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!

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

Lady V's Latest Offfering: The Wiggle Dress

As you may have realised by my previous posts, I LOVE Lady V London's dresses. Recently on their Facebook page they announced the arrival of the new Wiggle dresses, a prospect that filled me with sheer joy!

The Lady V Wiggle dress comes in 7 colours and 3 different prints in sizes 8-20/22. It costs £40, or £30-£40 at the time of writing this since it's on offer. I opted for the Red/White Polka Dot and the White/Black Polka Dot as they popped out to me most. As for the sizes, my measurements are; bust 36", waist 26.5, hips 38" so I ordered sizes 8 and 10 in both colours to ensure I didn't miss out on the introductory offer. Here's the size chart for this particular dress:

Two days later a pink package arrived containing the lovely dresses! My first observation was that the red isn't a bright poppy red but more of a wine red, which isn't what I was expecting, but is really nice nonetheless. The dresses are of a nice quality and don't feel like they'd fall apart or lose their shape easily. 

The fabric of the skirt part is quite a thick, quality stretch cotton/elastane mix and designed to cling to your curves, but does seem to be prone to creasing. The top part (the patterned bit) is made from a non-stretch viscose so I wasn't sure how the fit would work out on a fuller bust. The other design feature I was worried about was the 'apex' between the bust, which creates a kind of cupped dress. I've always steered clear of this sort of feature as all women have differently sized boobs, so I think a lot of women might not look quite right in these dresses as a result. A more preferable design in my opinion would be to have a high waisted design without the bit between the boobs. Something like this. I've added the collar and bow using my amazing MS Paint skills, but you get the idea! The original dress is from Ebay, apologies but I can't find the listing now!

The 'apex'

As I said before, I ordered both size 8s and 10s to try and find the perfect fit. The 8 fitted better in the body, if not a little more snug than I feel comfortable in but the top part of the dress was too small, hence the mega cleavage. The 10 was perfect at the top but too big at the bottom, which you can clearly see in the photos below. This problem could easily have be solved by a minor and relatively simple alteration.  

The one thing I noticed when I laid them flat was how 'hippy' these dresses are, making them ideal for those curvier ladies who don't go straight up and down. If I were to have kept one, it definitely would have been the white/black polka dot dress in a 10 and have it tailored to fit.

White/Black Polka Dot:

Red/White Polka Dot:

Be warned, the plunging neckline is not for the faint of heart and exposes lots of skin (and cleavage if you're busty). You'll need to wear a balcony bra, such as Curvy Kate's Tease Me or Masquerade's Rhea for the bra not to be seen. In my photos I'm wearing a Freya Deco plunge bra that I had to fold to make the cups less visible (you can see them in the red dress) and a shapewear 'Wear Your Own Bra' (WYOB) slip from Primark's Secret Possessions range to smooth out my silhouette.

I love the pin up style of the wiggle dress and the fact that it has a wide collared neckline, polka dot pattern, high waist and a bow really pushes my buttons. The 'apex' I discussed is something I would normally have overlooked for such a nice dress but I can't really afford another at the moment, so I've had to send them all back, sorry Lady V...I'll always accept gifts y'know ;)

So ladies, what do you think? 

Pinup perfection! The Heidi dress by Pinup Girl Clothing

Amongst the many dresses my curvy pals have tried, there is one that stands out above the rest. One that seems to enchant every woman who's tried it, whether they are a size 6 or a size 20. That dress, ladies and gentlemen is the Heidi by Pinup Girl Clothing!

A few months ago I finally caved in to my desires and bought a Heidi dress in leopard print from buy-unlike. After a lot of comparing measurements with other Heidi fans, I bought the dress in a small, and much to my delight it fitted perfectly, as though it was made for me! I paid £47 for it in the sale, and sadly they don't stock it any more but it can be found on Pinup Girl Clothing for £60 (plus shipping).

The neckline is quite daring and somewhat lower than I'd usually wear, but boy do I feel good in it! It's sweetheart shape is complimented by a black trim which is also echoed around the cap sleeves. Included is a high quality skinny fabric belt in black. Here I teamed it with a wide bow belt from Primark, spike heelless shoes from my local market (can also be found on ebay) and the 'Lola Puffy' petticoat from Collectif.

A close up on my shoes because I think they're amazing! I admit I've not worn them yet but I couldn't face taking them back for a refund because they're so different.

I'm glad I caved in as this dress is gorgeous, fits like a glove and is available in plenty of other colours should I get bored of this one. I've already go my eye on the cherry print Heidi.

The Heidi might cost a bit more than other dresses I've tried, but it's totally worth it as the quality, fit and rockabilly styling are perfect. I'd be hard pushed to find something off the rack that fits as well as the Heidi. It's quite simply perfect!

Collectif FTW!

On my last visit to London with my boyfriend in July I discovered a lovely little shop called Collectif situated a stone's throw away from the Covent Garden Travelodge. I'd always dreamt of dressing like a pin up girl and really showing off my curves, and Collectif certainly delivered!

I tried on a number of dresses in various styles and found the Dolores style fitted the best in the bust. The top I'm wearing in this first photo is the Dolores Top Knot Seagull, £25. I also got this in blue, both in a size 8. It fits really nicely and goes with jeans, shorts or skirts.

The next is a Rhonda Dress Fiesta in black satin, £30. Again a size 8, this fitted a size smaller than the Dolores, so I recommend you size up in this. It's a lassic 1940's style and is gorgeous but satin just isn't for me.

Next up, the super sexy Regina Feral Fatal Dress in Leo £50. The size 8 ftted like a glove, but sadly didn't provide quite enough room in the boob department. The neckline is beautiful and I'm so sad it didn't quite fit. This print would look fabulous with red shoes, belt and bag. I love it!

Here we have a Dolores Polka Polka Fitted Dress in Navy £45, size 8. When I got home and looked at these photos again, I instantly regretted not buying it! It fitted beautifully, hugging every curve as though it was made for me. I did manage to pick one up on Ebay in black/white a few weeks later and I've worn it twice since, with plenty of compliments too!

Up next is the Regina Doll Mini Polka Polka Flared Dress in blue, £55, Size 8. Like the Leopard print Regina fitted dress, this didn't quite fit my bosoms at the top! The waist was a little snug too, so I can't help wondering if a size 10 would have fitted. This is by far my favourite of all their flared dresses. I just love how the sleeves are trimmed with white, making it look as though the top part is a separate bolero. On my next trip to London, I'll definately be trying this again in a size 10, and probably buying it even if it means a trip to the dressmakers to get it altered. 

So here's the one I bought from Collectif's Ebay shop for the bargain price of £10 due to it being a slight second. It's the Fitted Dolores Polka Dot in black/white and I adore it! Here I've teamed it up with a red belt from Primark, a red clutch bag from I have no idea where (I've had it ages!), and red and white shoes from Red Herring at Debenhams, which my boyfriend bought for me a few years ago. The Flower in my hair was from BHS.

My other purchase from Collectif was this amazing Jo Lucky Lady Cardigan, £30. I bought a Medium and it's so lusciously soft with some fantastic rockabilly embroidery detailing. Great to slip on to add that pin up touch to any outfit.

So the moral of the story is....SHOP WITH COLLECTIF!

Thanks for reading as always :)