Remember how I said a few posts back that I’m really picky about prints, that I generally stay clear of animals and fruit but that there’s exceptions to every rule? Well helllloooo Springtime 2017 Amy, who is, apparently, breaking her print rules ALL OVER THE PLACE.
This time around, it’s fruits that have got me feeling adventurous, namely lemons. Oh did I say adventurous? Clearly I meant zesty. Ba dum cha!
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I do love a good floral, whether it’s delicate or oversized, pastel or bright, abstract or ultra real. People talk about what a cliché it is to wear florals for spring (Devil Wears Prada, anyone?) but I think it’s one of those things that’s a cliché because it really does work. There’s truth there. Florals look good on everyone and they make getting dressed in spring and summer feel as breezy and beautiful as the weather outside.
Saying all that, I love it when a floral is available which flouts the usual offerings in floral prints. It’s fun to find something that’s out of the norm, whether that’s because the design is a bit geometric and oversized or because it’s a flower you’ve never seen before, or because, like this Amber dress from Voodoo Vixen, it chooses to showcase an oft-overlooked colour on which to frame it’s floral print.
This bright yet unoffensive mid-blue isn’t used in clothing as often as I would expect it to be give how much people seem to lose their minds when I wear this kind of shade. Perhaps people just like how it contrasts with my pale skin and dark red hair, but they seem to show equal love for the colour itself, not merely how it wears on me, so I feel like it must be an underestimated colour in general. Regarding this dress in particular, I love that this blue combined with the white, yellow and pink flowers create a floral dress that is summery, airy and fun all without being overpowering. If you wanted to load up on brights you could easily accessorise with reds, yellows or even lime to make this dress POP, but alone it’s a floral that isn’t softly spoken nor shouty, a solid middle-ground kind of print that’s interesting and beautiful.
You may or may not know that I am very selective about my novelty prints. If they’re too cartoony, whimsical or bright, I tend to stay away. Same with featuring animals and fruit, typically. But, you know, there are exceptions to every rule, and the new Toucan print Estella dress from Lady Voluptuous’s SS17 line is one of them.
Considering it features both fruit and animals by way of pineapples and birds, you’d think it would be a no go for me, but colour plays a big part in what appeals to me about a print and it was the colour scheme of this birdie pattern that really reeled me in. The muted mid blues of the flora contrasted against the mustardy yellow of the pineapples and the rich navy blue of the toucans are magic for me, combining some of my favourite shades in one summery print that somehow isn’t garish, overpowering, or even brow-beatingly tropical despite the toucans and fruit. It’s kind of like a tropical print done by way of England, where our summers are typically breezy, less than sweltering, and sometimes a bit damp. This print is Summer Lite, if you will, Tropical Paradise at Twilight, Birds Sheltering From A Monsoon. It’s subtle as well as fun, and I like it a lot.
In case you haven’t heard of Louella DeVille, I’m here to do you a favour by telling you: y’all, you need to know about Louella DeVille. It might spark your sense of recognition if I tell you that this clothing line is designed by and sold through what was once Your One Stop Pinup Shop, an Australian pinup boutique that has in the past included brick-and-mortar stores, pinup pamper photography session packages and, a while back, the original beginnings of this clothing line, before owner Bek’s lovely daughter began to walk and Bek put the line on hold.
Over the following years as her little girl grew, Bek grew her business with those Australian stores, as well as photographing hundreds of ladies in their pinup finest in her studio. Last year Bek moved the store entirely online, becoming Louella DeVille Boutique, and recently, finally, the time came for her to bring her ideas of her own vintage inspired clothing line back out to play. Continue reading
I feel like every season I say Collectif has outdone their last season, and yet here we are again, with li’l ol’ me fully in love with Collectif’s SS17. The particular torture of this love affair is that I actually got to view the line last September, so I’ve had 5 months of remembering what beauties lie ahead of us and eagerly awaiting the releases with grabby hands while also not trying to wish time away purely for the sake of clothes. But, you know, I was tempted to. Because if you haven’t seen Collectif’s new offerings rolling in to the New In section on their website, you might want to take a little look at the new arrivals, as well as at their Lookbook to see what other magic they’ve got in store for us. Continue reading
You don’t see houndstooth used as regularly in reproduction clothing as you’d expect, for some reason, though I can’t fathom why. It’s a print I love and feel is under-appreciated, so the first moment I saw this Hell Bunny dress at London Edge in September I was smitten. It went immediately onto my ‘When’s this coming out? Must buy, MUST BUY’ list and since then I kept checking any Hell Bunny stockists I could find to see if this dress had been released yet.
Despite that, I very nearly missed out on this dress as my size sold out quickly in many places, but I’m thrilled I managed to snag it. If you love the style of this dress, you’re going to want to scour the interwebs for any available left in your size or else be prepared to act quickly when the second run of stock comes out later in the season. Because I can tell you this, the moment I tried this dress on, it became one of my all time favourites.
Have you figured out by now that I like green? Rich, emerald green makes me happy. It’s a colour that is surprisingly hard to find in vintage inspired clothing and I can’t at all figure out why. Jewel toned greens look good on pretty much everyone, so you’d expect it to be the kind of colour that is offered widely across all kinds of clothing, dresses and sweaters, skirts and blouses, shrugs and…okay, emerald trousers might be a bit too much for most people, but you get the idea, right? I’m a fan. I’m keen on green. And it frustrates me to no end when I’m putting together an outfit that would pair beautifully with a pop of emerald green, except nowhere can I find what I’m looking for to complete my vision. There are fewer things sadder than the days when the internet search engine fails you. Oh modern life, you make everything so easy yet so dramatic.
But oh ho, what hence! Is that Voodoo Vixen coming to my aide, providing me with green lovelies a plenty this chilly and festive season?
Why yes, yes it is. Continue reading
I’ve been meaning to find a perfect pair of navy heels for well over a year now, wearing as much red, white and blue as I do. When I saw this pair of Lulu Hun Dolly High Heels at London Edge in September I knew my search was over! There were plenty of other pretty pairs there that jumped onto my wishlist as well, I can assure you, but these blue beauties were going to have to join the ranks of my shoe racks sooner or later. A cute little Mary Jane style with a killer heel and wipe-clean surface? It was a no brainer.
The Keely dress is one of the new Hell Bunny pieces that I somehow manged to totally miss when I previewed the line at London Edge this season. I don’t know how, because when I flicked through their complete catalogue online a couple weeks later it was an instant screen-shot, must-have piece. It’s more of a 40s cut than my usual fare, but I was really excited (and only a little bit anxious) about trying it. I needn’t have worried: this dress is amazing.
With a full skirt and a modest but prettily pleated bust, it’s work appropriate, vintage inspired and downright beautiful.
Miss Amy May 