Lady V London and Collectif sale haul!

If you're a regular reader here you'll be familiar with UK vintage reproduction brands, Lady V London and Collectif . Both online stores had winter sales a few months ago with dresses from as little as £20, so who am I to resist a bargain? 3 from Lady V, 1 from Collectif! All dresses I try in this post are a UK size 8.

I won't link to the individual sales page or prices for each dress because at the time of publishing, only 1 or 2 sale dresses remain so instead I'll link to the shape of the dress where you can see which if any) other fabrics are available.

Tip: sign up to their mailing list for the latest offers and sales.

For quite some time I've had my eye on the Isabella as a less expensive alternative to Pinupgirlclothing's famous Heidi, a swing dress with fitted bodice and sweetheart neckline made to flatter EVERYONE. I ordered Isabella in this gorgeous red wine polka dot, as modelled by the stunning October Divine below.

Pin up model October Divine in the Isabella

Sadly it didn't look as gorgeous on me! As always, my short torso let me down and it was a little on the baggy side too. A size smaller would have been perfect I think but it wasn't produced in a UK size 6. I also feel it doesn't have enough fabric in the skirt. It's more of a circle skirt than a full swing I'd say, and a small circle at that. If you add a petticoat it doesn't swing as nicely as Heidi does, it just sort of...sits kind of stiffly on top of the petticoat without a gathered, swingy effect. Does that even make sense? 

*Check out Georgina's review on FullerFigureFullerBust.*

The verdict; refund please!

Onto another Lady V number I've had my eye on for a while. This one I hold close to my heart as it was designed by none other than the lovely Georgina Horne of FullerFigureFullerBust. Named after a friend, Georgina put her heart and soul into creating a the Estella designed to make every super curvy woman feel like a twirly whirly dream! I chose the pretty pink rose print dress as it reminded me of the Rosetta I reviewed in a previous post.

Georgina modelling her Estella dress

 Unfortunately I'm not quite curvy enough to fill the Estella out properly so the wrap neckline felt quite modest for me. I think it's better suited to those with a larger bust and/or longer torso than myself as the waistline was too long for me too. 

The bad points aside, I liked the loose fit sleeves as it turned the dress from an ordinary 50's swing style to a sort of Japanese-y 1940's tea dress on me, which I quite liked. I then had the bright idea of throwing on my Orchard Corset CS-301 over the dress and adding my usual petticoat and it completely transformed it! What do you think?

The verdict; as much as I like the look with a corset, I probably wouldn't want to ONLY be able to wear the Estella dress with my waspie, so back it goes.

Lastly from Lady V London is an old favourite style of mine, the swing dress, this time in a gorgeous poppy print! I initially had a few fit issues with the swing dress being too big on the waist and/or shoulders so I stopped buying them, so I was reluctant to try again but with the Poppy swing dress in the sale at around £20 I threw caution to the wind. 

I'm so glad I did as this version is made from a slightly stretchy fabric and actually fits without the need for a belt, corset or alterations! Hurrah! It's a tiny bit snug on the but I can live with that. I absolutely love the print and plan to wear it casually, out to dinner and even to work on November 11th! I tried the Poppy swing dress with and without a corset and petticoat and it looks good either way. 

Poppy Swing Dress by Lady V London

With belt and corset, no petticoat

With belt, corset and petticoat

With corset and petticoat, no belt

The verdict; Faith in the Lady V London swing dress restored! It's a keeper!

And from Collectif...

Dolores Doll dress in red gingham from Collectif

And finally, one I've ordered and returned before, the Dolores Doll in red gingham from Collectif. The Dolores Doll is another swing dress, this time with a sweetheart neckline and cute puff sleeves. I have both the Dolores doll dress and Dolores pencil dress in numerous fabrics now and is a strong favourite shape for me year after year. 

The size chart advised to size up if you are in between sizes as the gingham fabric doesn't allow for much stretch, but I often find Collectif Dolores doll dresses are very much hit and miss when it comes to a 'usual' size, so I threw caution to the wind and ordered my usual UK size 8. Thankfully the fit is spot on! Since the bust is ruched, I imagine it will fit most boobs, big and small. 

As I said I'd already ordered and returned this dress before back in the summer because on me it's far too long to look cute. I'm 5'2" and it sits longer than my petticoat so it look a bit odd. I figured that I couldn't live without this dress at the sale price I got it for so I will get it shortened and won't return it! 

*Also check out CurvyWordy's review here*

The verdict; with a few inches taken off the length, it's a definite hit!

Oh, as for what I wore underneath, my Freya Deco, Orchard Corset CS-301 and Lola petticoat from Collectif.

Which dress was your favourite? Have you found any good bargains lately? Share your photos on my Facebook page or comment below. 

Thanks for reading!

Bitter Lollipop tastes good to me!

Over the past few years more and more brands are popping up here and there to cater for the more busty amongst us, and in this post I'm going to introduce the latest off the cutting table; Bitter Lollipop, whom I also have the pleasure of reviewing a dress for!

Bitter lollipop specifically caters for sizes 8-14 in the two options of 'Busty' and 'Buxom'. Here's their size chart.

Bitter Lollipop was launched in September 2014 as a result of founder Kelly's passion for fashion and struggle to find dresses to fit her frame. The name Bitter Lollipop is a combination of her bitter feelings of the difficulties in dressing her own lollipop-shaped figure, in case you were wondering! 

Kelly is Chicago born and bred and moved to the UK a few years ago for her Masters degree, settling to set up Bitter Lollipop in Nottingham. Much like Made In Preston, Bitter Lollipop pieces are hand made here in the UK, promoting local industry and boosting the national economy. Kelly's designs are influenced by British culture as well as her American heritage , which are most apparent in her fabric choices. 

I was contacted by Kelly a while ago and to be honest, this was the first time I'd heard of Bitter Lollipop. Kelly asked if I'd like to review a dress from her launching collection, to which of course I jumped at the chance. I'd initially fallen in love with the fabric from the geometric print dress but I didn't think the shape would work for me as I prefer a more tailored fit, which is always difficult with my 36-25.5-40 figure, so I instead opted for the safer option hip-wise of the Olivia in the size 8 Busty.

The Olivia dress, prices at £79 is made in what I'd describe as an 'abstract floral' patterned fabric which I initially thought would be pretty for a garden party or a summer wedding, but now I have the dress in hand I can see it's quite versatile and could be worn casually and in the colder months too if you happen to be the kind of person who matches colours worn to the seasons.

Olivia close-up

My first impressions of the dress; impressed! The dress is made from quite a heavy combination of patterned stretch cotton mix and (I admit I was totally bowled over by this) a STRETCHY lining! In all my years I've often wondered why dresses are made in a stretch fabric only to have that cancelled out by having a non-stretch lining. Really, what's the point in that? The quality of the workmanship is excellent. The zip is nicely hidden at the back, the stitching is neat and tidy and a lot of thought has been given to drafting the pattern itself. 

The Olivia fits beautifully on my 25.5" waist and 36" bust, apart from a little gaping under the arms. As you can see from the side view below, my bra is slightly visible. I feel the underarm area could benefit from an extra dart to conceal my bra a bit better but that might just be how it fits on me and may well fit better on someone else. 

Of course, the dress does have it's downsides. You may have noticed I used the word 'heavy' to describe the fabric. Because of this I'd suggest the Olivia dress is more suitable for the colder months unless you're like me and gets goosebumps at the slightest of breeze! Also the weight of the fabric prevents the dress from flowing as you might expect. A twirly dress it's not. I'd suggest to remedy this, maybe the lining could be omitted from the skirt of the dress and just kept in the bodice perhaps? 

I admit I was concerned at how I was going to accessorise this dress, what with the fabric having a combination of pink, red, coral, black and a touch of pale blue too. I first thought the pattern was better suited to a summery outfit, but having tried it with both red accessories and black accessories, I'd suggest it suits the autumnal months equally. I'll go ahead and post a few different looks now to show the versatility. The black flamingo cardigan was from a charity shop, red clutch bag from my local market and hair flowers from ebay. Let me know which look you like best!

I've heard a few gripes online about the cost of Bitter Lollipop and I just want to stand up for Kelly here. Kelly has worked hard to set up her own business, Bitter Lollipop. Creating patterns, sourcing fabric and making the dresses , both fitting samples and making dresses for orders. Her heart and soul has gone into this and this is her baby. I support her integrity, creativity and passion for her business and hope you feel the same way.

Olivia is made to order and available from Bitter Lollipop at £79 in sizes 8 Busty & Buxom to 16 Busty & Buxom.

Lady V London's new collection!

So enthused was I on seeing Lady V London's new collection that I felt the need to write a post on them!

Relatively new to them is the gorgeous Roxie Rocks dress, with 3/4 sleeved mock wrap top section and swing skirt, it's ideal for all those Christmas parties you're all thinking about at this time of the year. It comes in red with black trim, black with red trim, purple with white trim and teal with white trim. I will say that I've tried this dress (but unfortunately didn't photograph myself in it) and was really disappointed with the sizing ON ME. It was just too big in the shoulders, a problem I often have with dresses and shirts on account of my petite frame. Roxie Rocks costs £40 and comes in sizes 8-22 and is made from a luxurious stretch satin type fabric.

Photo courtesy of Lady V London

Another new addition is the HD Swing Dress, which is the same as the previous range of swing dresses only it has the added detail of a contrast trim, which I'm a total sucker for! My favourite is the white with black polka dot, I'd wear it with red accessories as always. Priced at £45, the HD Swing Dress comes in a range of fabrics in sizes 8-22 and come with a matching headband too!

Photo courtesy of Lady V London

Next up, the delicious Dolly Darling. In sizes 8-26/28 and 5 different colours with contrasting trim and waist bow, you can turn yourself into a 50's pin up for just £45! My personal favourite is the Cobalt Blue, it's so pretty!

Photo courtesy of Lady V London

For those of you who prefer a less revealing neckline, how about Lady V's range of pretty Day Dresses? I LOVE the folded neckline and v-neck back. They cost just £30 and come in sizes 8-20 in a satisfying range of colours and prints.

Photo courtesy of Lady V London

Saving the best until last, Behold the AMAZING Isabella Dress! Drooooool...Erm, yes, I'm a sucker for polka dots AND red AND bows, and this particular dress has it all! It's sweetheart neckline and swing skirt are very similar to another favourite of mine, the Pinup Girl Clothing Heidi, so it's nice to have a cheaper alternative. Isabella is offered with 1/2 sleeves in purple (below), blue and black, and cap sleeves in Mocha polka dot, black with pink trim and black/white polka dot with red trim, comes in sizes 8-20/22 and costs £40. 

Photo courtesy of Lady V London

My only bugbear is that looking at the measurements, none of the Lady V dresses will fit me without alteration as the waist measurements generally come up between 1 and 3 inches bigger than my own. For this I'm GUTTED, but still very tempted to get this Isabella and have it altered.

For a limited time only (and I have no idea how long the offer is on) you can get a generous 15% off your entire order with Lady V London using the discount code WOW15 at checkout. GO!

Photo courtesy of Lady V London

Sorry to ask AGAIN but I need your votes!

Hey all, please could you all do me a huge favour and vote for me to win Curvy Kate's next swimwear collection?

Just click this link and click VOTE, or failing that, go to the gallery and find my design (see below) and simply click vote!

Also, while I'm on the subject of voting, please could you vote for fellow Star In A Bra 2011 contestant Georgina Horne of FullerFigureFullerBust to win Tesco's Winter Wishlist blogger competition. She's number 3 and looks something like this:

Thanks lovelies! x

Lady V London Revisited...and I'm in LOVE!

Back in April, you may remember my post about a newly discovered company, specialising in Vintage reproduction dresses called Lady Vintage London. The dress I bought from them is absolutely beautiful, but didn't fit in a size 10 sadly. However, I couldn't bear to return it as I'd fell deeply in love with it, so I asked my mum to tailor it to fit and she did it brilliantly! After much hassling via twitter and Facebook, Lady Vintage finally announced that they would add size 8's to their range! I was delighted at this, but couldn't choose a dress until I finally caved last week and ordered three beautiful dresses. Without further ado, here they are!

Black & White Polka Dot Hepburn Dress. At the moment, it has £10 off, making it £30. Be quick if you want one! This is a size 8 and sadly too big. I mean sadly, because I wanted this dress to wear for work. It's eye-catching without being sexy and I love the high neckline (supposedly a no-no for a big bust) and the huge amount of fabric in the skirt. The dress comes with a thin black patent belt, as seen in the first two photos. It would easily work for a day in the office, night out, wedding or even as a day dress, it's so adaptable! My only other criticism in the length. At 5'2", it's a little bit too long, but when I slipped on my petticoat (details at the bottom of the post), it looked much better. My advice; Size down in this, but it's WELL worth it.

If only this came in a size 6...

My next choice is a fairly new addition to Lady Vintage, in a size 8, the Beautiful Cat Print Shawl Collar 50's Dress, £35. As soon as I tried this on, I knew it was something special! The fabric is so soft and floaty,and the print is adorable! Just look at the little kitty! I love the Peter Pan collar and the matching fabric tie belt too. The bust is just about big enough for me, so if you're reading this because you have big boobs, bear it in mind that I'm a 28GG. Again I tried this with and without a petticoat and with various belts. With the petticoat I felt a little like a lampshade, but with a less full petticoat, I'm sure it would look much better. It's very slightly see through, but this can be tackled by wearing nude underwear. Here, I'm wearing blue and you can see it showing through a little, but not too badly.

Lastly, the dress I was most looking forward to trying after my campaign to get size 8's made; the Vintage Blue Floral Summer Swing Dress, £40. I really didn't want to fall in love with this as I've still not worn my other Lady Vintage swing dress, but boy have I fallen for it! Firstly, the fit is so perfect it's as though it was made for me! I was spoilt for choice at which swing dress to try because admittedly, I wasn't overly keen on any of the patterns, and even when I first slipped this dress on I wasn't so sure. With my nude belt and shoes, it's safe and understated, but a little 'meh'. Then I went and tried it with red. WOW. Who'd have thought that red would be the most complimentary colour for this dress?! I thought I'd be buying the cat dress but this one has me smitten so I'm going to have to make a tough decision...

So as I mentioned at the start of this post, my mum altered the dress I'd previously bought from Lady Vintage, and here it is. I'm sure you'll agree that she did an amazing job! Unfortunately this colour dress is no longer available but you can still get it in black and red, £30 or in black and pink, £30.

...and here's what I was wearing underneath. for the square necklines, it's best to wear a balconette bra like this one; Tease Me in blue by Curvy Kate, £29. My petticoat is from Collectif, and is the Lola Puffy in red, £38.

You might also want to check out Lady Vintage fans and bloggers Miss Kathryn's Misstakes,  Big Girl's Browse and  Fuller Figure Fuller Bust. They all look amazing in their Lady Vintage dresses!

So all that's left to do is decide which dress I'm keeping. Thanks for reading!

Kelly Brook for New Look

Today I ventured into a shop I don't normally go into; New Look. I initially went in to drool over their shoes, as they're always amazing, but found myself with four dresses from Kelly Brook's new collaboration with New Look that I wanted to try on!

I'll bang through these quickly as I don't want to bore you!

Dress number one, the Orange Poppy Peplum Dress, £39.99. I tried this in my usual size 8, and it was quite a struggle to squeeze into. I didn't hold much hope of it looking nice, or fitting my the bust, but lo and behold, it doesn't look too bad, and fits like a glove. A rather snug glove. I have a feeling the size 10 would probably be too big, particularly on my waist. The peplum seems to be a bit too long for me, and makes my butt looks even bigger than it really is! I think this is one for the less curvy women out there...Anyway, here it is;

Dress number two, the Bardot Scenic Print Dress, £39.99. Again, a size 8, this time an even worse fit! You can't tell from the photo but I couldn't get this zipped up over my bust. AT ALL. It would probably be perfect in a 10, but I'm not that keen on the neckline as it means I'd have to wear a strapless bra with it, and quite frankly, strapless bras are always uncomfortable! 

Dress number three, the Blue Belted Dress, £34.99. A size and a MASSIVE fail! It fits perfectly on the waist and zips right up, but the bust was, as expected, a terrible fit. It has cup details stitched in, so the chances of it fitting a lot of women is very slim as the 'cups' are quite small and very wide set. No hope for me and my 28GG's! I knew this dress wouldn't fit but I was curious since Kelly Brook has a sizeable rack, so I hoped for a better fit. On the plus side, the dress is a nice colour for me and my red hair, has a matching belt and a cute keyhole detail on the back. Please excuse my bra being shown so badly, it's the wrong size and rides up my back.

Last but not least in any sense of the word, my favourite of them all, the White Floral Bow Shoulder Dress, £39.99. This time, the size 8 fitted as though it was made for me! Perfect! Again, excuse the badly fitting bra. If I wore my real size it wouldn't be seen. I love the bow details on the shoulders and the keyhole in the back, it makes a difference to everything else out there at the moment. I won't be buying this dress as I have too many already, but I can highly recommend this one from the Kelly Brook range.

So what do you think of the Kelly Brook collection? Will you be buying anything from the range? 

Bye for now :)

Some of Pepperberry's latest offerings for SS12

Last Friday, me and my OH were lucky enough to have a day off together so we decided to take a trip to Chester. Of course, my ulterior motive was to pay a visit to Pepperberry/Bravissimo while I was there. Some time later, I emerged, clutching a pile of clothes with no intention of buying ANY of them. The store assistants must have been so annoyed! I was quite taken with one item, which I tried in a different size and actually bought! I'll get to that later though.

Okay, let's roll...First up, the dress I have a love/hate relationship with, the bold stripe maxi dress, £69. The bottom photo shows one I sent for, that had yellow stripes at the top. This totally didn't work for me and made my boobs look bigger, but the one I tried in store had white/purple stripes over the bust and looked much better, but the white/purple stripes on the waistband and bottom half kind of ran into each other in a strange way, so I didn't like this one either! I'm too picky, I know. I also didn't like the single stitch that holds the top together as a kind of modesty measure. You can see it better on the second photo, looking down my cleavage! The stitch makes it gape below.

The dresses I tried were both 8 C/RC and seemed a little too big for me in the bust. I would prefer this in single sizes rather than dual sizes. I'm adamant to find the perfect pattern placement in this dress because I LOVE it

Now for another striped dress, this time short, it's the bright stripe dress, £65. This dress is made from a thick stretch cotton/elastane mix, and is fully lined, what I'd expect for the cost. I tried this in a 8C, which turned out to be too small in the bust. It's a beautiful dress, well tailored, young and fun but I've also seen ladies older than myself wear it well. It's not something I'd wear a lot so it went back on the rack.

When I first saw this pretty red floral tea dress, £45, I was reminded of one of my other favourite brands, Cath Kidston. I have to say, when I pulled this on, however, my dreams of looking like a pretty English country girl were dashed...

This first shot shows how the dress looked as soon as I put it on. I was horrified! It was too big on the bust, again a dual sized 8C/RC, so I kind of expected this after trying the maxi dress. It appears to have too much fabric on the cross over top section, and made for a taller person.

I gave the dress a little tug up at the shoulders and it fitted a bit better...

 Then I messed about with the extra fabric around the neckline and it finally looked normal! I still wouldn't buy it though as I don't tend to wear dresses and I'm pretty certain I could find something equally as nice elsewhere. A jersey dress is an easy thing to get to fit, I don't need extra bust fabric because it stretches anyway!

Next up, two occasion dresses. The colour block dress, £69. This one is WAY too bright for my liking! This is a 8C and too small in the bust and on the hips, but is perfect on the waist. The fabric does not stretch and it is lined, so it's not the most comfortable of dresses. It's not the most flattering of dresses either, now I come to think of it!

The navy lace full skirt dress, £79 was the most expensive item I tried. Again, I needed this in a 8RC, as it was a little snug in the bust. I like the idea of this dress but I feel it's missing some detail in the top section. I feel it would have been better if it had a wrap style top. The vast space of nothingness just adds to the big boob effect in my opinion. I did love the way the lace overlay falls longer than the dress itself, and that it has a built in petticoat for extra volume. It would be perfect for a summer wedding.

....and on to the tops...

I didn't like the black saddle stitch cardigan, £39 AT ALL. I thought it looked messy if truth be known! This is a 8C, which might be a reason it looks messy as it doesn't quite fit, and the buttons gape. The idea is nice, but I think it would work better for someone with less curvy hips, as I found it bunched up. Apologies for the terrible picture, it was quite difficult to photograph with it being black. The 10C may have been better.

I liked the unusual style of this next one, the pleat knot red jersey top, £32. This is another jersey dual sized top in size 8C/RC. This fitted nicely and would be a good staple item for your wardrobe. It also comes in a multi print.

Next up, and my favourite, the washed denim tunic, £49. The one I tried was a 8C, but I needed a 8RC as it gaped a little at the bust. It's lovely! The fabric is soft and it has a lovely pin tuck detail. If it didn't cost a pound shy of £50 I would have snatched this one up! I'm sitting it out for this one to come up in the sale without a doubt!

.......and finally, the one that didn't get away! As I work in a professional environment I was looking for something a bit smarter than my usual jersey scoop necked top under a jumper. Thankfully Pepperberry's offering of the blue stripe shirt fitted the bill perfectly!

Firstly I tried on the 8C and found it gaped a little, so I then tried the 8RC, not holding out much hope because the 8C didn't seem too far off. The 8RC was absolutely perfect! It was as if it was made for me. I was so delighted that I forked out the princely sum of £39 for the pleasure! 

Here, the first photo shows the 8C, and the second shoes the 8RC which I purchased. I wore it for the first time today and it felt wonderful. I wasn't having to tug at the front to prevent gaping or check for buttons that open themselves, it just fits! Amazing! I will point out that this is the current blue stripe shirt and not the one from last year. That didn't work for me at all.

8C, a little gaping

 8RC, Perfect!

And if you're interested, this is my usual style, which is why I generally don't buy from Pepperberry...

I hope you enjoyed my round up of some of Pepperberry's Spring/Summer 2012 collection as much as I enjoyed trying it!