Traveling with Tammy [Collectif]

Posted on June 23, 2016 by missamymay

I have a thing for vintage luggage. If you follow Junebugs and Georgia Peaches’s blog, or Amanda’s Modernjunecleaver Instagram account then you’ll have likely caught sight of her impressive and enviably vintage luggage collection. It’s the true embodiment of the meme-tastic GOALS sentiment.

Amanda/ModernJuneCleaver’s amazing closet and luggage collection (Picture from her Instagram)

Saying all that, I actually only own a couple pieces of vintage hand luggage. I don’t travel a huge amount, mostly taking day trips or weekends away, so I just have a vanity case in red and one in black so that I have something to match any potential outfit. My two cases get used as perfume and hair styling apparatus holders while I’m at home, since they’re a nice useful size for storing small things, but they’re only really usable as a single piece of luggage for one-night stay trips and nothing longer. I’m pretty rubbish at scouting out true vintage though; I live in the countryside where a trip to any town that will likely throw up vintage wonders is 30mins-1hour in the car, at least, and on weekends I’m typically so busy closer to home that I can’t block out a few hours to go scouring through racks and stacks, miles of piles, cases and boxes and rails. Continue reading →

Ambling in Ambleside [Hell Bunny]

Posted on June 16, 2016 by missamymay

If you know anything about me at all it’s probably that I love nautical style clothes. Navy, white, red, they just go together so beautifully, and there’s something timeless and fun about nautical themed pieces, whether they’re simple colourblock styles or nautical themed prints.

When I was a little girl, I had a pale blue nautical style sailor-girl dress that I loved. Since it was the 80s, our family had three of these dresses in different sizes, so that me and my two elder sisters could match. Maybe that’s where my nautical love all began, who knows. What I do know is that my love has never waned, if anything intensifying over the years, so when I spotted the nautical offerings from Hell Bunny’s SS16 range, I was sold.

I already reviewed the Marin dress from Hell Bunny earlier this season, a seaside themed printed dress which I love and constantly wear, so I figured now it was time to review one of their simpler, navy pieces.

It’s time to take a countryside amble in the Ambleside dress.

Hell Bunny Ambleside dress Continue reading →

I Wanna See You Peacock [Hell Bunny]

Posted on June 9, 2016 by missamymay

Yes, the title of this post is from a Katy Perry song. No, I’m not sorry. And you know why not? Because I live in the British countryside and, most randomly, a wild peacock has recently started to make frequent visits to our garden.

I know. It sounds like I’m making it up, but I’m not. I’ve named him Albert and he likes to also visit next door, where he helps himself to the bird feeder on our neighbour’s patio. We have no idea where he’s come from, as he comes by every day, morning and night, and while we live close to two farms bearing peacock enclosures, both swear he doesn’t belong to either of them.

So, you know, there was only one thing for it. I had to get a peacock dress and make friends with him. It’s the logical next step in this situation, right? Thanks to Hell Bunny, I could make that happen.

Hell Bunny 50s Peacock dress Continue reading →

Mexicana Magic [Love UR Look]

Posted on June 7, 2016 by missamymay

Earlier in the year I attended London Edge to preview the SS16 releases from many different vintage inspired brands. Having featured Love Ur Look here on the blog last summer, I was eager to drop by their booth to see their new offerings for this season and to meet their owner and designer Ronke in person, who was even more lovely and charming than I had anticipated. As we chatted on and on about our favourite aspects of vintage styles, my eyes couldn’t help but roam the racks of new pretties on display around us. The Mexicana dress was an immediate stand-out for me and I couldn’t help but fawn a little over the print.

I took home a little postcard showing off some of their upcoming pieces, the Mexicana dress pictured front and centre, and pinned it to the magnetic chalk board I keep beside my computer, my blogging and reminders board, just in case there was any chance I could forget that dress. There wasn’t. I couldn’t wait for it to come out. And now, finally, the time has come. Let’s see if you’re as obsessed with it as I am.

Love UR Look Mexicana dress Continue reading →

You’re So Trixie [Trashy Diva]

Posted on June 3, 2016 by missamymay

Okay, it’s official. I have a thing for Trashy Diva. My wishlist has become suddenly and alarmingly full, but can you blame me? With their chambray, their gingham, their seersucker, oh my! What’s a girl supposed to do, really, other than develop the urge to put everything into her cart?

So many of their pieces have a lovely southern flare, evoking hot, lazy summer days spent sipping lemonade and sheltering in the shade, even for those of us who only know of these things from books and movies and daydreams. After recently buying and loving their Seersucker Apple Tart dress, I was itching to choose my next purchase. Enter the dress of my chambray dreams, Trixie.

Trashy Diva Trixie chambray dress Continue reading →

May Outfits Round Up

Posted on May 31, 2016 by missamymay

May means one thing to me: it’s mah birthday month! Half of this month’s outfits have been worn to a myriad of celebrations held in the name of my birth, because I’m one of those obnoxious people who love birthdays and gleefully drag mine out for at least two weeks, if not longer. My 30th will no doubt hold the record in this sense, as scheduling difficulties mean my final celebration doesn’t take place until mid-June, but I promise that this outfit wrap up post will be the last mention of the B word now until someone else’s comes along to claim that. At least it offers you a variety of outfits, from evening glam to picnic cute.

Striped Poppy dress by Dolly & Dotty, Red Poppy Field Brooch by Erstwilder, Royal Blue Cropped Cardigan from Pinup Girl Clothing, Red grommets belt, old season everything5pounds.com heels

Continue reading →

Hamilton, Hamilton, Just You Wait! [Unique Vintage]

Posted on May 26, 2016 by missamymay

Okay, so if you’re familiar with Hamilton, the musical, then you’ll get the title reference of this post. You’ll probably also understand that when I first saw the Hamilton dress from Unique Vintage, yes, I did immediately love it for the dress itself, but I also at least partially snapped it up because of its name. I just had to. I’ve had the cast recording soundtrack playing on repeat for a couple months now and my heart is sad that I can’t see the show since I live in the UK (not that anyone can see the show really, sold out as it is) but now at the very least I can don this dress, head out into the sunshine and enjoy its musical namesake with a pair of headphones.

Unique Vintage Hamilton striped day dress Continue reading →

Just A Little Bit Country [Collectif Erina]

Posted on May 23, 2016 by missamymay

I swear this dress was trying to elude me. I went to London Edge at the beginning of the year and spent a big chunk of my time there at the Collectif booth, pawing through their vast and beautiful line of SS16 releases, as well as a lot of their AW16 pieces (it’s going to be so amazing you guys, omg, just wait.) Aida Zak is one of Collectif’s house brands, like their 60s inspired line Bright & Beautiful, and I can only think I didn’t check that rack as thoroughly because I did not spot this Erina dress while I was there. It was only once I came home and watched some of the London Edge catwalk videos on Retro Daisy’s Instagram (a pinup shop located in Worthing, England) that I saw this dress. It was instant love-lust-gimme.

I wanted it for my birthday celebrations and there was some mild worrying on my part as to whether it would be released in time. I wanted to purchase it from Retro Daisy, since they had been so lovely to me about helping me track down which brand it was, but due to Collectif getting their new releases online before everyone else, including their own stores, let alone stockists, I had to guiltily order it from Collectif directly to get it in time. You’ll see why any second now, because my birthday celebration was a giant picnic fun day, and tell me, isn’t this a perfect picnic dress?

Collectif Aida Zak Red Erina dress Continue reading →

A Heart of Haute Picnic [Sarah Dress]

Posted on May 16, 2016 by missamymay

If you’re on social media and you follow your favourite clothing brands then I’m willing to bet this has happened to you: you’re checking your feed, scroll scroll scroll, when you see a picture posted by a brand of their newest release, with which you immediately fall so in love that you rush to their website to place an order, blood pumping, because you’re half terrified it’s going to sell out in those few seconds it takes to load up their page–who even KNOWS how many other ladies just saw that exact same Instagram picture and are scrambling to buy too?! You know, at midnight–and half pumped because you are about to buy yourself a new love of your life.

This happened to me with the Sarah dress by Heart of Haute, only I was slightly delayed by the fact that I wanted to put both the coral and the teal gingham dresses into my cart. The recent bill for the work I’d had done on my car’s brakes said really that wasn’t going to happen, so a choice had to be made between the two. BUT WHICH COLOUR? I wanted both. I’m more drawn to blues and teals as a rule, and I was a bit worried the coral might secretly be a true pink only pretending to be coral–pink and I do not get along. Buuuut if it really is truly coral, I reasoned, that’s an unrepresented colour in my wardrobe compared to my plentiful selection of blues. Oh but wait, they also do full circle skirts in the same ginghams though. Do I buy one skirt and one dress? Why is shopping so hard? Why aren’t I rich?

A few hours later, I was a big girl and bought only one dress, feeling slightly panicked as I did so because an Instagram follower warned me the coral dress was selling out in many sizes. But it was okay, I got her. I got the coral Sarah. And you guys. She’s just lovely.

Heart of Haute Coral Sarah Gingham Dress Continue reading →

Bewitched By Sabrina [Dolly & Dotty]

Posted on May 12, 2016 by missamymay

I first spotted the Sabrina cape by Dolly & Dotty at London Edge earlier this year. I’m fond of capes and capelets in general, but as a curvy woman I do tend to feel when I actually don one that all the extra fabric results in me losing my waist, which is something I can’t really visually afford when constructing an outfit. This particular cape is a more cropped length, which not only makes it adorable but also stops it from eating up the outline of one’s body, regardless of curviness, as well as making it petite-appropriate. I was certain it would end up being the perfect incarnation of my cape-love so I’ve been eagerly awaiting its release since I first spotted it in January. I’m thrilled that it’s finally available!

Dolly & Dotty Sabrina Cape, Gina Top, Falda Pencil Skirt Continue reading →