French Fancy in Doll Deluxe

I rarely plan outfits in advance. Its normally a decision made while I'm styling my hair first thing in the morning and seeing how it turns out. But occasionally, I see an item that really catches my attention and it causes a chain reaction of my brain to start piecing together a complete look from different components. This outfit was one of those times. I saw this amazing Doll Deluxe dress and knew I needed to make it mine. After much umming and ahhing I bit the bullet and contacted Deborah about popping this gem on layby, which actually worked incredibly well as it let me have the time to pull together other aspects to give this dress the complete look!

Beret ~ True Vintage Red Velvet Beret purchased from Etsy
Earrings ~ Byrona Earrings in Cobalt from Revere Folie
Beads ~ Red bead necklace from Debstar Designs
Brooch ~ Be Mine brooch from Miss Lady A  Broad
Handbag ~ Red Repro bag from Lola Von Rose (review coming soon)
Dress ~ Madeline Dress in Navy from Doll Deluxe
Belt ~ Kmart
Shoes ~ Red Lorraine heels from Royal Vintage Shoes

2016 for me is the year I started embracing my curves again after hiding them away for a 12 month period. Weight gain can often be a difficult thing to deal with and as I got larger wiggle dresses became harder to feel confident in. But I decided it was time to start investing in them again and celebrate my body again. Its been an incredible journey. A lot of my previous wiggle dresses no longer fit me and I've parted ways with most of them to make way for new items. After placing this dress on lay-by I spent a good while searching for the perfect hat, finding this bargain beret for just $14AUD + postage. I was so excited to get them all together and the end look was as perfect as I'd hoped it would. 

So this dress...where do I start?! Firstly, made of bengaline its incredibly comfortable and has a lot of stretch. I went with the size that my measurements best suited which is the size 16, in hindsight I could have sized down as the fabric has more stretch than I expected but I feel for me the size I got is the right fit for easier wear, as I'll be able to wear it without shapewear as well as with. I found this dress was incredibly curve hugging, a feature which I absolutely adore but it isn't so firm that its unflattering. The collar and sleeve detailing of this dress is one of the main things that drew me to this dress: the subtle splash of tartan against the navy is honestly so pretty. The collar is sewn flat, so you don't have any risk of it flying up or sitting at an odd angle post wash and the red bow that joins at the front is made of red velvet.

For hugging curves, this dress is amazing. As a heavier bottomed girl, this dress perfectly flatters my curves and smooths. The bengaline gives stretch in all the right areas while still giving good shape. Being a thicker bengaline too I found it meant my foundations weren't as obvious through the fabric either, which is something I find important. The sleeves are comfortable and have give, the collar sits well and its overall a truly stunning dress.

As a red lover it also means I have so many red accessories to team this dress with and I must say, they all came together beautifully for this finished look! I wore this outfit to the Miss Pinup Australia to so many wonderful compliments. This finished look is so incredibly sophisticated and sassy. Its also a dress that is incredibly versatile and I can wear to work during the day as well as out to events.

The Doll Deluxe Madeline Dress in Navy is currently on sale for $149AUD + postage. Doll Deluxe is an Australian brand and these are made in Australia. Deborah, who is the owner of Doll Deluxe is incredibly lovely and helpful, if you have any questions regarding sizing and other product information. Her customer service on this purchase was above and beyond and I cannot recommend her enough. I am so glad this outfit came together as I hoped it would and it was even better in person than it had been in my head!

You can find Doll Deluxe in the following places:

Their Store

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I hope you've all enjoyed this blog post! Til next time darlings!