Tropical 1940s Florals from Karina Dresses

I think by now we all know my obsession with 1940's styling is well and truly beginning to thrive. As I've been shifting out 1950's items from my wardrobe that I knew I wouldn't wear anymore, I've been adding in more and more 1940's inspired items to my wardrobe and I've been absolutely loving the experience. There is something about the 1940's that just keeps drawing me in. Its elegance, its sophistication, its class. I always feel absolutely incredible in 1940s styling, so when I saw the Margaret Dress in Navy and White tropics, I knew I needed to make it mine!

The first thing that drew my to the margaret dress was this pattern! Karina dresses are available in multiple different patterns but this one for me just looked for incredibly true to the decade. As my 40's obsession grows, I've been doing a LOT of reading up on characteristics of patterns of that era and this one for me screamed 1940s. The pattern is actually even prettier in person than the pictures, the navy works so well with the fabric and the white really does pop beautifully! 

Flowers ~ Red Rose Double from Daisy Jean Floral Designs
Earrings ~ Bryona Earrings in Cobalt from Revere Folie
Necklace ~ Yellow beads from Debstar Designs
Brooch ~ Scotty Dog brooch from Miss Lady A Broad
Sunglasses ~ Jayjays 4 years ago
Dress ~ Margaret Dress in navy and white tropics from Karina Dresses
Shoes ~ Red Loraine heels from Royal Vintage Shoes

For those who aren't familar with Karina dresses, they are a stunning USA brand that make dresses that for me, hark back to the 1940s in their stying and they are iron free, as they dry crease free. Another feature I love about my Karina Dresses is they fit incredibly well thanks to them simply pulling over your head: no zips or bunching around zips which leads to a seamless silhouette. If I ever want comfort and class, Karina Dresses are my go to! I now have 4 of their gorgeous creations in my wardrobe and they get a lot of wear. 

  One thing I do adore about the Margaret dress is the length. The slightly longer length gives a more authentic shape to the dress as well as giving the wearer a nicer shape. The Margaret Dress also features a built in belt/sash of the same fabric, which I love using the cinch in the waist. The sleeve length is also ideal for ladies who, like me carry a bit of weight on their arms, as they are long enough and loose enough to help slim you down.

I'm wearing their M/L which is my regular size. I find this to be incredibly ample and in reality I could more than likely size down to the S/M without any issues as their dresses have a considerable amount of stretch. If you enjoy comfort and style, Karina dresses are a brand to keep you eyes on. These dresses are amazing for summer (they are incredibly light!!) but for winter I do wear a full slip with them, for that extra layer, ontop of my normal shapewear really does make a difference!

I love styling this dress. Red with the navy and white just absolutely pops and I often find myself throwing in hints of yellow as well to really lift it. For the styling of my shoot I opted for my red rose double from my business Daisy Jean Floral Designs. The red here tied in beautifully with the red background of my brooch and my shoes. The Scotty Dog brooch from Miss Lady A Broad is the perfect 1940's addition to my outfit. As I aim more for authentic styling, I find myself getting SO much wear out of my MIss Lady A Broad brooches. They have such a true vintage look about them and really do go with anything! I have a blog review of Miss Lady A Broad coming to my blog later this month!

Scotty Dog Brooch from Miss Lady A Broad

Bryona Earrings in cobalt and yellow beads

Loraine Heels from Royal Vintage Shoes

The Bryona earrings in cobalt from Revere Folie were also the perfect match for this outfit, as if they were made for it! I reviewed these gorgeous earrings recently on my blog, you can read the review by clicking here. My red Loraine heels were also a perfect red pop and I actually find myself wearing these shoes more and more as they just go with SO much!

The Margaret dress retails for $108US which is around $146AUS. I can give testament that these dresses are definitely worth the money and for pinups on the go Karina dresses would be ideal for their versatility and iron free maintenance! They ship worldwide and their styles are available in a range of different patterns!

I hope you've all enjoyed this blog! I'm endevouring at the moment to bring better blog posts to you all and I really feel like my blog is getting to where I always wanted it to be!

As always, I'm more than happy to answer questions and comments both on my posts and on my other social media pages!

Til next time darlings!

Disclaimer: Whilst I received these shoes as part of a sponsorship with Royal Vintage Shoes, all opinions expressed are honest to help ensure the most accurate information for my readers. 

A little black dress. Something so very timeless, classic and sexy about it, yet its something that up until recently has been incredibly under-represented in my wardrobe. In reality, I actually tend to steer clear of black. I find it to be a bit too bland for my liking and I prefer brighter happier colours. However, when seeing the Patti dress in black from Karina Dresses, I knew I had to give it a try!

Flowers ~ Red Rose Double from Daisy Jean Floral Designs
Beads ~ Vintage
Brooch ~ Marilyn Brooch from Deer Arrow
Dress ~ Patti Dress in Black Pointe from Karina Dresses
Belt ~ Off another dress
Shoes ~ Red Lorraine Heels by B.A.I.T Footwear from Royal Vintage Shoes

The Patti dress is a straight cut dress made of black pointe. As with all Karina Dresses, this beauty is crease free with no need to iron. Simply hand to dry after a wash! Karina Dresses also don't have zips, you simply pull them on which is also a feature I adore as I find sometimes zips can bunch and wrinkle the fabric around them. This dress also features pockets, which is amazing for a wiggle style because honestly, who doesn't love pockets in anything!

The Patti dress also features a square neckline with short sleeves. I likes this shape as I found it could lend itself to both casual and formal looks, while being practical for work. The just above the knee length is also a great versatile length for functionality and practicality. 

I got this dress in a M/L, to accommodate my rather fuller lower half which is my normal size for my Karina dresses! Surprisingly, I didn't find the shoulders too loose which is a huge win as they normally are. This dress is comfortable to wear and flattering with or without foundations. 

I absolutely LOVE the styling options for this dress as well! For this shoot I decided to go with red and white, as I feel they contrast SO well against the black. By belting with such a bright colour it really does highlight the smaller waist. I also love how my Marilyn Brooch from Deer Arrow absolutely pops out from the black background of this dress. My red Daisy Jean Floral Designs Signature Rose Doubles also help bring this look into more of a formal feel.

This dress retails for $108USD which is around $142AUD. I can attest that the price tag is totally worth it! This is my third Karina Dresses dress and I absolutely love them! They are so incredibly comfortable, versatile and practical! And they do ship worldwide!

I hope you've all enjoyed this review! As always, I am more than happy to answer any questions you may have if you pop them in the notes!

Til next time darlings!

Disclaimer: Whilst I received this dress as part of a sponsorship with Karina Dresses, all opinions expressed are honest to help ensure the most accurate information for my readers. 

Karina Dress

Foreword: Firstly darlings, I apologise for my absence. I recently had some bad family news so took a week or so break from this blog space, but it feels good to be back.

You don’t know comfort darlings until you’ve worn a Karina dress. I mean this in the most sincere way. I had the pleasure of receiving my first Karina dress late last year (click here to read my review) and it was honestly amazing. It’s become a staple in my everyday wardrobe for its comfort, versatility and quality. I must say, I was incredible excited to receive my second Karina dress in the post!

Flowers ~ Red Rose Double from Daisy Jean Floral Designs
Necklace ~ White Beads from Debstar Designs
Brooch ~ Margo Rita Brooch from Miss Lady A Broad
Dress ~ Trudy Dress from Karina Dresses
Shoes ~ Loraine Sandals by B.A.I.T from Royal Vintage Shoes (review coming soon!!)

The Trudy dress in the Crimson Branches is truly a work of art. I was so excited when this parcel arrived, the silky goodness of the fabric reminding me of seeing Harry Potter unwrap his invisibility cloak in his first year. The blue and red of this fabric is truly SO vibrant and you feel the comfort of this dress before its even on. As I recently parted ways with my only navy dress that I really had in my wardrobe, I figured it was time to welcome a new one into the fold.

So the fit darlings? I went with the M/L size, which is more than ample to allow me to pull this style over my head. As with my Megan dress, the Trudy doesn’t feature a zip or buttons. The fabric is stretchy enough to simply open it up and pull it over my head. I did find that due to the bust line in the Trudy, I could have sized down to the S/M, as I did find the bust to be quite roomy. But with the right bra it isn’t overly noticeable. The bust detailing of this dress combined with the sleeves for me really gives it a 1940s/1950s style which I truly adore!

The thing I probably love MOST about not just this dress but my Megan dress as well, is how good this dress looks with and without foundations. The last two summers, my skin decided it didn’t like the heat and on very warm days I can’t wear my beloved foundations anymore, due to how they make me sweat. What I love about Karina dresses is the fabric is quite breathable and I can wear them without super firm foundations and still look amazing!

The styling of the Trudy dress I found to be a lot of fun! The red and navy make it a super fun print to play with. You can match your accessorizes to the red or have a lot of fun like I did and use a bold block colour to contrast. Versatile items are something I adore and the Karina dress definitely calls into that category for me.

I opted to wear the gorgeous Margo Rita brooch from Miss Lady A Broad! I love the incredible detail of this brooch and its truly a compliment to the brand. Each piece is incredibly detailed and I always get compliments whenever I wear them. Designed and made in Melbourne.

The Trudy dress retails for $108US + postage which is $145.50AU + postage. For some ladies this might seem a lot to pay for a dress but its honestly the holy grail in terms of versatility and comfort. I’ve worn mine casually to the shops with no make up and flats, to work with my face and hair done as well as to dinner with a nice pair of heels. And I am yet to find a retro dress that is so comfortable and well fitting!

I hope you’ve like this review! I’ll be back tomorrow darlings!

Disclaimer: Whilst I received this dress as part of a sponsorship with Karina Dresses, all opinions expressed are honest to help ensure the most accurate information for my readers. 

My Weekly Outfits ~ 11th January to 17th January

Hello darlings!

I hope you are all well! I can finally get back into regular outfit posts as I'm now back at work (and no longer sunburnt) which means I'm back to dressing in my pinup best 6-7 days a week again!

Also....I've not really been home in the past 2 months, I've been staying at my fella's as we talk through a lot of stuff so I've been living out of such a small section of my wardrobe! But I'm home next week so I'll be wearing SO many different outfits you guys haven't seen in a while! Its going to be amazing!

But in the meantime, here are this weeks outfits!

Monday!

Flowers ~ Red Double from Daisy Jean Floral Designs

Brooch ~ Cactus Brooch from Mira Mae

Belt ~ Ebay

Dress ~ Megan Dress from Karina Dresses ~ Read the review here

Shoes ~ Betty Shoes from Royal Vintage Shoes ~ Read my review here

Tuesday

Flowers ~ Molly Double from Daisy Jean Designs

Beads ~ White bead necklace from Debstar Designs

Brooch ~ Brahminy Bryan Brooch from Erstwilder

Top & Skirt ~ Pink Dolores top and Mia skirt by Collectif

Belt ~ Ebay 

Shoes ~ Halina Shoes from Royal Vintage Shoes ~ Read my review here

Wednesday

Flowers ~ Daphne's Daffodil Double from Daisy Jean Floral Designs

Beads ~ Purple beads from Debstar Designs

Brooch ~ Rainbow Lorie Brooch from Erstwilder 

Top, belt & Skirt ~ Green Doris Top and Tropical Doris Skirt (Discontinued) from Pinup Girl Clothing

Shoes ~ Betty Shoes by Royal Vintage Shoes

Thursday

Flowers ~ White Rose Double From Daisy Jean Floral Designs

Brooch ~ Deer Arrow Happily Ever After Globe by Deer Arrow

Dress ~ Mae West Dress by Hell Bunny from Natasha Marie Clothing

Shoes ~ Betty Shoes from Royal Vintage Shoes

Friday

Flowers ~ Jean's Beginner Double from Daisy Jean Floral Designs

Brooch ~ Radio brooch in mink from Deer Arrow

Dress ~ Zelda Dress in Brown from Dolly and Dotty ~ Review Coming Soon

Shoes ~ Betty Shoes from Royal Vintage Shoes

Saturday

Flowers ~ Blue Rose Double from Daisy Jean Floral Designs

Necklace ~ Blue bead necklace from Debstar Designs

Bangles ~ Splendette

Brooch ~ Overnight Essentials brooch from Erstwilder 

Top/Belt/Pants ~ Heather Blouse, Retro Belt in red & Nell pants in black by Hell Bunny from Gwynnies

Shoes ~ Betty shoes from Royal Vintage Shoes

Sunday

Flowers ~ Red Rose Double from Daisy Jean Floral Designs

Necklace ~ Blue bead necklace from Debstar Designs

Brooch ~ Sundae brooch from Deer Arrow

Top ~ Freddies of Pinewood discontinued top (ebay find)

Belt/Pants ~ Red Retro Belt and Nell pants in black by Hell Bunny from Gwynnies

Shoes ~ Saddle Shoes from Royal Vintage Shoes ~ Read Review here

I hope you've all enjoyed this weeks outfits! I'm looking forward to being home and trying some new outfit combos this coming week! ITs going to be awesome!

Til then!

Vintage Vibes in the Megan Dress from Karina Dresses

Since the middle of last year, I've been having a growing obsession with the 1940's. Its not secret. I've talked about it before. I find women of the 1940's to be incredibly strong, sassy and badass. Women who were used to a man supporting the family going to work building planes and other equipment to help the war effort. I've recently been watching a lot of documentaries on the first and second world war (my knowledge was pretty shabby prior to this recent documentary binge) and I'm so honoured to be living in a world made possible by the men and women that gave their lives to fight in those wars. 

But darlings...lets get back to what we are here to talk about and that is CLOTHES! So, as I was saying before I got sidetracked, I've recently been on the hunt for dresses that hark to the 1940's era and when I got contacted by Karina Dresses wanting to collaborate, I knew instantly which dress I needed to have! 

Flower ~ Wine Rose Double from Daisy Jean Floral Designs
Brooch ~ Cactus Brooch from Mira Mae Originals
Belt ~ Ebay
Dress ~ Megan dress in Wine with Tan dots from Karina Dresses
Shoes ~ BAIT from Royal Vintage Shoes

Firstly, this dress is incredibly comfortable to wear! It has no zip but is stretchy and is just pulled over the head. Even with this feature the waist is nicely structured and nips you in. As the fabric has quite a bit of stretch it would also allow for ladies with a bigger bust to wear it without too much difficulty. The sleeves are comfortable and give coverage while not being too long. I wore this dress on Monday when Sydney was experiencing a VERY hot day and it breathed really well. But I also feel it would be warm when worn with a cardigan and a slip. This dress is one that I believe could be worn all year round with ease, which is always a bonus when you are investing in a retro wardrobe.

The styling of this dress is incredibly versatile thanks to its block colour and dot pattern. I've worn it with both dark and light accessories and each time its looked lovely. For my shoot I wore it with a petticoat but it does give a truer vintage look when worn with a slip and back seamed stockings. For my shoot today though I decided to have some fun and wear it with a petticoat, which does also give a great 1950's shape! I wore mine today with white! My belt is from ebay and if you are curious about my thoughts on my Halina shoes you can read the review on them here. 

Plus petticoats are fun for twirl in! There is something incredibly fun and almost princess like in twirling in a full skirt with a petticoat! I've been known to do it in deserted shopping centre car parks myself. But honestly, all in all I'd give this dress a thumbs up. Its well made, versatile, comfortable and it breaths! For my American readers this dress retails at $108US (aussie ladies sadly the exchange rate does bring this dress to around $154AUD) and they do ship internationally. 

I wanted to also share a closer look at this adorable little brooch I'm wearing today! The Prickly Pear Cactus Brooch is an original Design of Mira Mae Originals . She is the most gorgeous little Aussie lady who not only makes brooches that are her own original design but tops as well! You can snap yourself up this brooch for $18AUD + postage too which is incredibly reasonable!

Thank you all so much for reading this post! It feels SO amazingly good to be back posting here and sharing my love of vintage and pinup styling with you all like I have always wanted to!

Stay safe darlings!

Disclaimer: Whilst I received this dress as part of a sponsorship with Karina Dresses, all opinions expressed are honest to help ensure the most accurate information for my readers.