Head to Toe Festivities [Vivien of Holloway]

Posted on December 11, 2017 by missamymay

Vivien of Holloway are well known for their many signature style dresses, from their Halter Neck Circle Dress to their Bolero and Sarong sets, but come winter their beloved tartan circle skirts take centre stage. There’s always a flurry of excitement and desperate flashing of bank cards when the winter skirts are restocked each year, and each year they sell out in a frenzy in their most popular tartans. Now, much-anticipated releases of new colours or prints of their Slash Neck Tops often sell out with the same kind of speed and fervor, so I’m sure I’ll be preaching to the choir for many of you today when we look at this Vivien of Holloway outfit that’s got me feeling all kinds of festive.

Vivien of Holloway Slash neck top Jenny cardigan 1950s red tartan circle skirt

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A Dress Called Lana [Vivien of Holloway]

Posted on February 9, 2017 by missamymay

We may be gearing up to move into spring, but this autumn/winter season I developed a serious thing for burgundy and I don’t see that affection going away any time soon. It’s not even that I didn’t like the colour before only to suddenly see the merit in it, but my liking of it increased so suddenly you might be forgiven for thinking that the case. Possibly my normal obsession with red simply spread wider at the edges, encompassing the moodier, darker iterations of the shade, but no matter how it came to be, where it brought me was to the here and now, with my claret Lana dress.

Vivien of Holloway are renowned for producing their staple dress designs in dozens of different colours and patterns, leading to ladies with collections of Halter Neck Circle Dresses or Sarong sets. I noticed the Lana dress for the first time perhaps the winter before this one, so I’m not sure if that was it’s first release or whether I was just blissfully ignorant before then. What struck me most about this design was the beautiful draping of the neckline. I’m not really a 40s girl when it comes to my own wardrobe, much as I appreciate the styles, but when it came to Lana, I had little choice in the matter. Pass over that drape-age? I think not. I could resist the style when it came mainly in dark florals, but once this claret was released, I was powerless.

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Party Dress: The Duchess [Vivien of Holloway]

Posted on December 7, 2016 by missamymay

Now this wouldn’t be a party dress series without a touch of glamorous satin! Vivien of Holloway have always produced their signature dresses in a range of duchess satin colours, from bridal white to Cadbury’s purple, from bombshell red to unique blueberry. My absolute favourite among the gorgeous selection on offer is this Forest Green and I’m sure you can understand why.

Festive glamour goals, meet your new best friend, Vivien.

Vivien of Holloway Forest Green Duchess 1950s Halter Neck Circle Dress Continue reading →

Seaside Strolling with Vivien

Posted on August 8, 2016 by missamymay

Vivien of Holloway is considered by many to be the ruling monarch of the British reproduction vintage scene. All their pieces are designed and made in the UK, most of their clothing styles returning season after season in new colours and prints, with an army of avid fans happy to expand their Grace, Kitty or Sarong collections.

One of their most popular dress styles is the Halterneck Circle Dress, often referred to by lover’s of the style in shorthand as the HNCD. They watch the website keenly for the release of new prints, stalk eBay for signs of colourways they missed out on, and chat in Facebook groups about where they last wore their favourite dress. In terms of vintage style clothing, it’s a classic, one of those dresses that is quintessentially fifties. Almost every British pinup has one hanging in her closet, and I don’t know why it took me so long to try one.

Since all Vivien of Holloway pieces are UK made, I decided it was only appropriate to take my new dress to the seaside for a leisurely stroll with friends (and a sneaky helping of fish and chips, because if you’re going to seaside you may as well do it properly.)

Vivien of Holloway 1950s Halter Neck Circle Dress Turquoise Floral Continue reading →

Sarong, So Right [Vivien of Holloway]

Posted on March 14, 2016 by missamymay

I have a thing for sarong style dresses. They’re such a classic, flattering piece of vintage inspired clothing that it’s a travesty they’re not still commonplace in all women’s summer wardrobes–well, they’re not for modern, ‘normal’ ladies, that is. We pinups know about and appreciate the goodness of a sarong set, though, and few do that better than Vivien of Holloway.

Their sarong dresses are truly built to enhance and display your curves. Designed with a waterfall sash flowing from the waistband down the skirt, a thick halterneck to flatter the upper arm and chest, and a boned bodice made to cinch and lift, this is the kind of dress that does all the hard work for you. It puts an immediate sashay in your walk, a swerve, a wiggle, and the matching bolero adds class and sass abound. Don’t believe me? Let’s take a look.

Vivien of Holloway Black Golden Leaves Sarong Set Continue reading →

Party Dress Season: Vivien of Holloway

Posted on December 4, 2015 by missamymay

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 →

Anchors Away – Two Ways With Papow & Flo [Guest Bloggers]

Posted on October 19, 2015 by missamymay

Today’s guest post is brought to you by British blogging duo Papow & Flo. You can find them both on said mentioned fabulous blog, where they cover everything about their vintage style, including how to make it work for different body types and skin tones, and on their Papow & Flo Facebook page. Today they’re showing you how easy it is to take one dress and style it multiple ways to be either casual or dressier for any occasion. Over to you, girls!

Hello readers! We are Cacao Papow and Florence Flounce (Papow and Flo) – this week’s guest bloggers for Miss Amy May. If you’d like to find out more about us, you can follow our blog or find us on Facebook.

Being birds of a feather, we have quite similar tastes. This can end up with both of us owning the same outfit…tricky – if both of us fancy whipping out a similar look. With popular vintage reproduction brands, this problem can crop up quite often (especially at big events). To help remedy this issue, we took the same dress and styled it in different ways. Hopefully, this can give inspiration for individualising a certain piece of clothing or more options for what to do with pieces in your wardrobe. Continue reading →

A Very Pinup Winter with Vivien of Holloway

Posted on December 1, 2014 by missamymay

If you read my Titilated by Tartan post last week you’ll know I consider Vivien of Holloway the queen of tartan–so I was thrilled to be sent on one of their tartan circle skirts last week! I literally love every single tartan colourway VoH offers in their circle skirts and have wanted one for an age, but I think it was festive fate that the red tartan print I be joined together in Christmas matrimony. For this post I snatched up my new pretty in my pinup paws and headed to one of our good ol’ British cobbled beaches near sunset to snap the pics for this post.

voh7 Continue reading →