Pinup Girl Clothing - Neverland skirt

Half of this outfit came back with me from America. In my first post of the year, I wrote about visiting the Pinup Girl boutique in Burbank, California which was amaaaazing. This was like reaching the motherland for me and it was an entirely spiritual experience. To be fair, I was walking around in a daze, touching things in ultimate wonder and happiness. No kidding, you probably know how much I adore Pinup Girl Clothing so to visit their boutique on the other side of the world to where I live is pretty incredible and something I will be trying to do again soon.

For me, the Jenny skirt is the perfect length but I do hear of people frequently having them taken up a few inches. Personally, I love that this skirt stops at my calves; I don't feel drowned or swamped in the length but instead I find them comfortable to wear in the colder weather as the majority of my legs are covered. I think it's worth pointing out that these skirts are quite thick in a sense as well which is another factor in them being good for wearing in winter and early cold-ish spring. My experience of these skirts are nothing but excellent (as with all PUG clothing). Aside from my fluctuating weight which is kind of tricky with the waistband that doesn't have much stretch, the fabric is always thick and of excellent quality. There's a feel to holding PUG clothes that you don't get with many other repro brands and that's most likely down to their ethical manufacturing. These skirts have always felt really special to me and I felt no different when I managed to pick up this 'Neverland' print whilst visiting the store.

I managed to find these pair of B.A.I.T shoes in the sale also in the PUG boutique which were only $32! I absolutely ADORE these sandal type heels as they are perfectly cute and both practical. They're so easy to wear and very comfortable due to the low heel. 

This is the outfit that has pulled me out of bad moods recently; it's so bright and colourful and it's definitely given me some looks from people when I've gone out but I'm mostly feeling too cute and sassy to care!

Top is from Lindy Bop, brooch by Luxulite and hair flower nicked from my Mum ;)

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xo

Bernie Dexter & BAIT

Well hello. It's me again! I bring forth this week three low-quality phone pictures of my outfit which I have now forgotten on which day I've worn. Lately my posts are far and few between and I have no reason other than being inexplicably tired and not very well.  It really sucks as I love this blog so much and I miss being more involved with the blogging community but I haven't had the energy. I hope any of you who read my blog don't mind my breaks in between posts! I really miss reading blogs as well actually, I feel very disconnected but I'm slowly getting back to it.

I'm really excited about sharing this outfit with you this week as this is my very first Bernie Dexter dress! I've been lusting after her dresses, particularly in this style, for almost two years but I could never justify the price and shipping to the UK. You might remember my last post in which I wrote all about my trip to the States. I stayed in San Diego, California and in the neighbourhood I was in was this cute little vintage repro shop called 'Temptress' fashion! This is where I found this gorgeous Bernie Dexter dress and because I was on holiday, I felt obliged to treat myself. I was quite lucky actually because the store was having a 25% off everything sale in store so I got this for even cheaper! I've always loved the print of this dress so I was super excited to nab this.

Admittedly, it needs a bit of an iron here but sometimes I don't have the times and I'm a very lazy person. Should I be embarrassed? probably but I'm not. I've put on quite a bit of weight since the holiday so the waist is a lot tighter than it was before. The straps however, are too big for my shoulders and fall down a lot so like here, I tend to wear a shrug or cardigan to wear over it.

The colours of the dress are vibrant and outstanding and the fabric is lovely, feels thick and good wearing. Because of the straps, I would feel hesitant about buying a dress full price (which is $159 and most likely down to them being made in America) but once a sale or discount code is released I look forward to seeing what my next purchase will be.

The belt is from an old Hell Bunny dress and the shoes are BAIT footwear. I love a chance to wear these shoes; they're so pretty, smart and very practical. The shrug is by Lindy Bop!

Thanks for catching up with me, I have another new post coming within the next week!

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xo

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Books: The Girl In The Spider's Web

If I was shipped off to another island for the rest of my life and was held at gun point and forced to only take a few books (although that cliche of a fantasy situation is utterly ridiculous and we all know it) then the Millenium series is likely to be my ultimate first choice. But truth be told, I had no idea there was a fourth book in the series until a few weeks ago. When I found out, I almost screamed in delight. I haven't read much this year so I haven't kept up at all in the world of new book releases. 

So I mentioned in a post a few weeks ago that I had become *too* obsessed with the internet and my social media, to the point I stopped enjoying old hobbies like reading. So over the past couple of weeks, I've stopped spending so much time online and spent more of my free time reading books. The first one in a while being The Girl In The Spider's Web. 

For those of you less familiar with the Millenium series, they're crime novels based on two main characters called Lisbeth Salander, a computer hacker with a photographic memory and Mikael Blomkvist, an infamous investigative journalist whose is brought under scrutiny after he is charged and sentenced for libel against a billionaire. Despite being two people who are polar opposites in terms of characters, they team up together to solve a case of a missing person after being hired by the family member. Although I won't go into detail about the plots but they are fast paced, highly addictive novels which are not only incredibly easy to read but leave you engrossed into the characters and their lives.

Unfortunately the novel's author, Stieg Larsson, passed away in 2004 and despite there being rumours that the Millenium series was intended to be 10 books in total, only 3 were written by him. However, in 2013 Swedish publisher Norstedts allowed an author by the name of David Lagercrantz to write the fourth novel and so here we are!

So what are my thoughts on the fourth installment? well, to put it simply, having a well loved series be continued by a totally different author was always going to have it's criticisms and in no way did The Girl In The Spider's Web escape mine. Initial thoughts before I even started reading it were something along the lines of "Oh god, no! Why? just why?!" and "but what if he doesn't even write like Larsson, he'll completely ruin the series" so not to be overdramatic or anything, but yeah. I was nervous. I was also excited; excited at the fact I have a brand new story involving Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander, both whom I've come to love. I finally got to bring them back to life in my mind and to see where the next journey leads them; a feeling I know all to well from growing up and waiting for each Harry Potter book to be released. But to say I was underwhelmed with it all is an understatement. I thought Lagercrantz' effort in continuing Larsson's short but sweet style of writing was great but the plot felt....boring. In parts, I really felt myself switching off and not paying attention to what I was reading and I did end up putting the book down for a whole week when I was about 20% way through. However when I picked it back up, I did get back into and the book and ended up finishing it within a couple days.

Whilst I did mostly enjoy the story and thought Lagercrantz made a good effort, there was a conscious part of me throughout reading the book that it just wasn't the same. Of course, to think that it would be totally the same with a different author would be naive but there was a constant feeling that there was something missing. I think the plot felt quite dry in parts and in my opinion, there wasn't enough of Lisbeth for me to ever be happy with it.

I honestly tried to not be loyal to Larsson's writing and started this book with a completely open mind but I would say it was an average attempt at best and it'll be interesting to see if the same author is allowed to continue the series any further. 

Cakestand & Crumb [picture heavy post]

So a couple of weeks ago I left London to stay at Jonny's for a little while before he went back out on tour. I had just found out about this small vintage tea shop in Ampthill which is probably about a mile walk from where he lives. I'd wondered WHY I hadn't discovered this place sooner but since I eventually did, I saw no point in wasting time in going and I persisted on dragging him with me. 

It's a lovely little walk up to this cafe with pretty houses and lots and lots of greenery which is definitely a far cry from living in south east London. Admittedly, I can be a bit of a lazy bug when it comes to walking but the weather was perking up so we decided to walk it anyway and get some fresh air. 

The cafe is located down a little alleyway just off of the main street; it's definitely tucked away which is most likely why it took me so long to know about it and even Jonny had no idea it was there. 

As you can see, it's absolutely adorable! I love coming to places like this because I feel right at home and it truly does feel like an escape from the norm of everywhere else on the high street. I have to admit I do love my trips to Costa Coffee but these little tea shops will always beat them, hands down. 

When we first arrived the cafe was so packed there weren't any seats inside but since it wasn't raining, we were more than happy to sit outside. Unfortunately, the seats were wet from the earlier rain but one of the cafe's staff were more than willing to find us something to sit on to avoid the rain. Thankfully, as we settled down, a pair of people left so we could go and enjoy sitting inside and take in the interior. 

The interior is just adorable; despite being quite small, I think this gives it an advantage as it makes the place seem more cosy and relaxed. The walls are adorned with cute and quirky vintage style signs as well as trinkets and homeware on display including lovely vintage tea cups. My immediate thought as we walked in and sat down was "well I feel right at home!"

I was so impressed by the cutlery and china. I'm not normally a tea drinker but whenever I go to a tea shop I always HAVE to have it because 1. I just adore vintage china and 2. for some reason, I like pretend I'm more elegant than I really am ;)

The last tearooms I went to (back in London) I wasn't particularly impressed with because the cake was all store bought, so very dry and the tea was simply just bog standard tea bags which I don't expect to get in a vintage cafe so the menu wasn't great. However, Cakestand & Crumb was right up my street because the cakes were all home baked and the tea was loose and absolutely delicious. I would definitely be an avid tea drinker if I could have it like this everyday!

After I was told the scones were sold out (I believe they have very high amount of orders and a small kitchen which makes it difficult for them to provide these on the day and it's better to book in advance, I'll keep that in mind for next time) , I decided to opt for the smoked salmon sandwich with crisps and salad on the side. It was very simple but delicious and exactly what I'd expected, I didn't want anything fancy but nice china to eat it from. I then couldn't resist going in for a slice of cake afterwards. As you can see in the photo, I went for a slice of blueberry and lemon cake; I cannot say enough good words, so moist! I'm just so impressed. 

I honestly cannot remember the price of the individual items on our order (I know, I'm a bad blogger) but our order of a pot of tea, soft drink, two slices of cake and a sandwich came to roughly about £14-15. Baring in mind that these are also very generous portions as well as plenty of hard work going into making the cakes from scratch, it's so reasonable. I felt plenty full and it was much nicer, and cheaper, than having a bog standard lunch elsewhere. 

I do like to keep my reviews balanced so I often point out things that I feel could have been improved, but I really struggled here. We had such a lovely afternoon that I couldn't fault it at all. 

I've gone away and I'm already trying to plan when I can go again. I'd love to take my Mum as we love doing these sorts of afternoons together but it's a bit far from our house to come just for an afternoon tea. Either way, it will be done and I'm sure this will become a regular haunt of mine now I know of it's existence.

http://www.cakestandandcrumb.co.uk/

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xo

*I was not paid, sponsored or gifted any items for this review. I wrote this based off of my own visit paid for by myself. 

Review: Lindy Bop 'Marlene' in blue gingham

So when I saw this dress on the Lindy Bop website, I literally jumped for joy! I've been looking for a dress in this exact style for ages now and the fact it was by an affordable repro company made me even happier. I don't think there's a feeling quite like the one you get when you find the dress you've been longing after all along and not only can you afford it, there was a 20% off sale at the same time. 

The 'Marlene' is out in 4 different colour-ways and I picked up this one and another one which you will see in another post. This is by far my favourite pattern of them all because I've just really grown to love gingham, especially since I bought the pink gingham cigarette trousers from Collectif. 

Taking blog photos can be a trying process, especially when I was trying to take these right in the middle of my parents setting up their party. but of course, when you buy a dress this beaaaaautiful, you have to instantly snap it right? right. Actually, I took them literally after breaking open the parcel because I really couldn't resist...woops. 

I would say this dress may be a bit of a struggle if you are on the bustier side but there is some slight stretch to the fabric with it being 3% elastane but as I'm on the smaller side, I don't know too much. about how big boobs fit in dresses! However, I will say that the chest area is very snug with the high neckline but as a smaller chested lady, I love this and suits me just nicely. The dress is 97% cotton so it's very light and soft which makes for a very comfortable wear. I'm personally a huge fan of spaghetti straps as well which is strange considering I use to hate having my arms out but I think this feature makes the dress a lovely and ideal one for an afternoon picnic (okay the weather hasn't been too great for that but we can always hope!). 

I do feel very Dorothy-esque in this dress but how I only wish I had a small dog as my companion. Really rubbish shinfo for you here, but in my Year 6 school play, I offered myself up to play Toto the dog in the Wizard of Oz so I could be in every scene, my headteacher bought me gardening shinpads so I wouldn't damage my knees...oh I'm too funny and desperate to be seen, clearly! Anyway, it's always lovely to feel pretty which is what this dress definitely makes me feel. 

The dress features a hidden zip at the back, which I admit I struggled a little bit unzipping because the back is a little high but that doesn't bother me at all. 

I ordered this in a size 14 and it's a perfect fit, I have no qualms with the sizing at all so I'd say it's pretty much true to size. I adore the fit and flare style of the chest to skirt; I find that when the body is fitted and the skirt is flared, it can accentuate your waistline making it appear a bit smaller. 

As you can see, I've paired the dress with one of my favourite pairs of flats from B.A.I.T footwear. You may or may not have noticed that I've worn these shoes in my last few reviews so I've either gotten really lazy with footwear or I just suddenly have a love for blue coloured clothing; maybe it's a bit of both?! These flats are very sturdy and comfortable after all. 

The belt comes as part of a set from Primark whilst the headscarf is from eBay. 

I hope you liked this review and possibly found it helpful. If you have any feedback or questions,please feel free to leave in the comments. 

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xo

This dress was not gifted or sent for review, I've purchased this with my own money :)

Review: The Oblong Box Shop Flamingo Skirt & Criss Cross Sweetheart top.

The Oblongbox Shop is a brand I'd heard of for a while through Instagram but had never gotten around to checking out properly. I always thought "well I can't spend this money so I might as well not bother looking" and so I didn't. For a while. Pay day arrived and I then found myself more curious than ever to check out their beautiful skirts I'd been spying online.

Now what sets The Oblong Box Shop apart is that owner, Denialle Von Fitch, handcrafts all of her skirts which includes down to the actual skirt illustrations. I think people tend appreciate little nuggets of information like this because it normally means that a lot of care and attention has gone into creating the item of clothing. Another thing I noticed was just how easy the website is to navigate; okay that may sound supeeer lame but this kind of thing is important to me. It's really fast, organised and visually SO pretty to look at. I suspect a lot of people wouldn't care but a crappy website bothers me and loses me as a customer faster than you can blink.

Browsing through their website was more tempting than I could have imagined. I had a little look through all of the clothing but what really caught my eye in particular was the collection of skirts. By far, my favourites are the novelty print skirts; since I bought my first Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny skirt, I've absolutely fallen in love with kitsch printed clothing, so to me these were heaven to look at. 

I went with the flamingo design for a couple of reasons; one, the turquoise colour is vivid, stunning and totally eye catching.....which I really like despite actually loathing attention 99% of the time (I know I'm a weird one) and two, you may know that I have mentioned on the blog a few times now that I just adore flamingo prints. When it comes down to it, go with what you know! 

The skirt is made from 100% polyester which is something I've not experienced in a full skirt (or any skirt) before. For me, it's perfect though as I've since carried it around in my suitcase and it just doesn't crease. I'm only used to wearing cotton skirts so it did take a little getting used to but I feel that this will only make the skirt last a lot longer. It really is beautiful to look at; the colours are incredible and so vibrant and worth the $95 for that on it's own; but it also features a hidden side zipper with an adjustable waistline which is also another first for me! However, I could have easily downsized in this. As an inbetweenie, I tend to size up to be safe, especially when ordering from America. I've found it isn't too much of a bother because as you can see here, I've put my trusty ebay belt on to accentuate my waist and break up the colour.

Worn with the skirt, is also a top that is from The Oblong Box Shop. As far as I could tell, these tops aren't made by the brand but are from elsewhere. The selection is fantastic however, and SO CHEAP. When I made my order, I also bought this 'It's A Wrap' crossover top for $20 and the one I'm wearing here which is the 'Criss Cross Sweetheart Pinup Top' in baby blue at $19.50. They are both fantastic quality, especially for their price. I'm so used to pinup style seperates being stupidly expensive most of the time so it is refreshing to see affordable prices. 

What I love about this top though, which also comes in many different colours, is the variation. 

You can wear the neckline as a criss cross or just as normal straps like shown above. I might at some point try and tuck the straps under and wear it like a boob tube style top and see what that looks like, So it is versatile as well as being stretchy and very flattering on the body and bust. I suspect the built in cups are a bit useless for the bustier lady but are perfect for me. The colour also goes perfect with the skirt, they're like a match made in heaven!

Well, I hope you enjoyed reading this review. As you can tell, I fully recommend making an order from The Oblong Box Company, especially as you'd be helping out a smaller business. The selection is really to die for so you won't regret it. 

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Oh Gwyneth....

I'm the absolute tool who has been spreading these images around my social media before I even bothered to write the post. The problem is, when I try a dress on and I *feel fantastic* I go to take blog photos, then I love the photos so much I just have to Instagram, Facebook and Tumblr them all before I've even had the chance of writing a blog post. I can imagine I am very annoying to anyone who follows me on any of those formats; particularly Instagram to which I am a self-confessed addict.

So I first wore this to the Pinup Picnic In The Park event back in June but I have not worn it since. It was a second-hand buy from a lady on Facebook and I feel I really lucked out with this one. Now, I'm an owner of other Voodoo Vixen dresses, but I was glad to get this one second-hand as I didn't know how their wiggle dresses would fit me. I mean, I was rather happy when I came across this on Facebook because I couldn't afford it at full price, not knowing what the fit would be like (and yeah, VV dresses are really reasonable) so I thought I'd rather take this opportunity to try the dress at a slightly cheaper price but pre-owned. 

Thankfully, and to my utter delight, the dress arrived in pretty much perfect condition. To me, it looked brand new. Fit wise, it isn't perfect on me but these days, I tend to size up on wiggle dresses; I'm a little self concious of my belly and my weight is constantly fluctuating so I'm scared of wearing my ACTUAL SIZE. Silly, I know. However, I needn't have worried here as it's clear that this dress isn't skin tight and didn't leave me feeling vulnerable. In fact, I would have quite happily have sized down and not feel like all my lumpy bits - which I am constantly trying to love - were on show. I believe the dress is still wearable despite the considerable amount of room on my shoulders (at some points during the picnic, the shoulders kept falling down but I found it rather amusing). 

So the dress does come with it's own belt but personally, I found it wasn't sturdy enough for me so that I could cinch in my waist. In these photos, I'm wearing my What Katie Did - Morticia corset so obviously my waist looks tinier than normal and with ALL this extra room, I turned to my trusty white waist belt from eBay to tie the look together. This isn't a thing with just this particular dress because any dress that I buy that comes with a belt, I usually replace it with another..I'm a bit fussy like that you see. 

I need to talk about how gorgeous the print is though; the nautical theme suits me through and through as you may or may not have seen my anchor tattoo on my forearm. I'm a bit fan of this theme so it's fabulous when I get to incorporate it into my wardrobe. I feel the navy and white colours of this dress make it a really simple yet classy outfit to wear as it doesn't really make a statement as such but can easily be dressed up as it can be dressed down. Also, can we PLEASE notice the POCKETS?! Yes, a dress that has pockets is the Holy Grail.

Made of 97% cotton with 3% elastane, there is a touch of stretch so it is very forgiving on the body, as I mentioned before. The one part of it I do really love is how thick the dress feels; it really doesn't feel flimsy or cheap. Yet I was let down in the buttons department; within a few hours of my second wear, the buttons down the front started withering away and falling off. This isn't the first time this has happened to me with a dress. It happened on my other Voodoo Vixen 'Tilly' dress, a Lindy Bop dress and now this. I'm starting to become wary of buying dresses with sown on buttons because they just fall off so quickly. I mean, it's alright when you have the spare button which comes with most dresses...but when more than one falls off and it's in public and you can't retrieve it, you start looking silly. For me, this aspect ruined (a teeny tiny bit, I will find other buttons to sow on, I refuse to let this get me down) the dress slightly, but not much. 

I'm so impressed with the way this dress makes my body look (even without the corset on underneath) as it gives it a silhouette and perfectly outlines my figure. Moreover, the dress is just rather pleasing to the eye and I'm totally in love with the cut of it. The kick pleat at the back does help, along with the slight stretch in the dress, to walk around and sit down in (like when you're sitting around at picnics!)

Now I know their pencil dresses fit me well enough, I have my eye on the 'Allison' dress, you can see here. This one is going straight to my wishlist and I will be purchasing brand new, because who doesn't love a new parcel in the post anyway?! 

Shoes by B.A.I.T Footwear. 

Until next time my lovelies, thank you for reading <3
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xo

Hell Bunny - Souvenir dress.

Sunday was a beautiful day, I'd just gone to get my hair done and on my way home, I stopped by Greenwich Park to take some photos for this post. I remember feeling stupidly nervous about this as it was the first time that I was going to take blog photos out in public, on my own. Obviously a sensible choice was to pick a park, on a Sunday, when it was very warm and sunny; no, not my greatest decision but one I'm very glad I made. 

For a couple of weeks, I've been trying to think of a few ways to up my 'photo' game, as it were. I'm constantly looking for new ways to improve myself; through my photos, my writing and my blog in general. I'm quite lucky in the respect that I live in close distance of some beautiful parks, including my favourite - Greenwich Park. Everything about this place is stunning, the views are out of this world. 

So I'm not totally happy with how most of these photos came out. I was definitely nervous - what's not nerve racking about setting your camera and tri-pod up in the middle of a busy park and then set to striking poses? I was getting some looks but nothing too bad. I tend to feel I always make a bigger deal out of how people perceive me than what people do truthfully. 

So I'm totally in love with the surroundings here and I'm glad I can bring something new to the blog. I'm on annual leave for the next two weeks from work, and I'm so determined to scout new locations to shoot outfit photos! I'd love to have a partner in crime with me on these kinds of trips but I am looking forward to getting out on my own with just me, my camera and my tripod. 

On to the outfit, I've had this for a couple of weeks ago but I've only just gotten around to shooting it. The dress is described as the "Souvenir" dress from Hell Bunny. A brand I'm finding myself constantly going back to, as I'm in love with their kitsch designs. You may have seen this style dress in the form of my 'Larissa'. It's the same style but with a different print.

What I love about this dress is that makes me feel like I'm on holiday. I've worn this out a couple of times now and I've had some lovely compliments by strangers. It's a perfect summer dress for me as it is sleeveless but it doesn't give me the same exposure that I don't particularly like from say spaghetti straps. 

I am particularly fond of the fit of this dress; it is perfectly form fitting on the body and then comes out to a flowing skirt so it accentuates the curves of your body, this is enhanced with the belt that comes included; it can be used to pull you in at the waist - which I always love. 

The back of the dress goes down into a 'V' shape, like the front and features a hidden zip design. Made of 98% cotton and 2% spandex, there is a very tiny bit of stretch to this dress. The quality is fantastic so I couldn't fault the way the dress is made at all, and I think if different prints of this style dress continue to be made, I will buy them all. 

The dress is adorned with prints of signs of Fiji, flowers and maps; which gives the dress such a cute touristy feel and that's why you feel on holiday when you wear it. I've never been to Fiji but I'd love to now and I'd take this dress with me. 

Worn with my dress, is a cardigan from Primark. I accidentally bought it in a 18 so it looks quite odd and I have to tie it up quite hard to make it look less baggy.

Shoes are from B.A.I.T Footwear.

B.A.I.T Footwear

Saturday was quite literally the best day; you can see why right? I don't think there is a better feeling than 3 pairs of shoes turning up at your door - this was nicely accompanied by a lovely delivery lady who complimented my hair. 

 I excitedly tore the packaging open to find 3 boxes of my b.a.i.t footwear order. It's been super tricky (or maybe my internet hunting skills aren't as sharp as I thought they were?) to find an online retailer based in the U.K that stocked the shoes I liked. I did eventually find one and I'd link you to it but the website has strangely since taken all of their b.a.i.t footwear off of their site. 

I bought each of these 3 shoes for £25 each. I couldn't believe how cheap they were.

First we have the 'Betty' shoes in coral - they are so gorgeous and the name is pretty apt; they do look like a pair of shoes you'd see adorned on Betty Draper! I am so unbelievably in love with these, so much I ordered my mum a pair too and she's so excited to wear them. The hell is low and so very comfortable and I love an ankle strap.

Second pair is the 'Hansel' shoes, also in coral. I've never owned a pair of court style shoes before so I wanted to try something new. I love the brogue-esque pattern, and like the 'Betty' shoes, I just find the coral colour really pretty.

The third pair are the 'Sylvia' shoes. I picked these because of the popping blue colour. Like the 'Hansel' shoes, they also have a lovely brogue like look to them. These are the only pair I've managed to wear properly so far, and they feel great. They feel really sturdy and very well made; I've worn flat shoes that just fall apart in a few wears but these feel amazing. 

I'm so impressed with my shoes so far, I can't wait to wear them all out more often - I do have quite a few outfits to match them to, hehe. 

I also have my eyes on others from the But Another Innocent Tale collection....

1) Kira - Yellow

2) Ione - Precious Blue

3) Robbie - Pink

4) Ida - Fair Yellow

Pinup Girl Clothing - Birdie dress.

Just recently, I finally broke down and made my first order from the amazing Pin Up Girl clothing. It's been a long time coming as I haven't really been able to afford to buy anything from them, because being based in the U.K, we have to face the international shipping and import tax charges. Alas, it was all worth it. I thought to myself - 'you're always going to want these dresses, so why not just order some now and get the feelings out of the way', so I did. But let's be honest, it really doesn't take much to convince myself to buy myself new clothes. Considering I'm supposed to be saving for a house, this really was a naughty purchase of mine but I think it was worth it as I've never been in a better position financially before. 

Ultimately, the whole experience with the brand from ordering to delivery, has been fantastic. One of my pet peeves about some websites, especially with vintage reproduction, is not knowing what else the model, who is wearing the product you're looking at, is also wearing. For example, I am looking at a skirt online and the model is wearing that skirt, I also notice that model is wearing a fantastic matching top or shoes but when websites don't let you know what else that model is wearing or what you could pair with that skirt, it's slightly annoying. However, this is why I love PUG; on every item they looked at, they had a 'buy this look' section where you could take a sneak peek/possibly buy matching items. I bought a skirt (which I'll blog at some point) and I was wondering what to buy with it, so I was happy that they linked to what the model was wearing, so I had a cute outfit. 

The delivery -

I couldn't believe how quick the delivery was. I bought 3 dresses, a top and a skirt so I ended up getting the delivery for free. From ordering to reaching my door, the delivery took about 5 days and this was over a weekend. For an international delivery, this was fantastic. Imagine coming home after working all day, you've been yelled at by various different strangers so you're in a cranky mood, and you see a big box on your bed. I think that moment needs to be bottled up and kept, it was great!                                                                                                                   

Anyway, just a word of warning - although I suspect most people know about this already - I received an import tax charge from FedEx a couple of weeks later which was quite pricey. I still thought it was worth it. 

The 'Birdie' dress - 

Ahhhhh the dress is amazing! I can safely say that I have never ever owned a dress that is of such good quality like a Pin Up Girl dress. From the first touch, you can tell that their dresses are made of high quality materiel; 97% cotton and 3% spandex infact. The dress is soft to touch and it feels strong. Okay, that may sound like strange adjective, but I have had dresses that have definitely felt weak and breakable. 

I ordered the XL size dress because it was the one the matched my waist size. I think I could have gotten away with the L actually, but I can make this work. I think this Birdie is absolutely perfect for the summer; the colours are so vibrant and fresh. I personally would never have put the pink and blue together but I'm glad I went with this colour way as I think it's stunning to look at. 

The skirt is lovely and full; I added a Vivien of Holloway petticoat to it but I honestly feel the dress is just as full without it! I adore the belt too, for once there is enough holes in the belt for it to make an impact on my waist so it really nips me in. I love that it is a wide one too, I'm too used to using skinny waist belts, it makes a nice change. The 3/4 length sleeves are perfect for those days that it's warm but with a breeze, so you don't need another layer on top. Moreover, I mostly like having my upper arms covered up so it's perfect for me. 

I moan about my small chest a lot, but I feel I would have benefited from this dress a bit more if I had a larger bust. This a universal problem I have with all dresses; I am a plus sized girl with small boobs so I need larger dresses to fit the waist but I never have the boobs to fill out the top. If I was a smaller size I could just size down the dress but the waist won't fit. Body woes, aye? It's nothing a bit of pinning or a bullet bra can't sort out though so no fear! 

Overall, I'm just in love with this dress, I'm in love with PUG clothing as a company. I cannot wait to wear this out more over the summer! I hope this was a little insightful. 

I will showcase the rest of my order in upcoming posts!

Sarah xo