Enter the Dragon (Dress)

Summer may be gone here in the Great Southern Land, but the sunshine still lingers! After torrents of rain and flooding, the sun has broken through and it is a balmy (humid) 27 degrees. I can finally say, "See ya, sucker!" to the clouds and don an oriental-inspired dress (or three!).

I'm a hopeless romantic when it comes to Asian prints. Oriental-inspired fashion was very popular in the past; particularly in the 1940s and 1950s. Many fashion designers incorporated this look into their clothing, through elements such as frog clasps, mandarin collars, Asian-inspired prints and the much-loved cheongsam dress.  In a tale of East meets West, I would like to share some of my favourite summer dresses with an oriental flavour.

The truly amazing Trixie dress in Pearl Harbour print from Trashy Diva. This dress is made from a silky rayon fabric with a red halter tie and a full circle skirt to boot! The fabric is deliciously cool and lightweight: perfect for those sultry summer days. The fusion of Hawaiian and Asian designs in the print is nothing short of magnificent. This dress is discontinued on the Trashy Diva site, but eventually I found it here at Miss Bamboo (UK). Miss Bamboo is a great store for finding some culturally diverse, vintage-inspired gems! This dress has elasticised smocking at the back for comfort. I was able to size down from medium to small for this one. The Trixie dress has been released in a variety of prints and fabrics. Be sure to check out Trashy Diva to see the new colour ways.

Here we have the Garden Party dress in Vintage Dragon print by Dixiefried. This was an impulse purchase that I got here.  At first, I was concerned about the crossover straps at the front and elasticised neckline, but when the straps have been adjusted (much like bra straps), it fits comfortably and securely. There is very little stretch in this dress, so follow the size chart carefully! I believe (but could be wrong) that the crossover style of this dress was based on a dress Marilyn Monroe wore in 'The Seven Year Itch'. This dress also comes in white like Marilyn's and a cute bandanna print. The dragon print appeals to my Asian heritage, I guess. I'm wearing a size medium and it is a fairly snug, but not uncomfortable fit. It's made from a luxurious, heavyweight sateen.

Last, but not least, is the Frenchie Dress in a sweet oriental flower print. The dress has a gathered shelf bust and halter ties. Hidden lipstick pockets and a full circle skirt make this dress extra sweet. The colours are vibrant and contrast well with the metallic gold pattern throughout the print. Whilst this particular print is discontinued, the style is not, and it can be found on Bernie Dexter's website. There are also a few L and XL sizes left at Miss Bamboo on sale at present. I'm wearing a size medium and it is very fitted in the waist and bust. This dress is cotton and has zero stretch, so make sure you follow the size guide!

A back view of my Trashy Diva Trixie dress in Pearl Harbour print.

If you're thinking of incorporating a little Asian influence into your wardrobe, I'd say, "subukan ninyo!" (that's give it a go in Tagalog).

Happy Sunday x

Wiggle or Swing?

Different styles of dresses can have different effects. Lately, I have been wondering whether the wiggle or swing style suits me best, which got me to thinking that each style has its benefits and pitfalls. Some dresses suit particular occasions better than others. I only have one vintage wiggle dress, and that is my glorious Alfred Shaheen sarong dress (oh how I love thee). The rest of my vintage frocks are swing style. I have decided to look to my vintage-inspired collection a la pinupgirlclothing to see which style I'd prefer.

Let's look at wiggle dresses first. Do me a favour and disregard the ridiculous poses - I was just having a bit of a laugh with my poor husband who was wrangled into taking these photos.

Here we have the following dresses, left to right: Pinup Couture's Plum Jayne Glamour dress in satin, Dixiefried's Tiki Twist! in Asian-print brocade, and the Niagara dress in dark fuchsia stretch taffeta (a sample that I scored off a lovely PUGette via PUG Swap/Sell Community). The only one of these dresses that is still available is the Tiki Twist! at pinupgirlclothing.  You can still purchase the Niagara dress in a few different colourways though.

Forgetting the fact that I am obviously no model, wiggle dresses can be really flattering (in my case, when teamed with an awesome bra and shapewear). Not everyone is comfortable with a form fitting dress. Unless I'm wearing hardcore shapewear (Spanx in this case), then I'm not really confident with it myself - I am quite a hippy girl with a tendency to get a little bloated after I eat. I find that these are the kind of dresses that can make a gal feel sexy, but not necessarily like she wants to put away a large meal! A great style for a night out, special event or cocktail party, maybe even a black-tie wedding where you don't feel like wearing a full-length gown, leaving the legs free to party! That being said, I do love the hourglass effect that this style has on me. Pinupgirlclothing makes a super-duper range of wiggle dresses, well-cut from high quality fabrics. In fact, there are so many great choices it's hard to pick just one dress sometimes ;)

 Swing dresses... A different look for me, entirely!

Available from pinupgirlclothing. Left to right: Pinup Couture's Evelyn in rose print, The Courtesan Swing in Victorian Print from the Deadly Dames collection and the Pink Psychobilly Skull swing dress, also by Deadly Dames (no longer available).

I find that swing style dresses have a sweetness about them. I love the flowing fabric and the circle skirts which hearken back to the femininity of the 50's. I get a real kick out of wearing these dresses and I especially love it when old women say, "I used to wear something similar back in..." A swing dress, to me, seems less formal than a wiggle dress and it hides a multitude of sins (a great way of disguising my tummy when I overeat!). I feel comfortable enough to wear one shopping. As a teen, you would NEVER have got me into something like this, but as a young child, I loved that twirly effect that you would get from spinning around in a circle skirt. Well, there you go. I must have reverted back to my childish ways - I love twirling in my swing dresses! Perfect for a garden wedding, high tea, impressing your nanna... the list goes on.

So, which one? Choices, choices!

Two stunning women in two different styles. Photography by Laura Byrnes. Dresses (Micheline Pitt in the Vamp Dress - left,  Masuimi Max in the Netti Dress - right) available at  www.pinupgirlclothing.com

I have concluded nothing (must go back to pinupgirlclothing to look again!).

Which do you prefer? I would love to know what YOU think.

Happy Friday x

Sarong? So Right!

Bad pun aside, let's take a look at an iconic dress style of the 40's and 50's: the sarong dress. 30's and 40's starlet, Dorothy Lamour, helped to popularise the sarong dress. Six of her films featured her in a sarong-style dress, earning her the nickname 'Sarong Girl'.

Dorothy Lamour first wears a sarong dress in the film "Jungle Girl"

Many vintage brands cleverly jumped on the bandwagon and began producing their own version of the sarong dress. Some of these designers include: Kamehameha of Hawaii, Surf Riders, Paradise Hawaii and, of course, the legendary Alfred Shaheen.

Things were made to last in the post-war years, there's no denying that! Luckily for us, this means that many of these stunning garments are still around and in excellent wearable condition. A couple of things to note however. When buying a vintage sarong dress, expect to pay the big bucks. Especially if the dress carries a big name like Alfred Shaheen. For a Shaheen dress, you may expect to pay anywhere (and certainly upwards!) of $250 US dollars. Eep! Another point of interest is that many of these vintage sarong dresses were designed to suit a slender, yet voluptuous figure. I have often perused through vintage dresses thinking that women of the 50's were living, breathing hourglasses. It wasn't until recently that I discovered the secret of foundation underwear! A good waist cincher can take up to 3-4 inches from your waistline! Apparently, the mid-century misses and designers all knew this. Wearing good, strong foundation wear was the norm. Knowing this makes buying vintage less of a shock. On a good day, my waist is something like 27 inches in circumference. Many vintage sarongs average about 24 inches in the waist area. Holy smokes!

My darling Alfred Shaheen flat measures at 12 inches at the waist. That makes it 24 inches in circumference! Rest assured , I'm not getting into this bad boy without the help of a good waist cincher and the handy shirred panels at the back! My dress also features a sweet, detachable sash.

Don't let this daunt you though. Many reproduction and vintage inspired brands have tried their hand at sarong dresses. Not only are these dresses built for more modern women, but they don't necessarily carry the hefty price tag. Additionally, they are made from quality materials and come in fun prints!

Here are some of my favourites :)

Deadly Dames "Malibu" dress designed by the  fabulous Micheline Pitt and retailed for $122. This dress was a favourite of Amy Winehouse and there are talks by the designer to re-release it. Yay! 

Paradise Dress in Katrina print by Heartbreaker Fashion retails between $80-$100 US. Available in Leila print only from http://heartbreakerfashion.com/. Have a look around with this dress though. It's still available in the Katrina print, but you have to hunt for it.

Dixiefried's "Tiki Twist!" retails for $130 US from pinupgirlclothing.com. This dress is in my personal collection and I find it runs a bit big! You can easily size down due to the shirring at the back. Also available in black and gold brocade.

Tara Starlet's sarong dress retails for  £75. Available in different prints and colours from http://www.tarastarlet.com 

The Shaheen Dream by Whirling Turban. Available in lots of different prints and styles from http://www.whirlingturban.com/. This baby carries a higher price tag at $210 US.

Bernie Dexter for Babygirlboutique available for $89 US at http://www.babygirlboutique.com/

Some good places to hunt for vintage sarong dresses:
www.etsy.com
www.poshgirlvintage.com
www.ebay.com

The sarong dress is  perfect for those sultry summer night parties and events. Some sexy springolators, a tiki bamboo bag, cocktail in hand and you're good to go!

Happy Friday x

Pinup Couture for Wardrobe Staples

One of my favourite vintage inspired clothing companies comes in the form of the website: pinupgirlclothing.com. Pinupgirlclothing.com is the brainchild of the self-professed Supreme Overlord Laura Byrnes. Laura Byrnes has taken inspiration from 40's and 50's couture and given it a modern twist.

(images courtesy of pinupgirlclothing.com)

This website is home to some great vintage inspired brands: Pinup Couture, Laura Byrnes Black Label, Deadly Dames, Dixiefried and Golightly to name a few. As Pinupgirlclothing.com exists purely as an online retailer, it is important to know you measurements (bust, waist, hips - occasionally arm circumference and thigh circumference) in inches. When I talk about measuring your hips, I'm not talking about the protruding pelvic bones, ladies. I mean the biggest area around your butt! The lovely Bernie Dexter shows us how it's done (photo courtesy of http://berniedexter.com/size.html).

When shopping for clothing online, be a sensible dolly and measure yourself! Don't rely on your standard dress size. I have found it particularly useful that facebook fans of pinupgirlclothing.com are more than willing to share their experience with clothing purchased from this site. Whilst there, please note that sass-mouthing on the Pinup Girl Clothing (PUG) facebook page is more than unwelcome. Not only will it bring down the entire army of PUG followers on you, but you may even invite a snitty comment from the Overlord herself. Plus, it's bad karma. That aside, enjoy looking at the clothing on this page - the site has a fantastic layout and each garment has its own size chart. Fans have also posted reviews so you can get the low down on each piece. In my experience, clothing from this site is not only a head-turner, but each garment is well made from quality fabrics.

Disclaimer: this site is highly addictive. Best to browse when your credit card is not within arm's reach.

Happy Wednesday x