Soft, Fluffy, Dolly & Dotty + GIVEAWAY

Miss Amy May plus size pinup review Dolly & Dotty soft nylon fluffy petticoat giveaway contest

I remember one of things that made me feel like a ‘proper pinup’ when I was transitioning to my vintage style was finally beginning to add a petticoat under my skirts and dresses. It was something that felt like it needed a small splash of courage because it was just such an unusual under-thing to have in one’s wardrobe as a 20-something in the 2010s, but once I got my first petticoat there was no looking back.  Continue reading

Malco Modes for Fall + GIVEAWAY

It’s one of my favourite times of the year. The nights are slowly beginning to draw in, making snuggling down on the sofa under a blanket one of the better ways to spend an evening, and making hot chocolate seasonally relevant again. Coats and scarves are unpacked from their summer hiding spots at the back of wardrobes or from suitcases in attics. And, my favourite of all, the leaves are changing colours, painting the world with rich reds, burnt oranges, flashes of yellow-gold, an occasional special plum. Along with it rain dampens the barks of trees to a dark brown, and excited Halloween lovers begin to string up all their red, black and ghostly decorations. And along side it all, Malco Modes’s wide selection of fluffy petticoats in all manner of styles and colours allows me to mimic those fall shades with matching autumnal tones.

Malco Modes petticoats crinoline Jennifer Michelle Megan Zooey review giveaway Miss Amy May

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S-S-S-Samantha [Malco Modes]

For most of my pinup life I have been an adamant, ardent and stubborn petticoat wearer. It would not be a rare finding to search back through my history to find double stacked petticoats utilised to get the maximum puff factor for a special outfit. Generally speaking, the notion of going without a petticoat has been both laughable and off-putting to me, like suggesting I spend my life barefoot despite all that I would consequently find myself stepping in. Despite that, I’ve had some experience in recent months going petticoat-free occasionally when this little island of ours suffered through a couple of heatwaves. Having to forego the fluff to minimise my layers during those hot patches, did not, you will not be shocked to hear, convert to the other side. I still am and suspect I forever will be a petticoat lover.

As such, I have a not-insubstantial amount of experience with petticoats. I’ve tried the stiff ones and the soft ones, the scratchy and the puffy, the more expensive and the downright cheap, and through it all my number one choice, the brand to which I keep returning time and again, is Malco Modes. Made in Tennessee for decades and utilising only the best quality materials for their creations, their chiffon petticoats provide the maximum softness and promised volume for your buck. Their Jennifer petticoat, measuring 22-23 inches long, is my standard go-to petticoat for almost every skirt and dress I own. The only times is falls a little short, very literally, is for use with my longer dresses, the 26 inches or longer hems that would display a sad drop-off effect when paired with Jennifer’s shorter length. Well it’s a good thing there’s a Malco Modes solution for problems of that hem-length, and that is Samantha.

Malco Modes Ivory Petticoat Samantha

Left without a petticoat, right wearing Malco Mode’s Samantha petticoat

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Soft As A Cloud [Doris Designs Petticoats] 

Doris Designs Petticoats Grey 26 inch petticoat

It’s no secret: I love petticoats. It is a rare occasion when you will catch me wearing my vintage style pretties sans petticoat. I love the glamorous, luxurious feel that extra (sometimes obnoxious) circumference in the skirt gives a look, especially since, let’s be real, the bigger the skirt the smaller your waist looks in comparison. Even disregarding the fact that I simply love the look of a petticoated skirt, there’s also the fact that wearing a fluffy, puffy, soft petticoat is just fun. It swishes and sways as you move, walk, spin. It gives one a definite princess feel, which is nothing to turn one’s nose up at…Aaaand it has the added benefit of tending to ward off people from sitting too close beside you on benches and public transport.

Basically, petticoats are joyful little wearable clouds and I am always happy to welcome more of them into my life. Trying new petticoat brands is one of my favourite parts of dressing in a vintage style, as a good quality petticoat makes a big difference to how your vintage outfit looks but also, importantly, how it feels to wear it. Scratchy, stiff pettis are no fun to endure, so a soft underskirt makes your entire day just that little bit more comfortable.

Enter Doris Designs Petticoats. Continue reading

Blue Clouds [Banned Petticoat Review]

I’ve tried a fair few petticoats over the last few years. My main concern when wearing them is achieving top volume with minor discomfort. That translates to a willingness to wear a slightly stiff petticoat if it gives me great volume, as long as it’s not scratchy, and a likeliness of overlooking a super soft petticoat if that softness subtracts from the puff power.

My ultimate petticoat find has been the Malco Modes Jennifer petticoat, which has great medium volume and 120 yards of perfectly soft nylon chiffon. Saying that, though, the only let-down of the Jennifer is that it maxes out at 23 inches long. Many of my dresses are 26 inches or longer, necessitating a bit of wiggling so that I wear my Jennifer down around my hips, rather than at my waist, to make it long enough. It works well enough as a stop-gap measure, but I’ve been looking for a soft, reasonably priced petticoat at a longer length to negate this practice.

Enter Banned.

Dancing Days by Banned petticoat Continue reading

Malco Modes Giveaway Winner! + Discount Code

Y’all didn’t forget about this giveaway, right? You know, from that review I posted last week when I showed you how amazing Malco Modes petticoats are and launched a giveaway for one of you to win a petti of your choice.

You remember that, right?

Malco Modes Jennifer Madeline Petticoat comparison

Petticoat heaven

Yeah, that’s what I thought.

The giveaway ended at midnight last night, so there’s nothing left to do now except announce the winner. And the lucky lady is… Continue reading

Malco Modes Madeline + Giveaway! 

Malco Modes is America’s oldest and largest maker of quality petticoats, pettipants and crinolines, having been in business for over 50 years with each piece hand-sewn in their eastern Tennessee facility. Their Jennifer petticoat was my first ever good quality petticoat as a pinup, and a year and a half later it’s still in perfect condition despite regular use. It’s the softest, fluffiest petticoat I’ve ever touched, and I do make a habit of touch testing as many petticoats as I can to compare–you know, not to sound creepy or anything.

The Jennifer is a great everyday petticoat because it’s got medium volume and isn’t too long or too short, meaning it works well for the average pinup. I, though, am a queen of puff. A master of fluff. I love my skirts big and bold and a little bit obnoxious, even. I’ve yearned to try the Malco Modes Michelle petticoat since I first got my Jennifer, recognising it as the superlative among petticoats in circumference, but I’ve been told by the helpful lovelies at Malco Modes that the Michelle is so full it will only fit under skirts with a minimum of 140 inches hem circumference, which excludes a lot of your average repro pieces. Being sensible, I perused the Malco Modes range of fuller pieces and decided the Madeline seemed like an excellent comprise between hem-busting volume and daily pinup practicality. Continue reading

Froo Froo Fantastic [Voodoo Vixen Petticoat]

I’ve reviewed a couple of petticoats on the blog before, the Malco Modes Jennifer and Lindy Bop petticoats. There were pros and cons to both, and for that reason I’ve been thinking lately I need to keep an eye out for other brands to review to give you more information on a wider selection of available pettis. In that light, today I’m reviewing the Froo Froo petticoat by Voodoo Vixen.

Voodoo Vixen Froo Froo Petticoat Sophie top Continue reading

Getting Puffy with Lindy Bop [Petticoat Review]

I am all about big skirts. If a skirt isn’t a full circle it legitimately makes me sad. If a skirt can encompass two or three petticoats, I am a happy girl. So it should come as no surprise that I’m addicted to wearing petticoats. I own several cheap eBay Hong Kong type McJobbies that I layer two or three deep to get premium puff on the regular, as well as a beautiful Malco Modes Jennifer petticoat that puts all others to shame with the sheer superlative of it’s softness. I was very intrigued, therefore, when I recently saw that Lindy Bop, pinup budget brand giant, greatly extended their own petticoat line.

I’m not sure if I’m mistaken in believing that Lindy Bop has offered petticoats before now, but now their range includes 26″, 28″, 30″ length petticoats as well as 9 different colours. Lindy Bop have been offering 10-15% off orders pretty regularly lately so I jumped on board with one of these voucher codes and ordered a 26″ black petticoat to review.

lindyboppetticoat2 Continue reading