clothing teamed up with Horrockses Fashions to release some of Horrockses most beloved prints on staple Joanie dress styles. I loved the Margaret dress and kept meaning to buy myself the Vada, but by the time I went back for it it was sold out in my size. Missing out has haunted me ever since–so imagine my delight upon discovering that there is now a Joanie and Horrockses round 2, with last year’s releases back again and a couple new styles along for the ride. Finally, Vada and I have our second chance!

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Waistcoat Lovin’ [Joanie Clothing]

Posted on October 23, 2022 by missamymay

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 →

Margaret Fulfilling Dreams [Joanie Clothing X Horrockses]

Posted on April 24, 2022 by missamymay

Early in my journey of dressing in a vintage aesthetic I began to feel a pressure that to be a real pinup one had to wear true vintage clothing. Not exclusively, but certainly that owning some true vintage made you a ‘proper’ pinup, compared to buying modern made reproductions. The problem I quickly discovered, however, was that that wouldn’t be an easy feat for me; even back then, as a size 14/16 who lived in the English countryside, finding vintage pieces I liked in my size and within my budget largely meant spending a vast amount of time online searching, as I didn’t have easy access to thrift stores and vintage shops. On the rare occasion I found a dress I wanted that would fit me, it was either wildly outside of my budget or I got outbid. It didn’t take long before I accepted that the only vintage pieces I would be able to acquire with ease would be accessories, so I got comfortable in the world of vintage inspired and reproduction clothing, leaving behind any shame that my 100% modern clothing made me any lesser in any way. Continue reading →

Blue Hysteria [Joanie Clothing]

Posted on June 19, 2019 by missamymay

Certain things are timeless, both in terms of their ability to look put together and polished despite the decade, and in terms of their ability to be worn year round without looking out of place. This Hysteria dress is just that–no matter the time of day, event, or season, depending entirely upon styling, this dress will find a way to be there for you. Also, it has pockets, so beat that!

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Yellow Gemma [Joanie Clothing]

Posted on June 12, 2019 by missamymay

I have a lot of items in my wardrobe, in all colours and fabrics. There is one fabric style, though, of which I have none, and of which I have been lately wanting to add to said wardrobe; broiderie anglaise. You’ll more likely hear it referred to as eyelet lace, and you’ll even more likely recognise it as a fabric that screams summer to you. White eyelet lace dresses, whether on small girls or grown women, fit beautifully with sunny days and happy smiles. I’d be delighted to add one to my ever-growing collection of pretties, but today I welcome not the expected crisp white of summer to my closet, but something even more exciting–for me, anyway.

Bring on the mustard!

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A Sunday In Provence [Joanie Clothing]

Posted on June 3, 2019 by missamymay

I know here on the blog it probably feels like I say something is my all time favourite colour/design feature/dress style a lot–I’m an enthusiastic person (in the moments I’m not acting like a grumpy old man, that is) so I can be prone to a touch of hyperbole. When it comes to sundresses though, as much as I love finding an exciting new style, I think my absolute favourite still has to be a simple dress with thin adjustable shoulder straps, a gathered skirt and, if possible, pockets. The Sunday dress by Joanie Clothing ticks all those boxes, and lucky me, it’s been released in a new print that I’m just a little bit obsessed with. (Hyperbole, me??)

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Galentine’s with Joanie Clothing

Posted on February 11, 2019 by missamymay

Up until recent years I think it was pretty widely accepted that most people are one of two things: Valentine’s Day enthusiasts, or completely apathetic to the entire thing.

Now, though, there’s a third approach to Valentine’s Day, and I must say, it’s my favourite: Galentine’s Day! As a woman who doesn’t care about the day in a romantic sense but loves to use it as an excuse to get together with my best friend, wear something sexy and luxuriant while consuming a truly indulgent three course meal together, Galentine’s Day is definitely my thing.

Typically I wear all black, not as some sort of anti-romance protest against the idea that I should want to spend the day with a man, but more as the opposite. All black slinky outfits make me feel the most sexy and sassy, and what better way to feel when living it up with one of your most loved companions? Thanks to Joanie Clothing, this year I’ve dreamt up another All Black Ensemble that ticks all my Galentine’s boxes, and would even work for those of you who do want to spend it with your Significant Other.

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Velvet Wine [Joanie Clothing]

Posted on October 24, 2018 by missamymay

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.

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A Whole Lotta Leopard [Joanie Clothing]

Posted on October 12, 2018 by missamymay

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.