Step into swing with Pinup Girl Clothing Doris Pants

I’m going to start this blog post darlings, by saying you cannot believe how difficult swing pants are to get decent photos of! I’ve been trying for MONTHS to get good enough pictures of these incredible pants to review them and I just kept coming up short. These pants are so beautiful, with the flowing crepe and the wide leg, that they were hard to photograph so you could see their details, the little things that make them amazing. But, I finally managed it and here they are!

Flowers ~ Yellow double from Daisy Jean Floral Designs
Earrings ~ Retro Hilary earrings in fine gold glitter from Daisy Jean Floral Designs
Brooch ~ Yellow ribbon gold fish brooch by Luxulite from Coconette-Oz
Top ~ Robin top in antique green from Collectif
Pants ~ Doris Swing Pants in Black from Pinup Girl Clothing
Shoes ~ Saddle shoes from Royal Vintage Shoes

Have you ever seen a store you follow post a preview and know almost instantly how much you need it? Like the need is almost primal? That’s the reaction I had to those pants. From the moment I saw the sneak peak online, I knew I needed to have them! I put the notification reminder on my pinupgirlclothing account and when they were released I did a mini clear out of things I don’t wear anymore and used the money to take the plunge and buy them. My wait wasn’t long, with my fastest ever pug deliver EVER (ordered Thursday night and arrived Tuesday morning) and I was so incredibly excited when I unwrapped them once I was home. The crepe came flowing out of the bag like magic and I hurriedly put them on to find…my feet surrounded by a heap of extra fabric.

Now I had been expecting as much. I was nervous about the sizing, as I’m normally a large on the bottom half with PUG in skirts but pants have always been trickier to gauge. So I opted to size up to the XL to play it safe. Now for reference, I’m 165cm tall. So I’m not exactly short short but I’m hardly tall.  This meant that even with platform heels on, I still had drag on the bottom. So before I could wear them properly I took myself to the local alterations store and had them hemmed, so that I could wear them with flats as well as heels. The alterations set me back around $30, as the pants are lined so there were two layers and I was thrilled to have them back and fitting my shorter frame within 24 hours! I bought my Doris pants direct from Pinup girl clothing and with the exchange rate they cost me $173AUD ($128USD) + the $30US fedex.

So what can I tell you about the PUG Doris pants? Firstly, I can tell you they are amazingly comfortable. These pants are made of a pebble crepe which gives them a wonderful vintage feel. They are also fully lined which makes them an incredible winter pant as not only are they comfortable they are warm. They feature an elastic back and a rear zip, which leaves you looking smooth at the front while also allowing some give. I adore wearing these when I’m feeling a bit bloated as they smooth everything out and the elastic allows them to still fit comfortably. The Doris pants also feature POCKETS! Which we all know are a win for any girl. The pockets in the Doris pants are deep and practical because let’s be honest, no one likes impractical pockets! I am so incredibly happy I took the chance and bought them! Absolutely no regrets!

Goldfish brooch by Luxlite.

Yellow Rose Double and Hilary Retro earrings in Gold from Daisy Jean Floral Designs

The styling of these pants is also incredible! I’ve worn it dressed up with a more formal style top. I’ve worn it casual with a knit top or a retro tee. I’ve worn them with printed blouses. Their black colour makes them incredible versatile to style. The ultimate 1940’s pants for ladies who want a pair that can do it all! For my shoot I went casual with my styling, opting to team it with more muted tones of soft green and yellow and a more classic styling of a saddle shoe.

I hope you've all enjoyed this blog post! As always, I am more than happy to answer any questions you may have in the comments on this post or on my social media pages! I truly do love these pants and hope to be bringing you some more PUG reviews soon!

Til next time darlings!

Jumping into Nautical fun ~ The Ambleside Jumpsuit by Hell Bunny

As much as I've always loved the 'look' of jumpsuits, they are generally something I've always kept away from. Being rather robust in my lower half but incredibly petite in the shoulders has always had me worried that I'd have issues with upper body to lower body sizing and the idea of having to get something altered really just turns me off the whole idea. However, when I saw the absolutely gorgeous Ambleside Jumpsuit by Hell Bunny pop up on my instagram feed, in stock at Gwynnies I felt this fear crumble somewhat. Owning two pairs of the incredibly stretchy Nell pants I dropped Gwynnies a note and asked her if she could check the sizing for me. To my delight, they were a similar fit! So I bit the bullet, added them to my cart and said a little prayer to the online shopping gods.

Scarf ~ Repro nylon scarf in red
Earrings ~ Gold Glitter Hoops from Daisy Jean Floral Designs
Beads: Yellow necklace from Debstar Designs
Brooch ~ Gold Fish brooch by Luxulite from Coconette Oz
Jumpsuit: Ambleside Jumpsuit by Hell Bunny from Gywnnies
Shoes ~ Lorraine heels in red from Royal Vintage Shoes (read review here)

My pretty jumpsuit arrived swiftly in my hands thanks to the amazing service from Gwynnies and I was so thrilled that it looked just like the photos. However, it not only looked like the photos I could also feel the stretchiness in the fabric, that this jumpsuit had a lot of give, which is something I always love! Due to its nautical theme, I held off wearing it til casual Friday at work (which is the day I normally break out the more fun stuff) and after a day of wear I was pleasantly surprised!

So I'll start with sizing darling! This jumpsuit is incredibly generous. As a smaller busted lass with a rather full behind, I bought my nell swing pants size which is a medium (this fabric has a LOT of give). Without foundation garments this jumpsuit still fits me fine without any discomfort in the legs or hip region. The only thing I will note is that the arms are a bit firm on me, though its not uncomfortable or paintful and there is a teeny bit of button strain on the top button, however I do feel if I'd sized up to the large this jumpsuit would have been MUCH too big in the shoulders. I wear a 36/38B cup, if you are larger than that I'd suggest sizing up to accommodate your bust.

One absolutely adorable thing about this jumpsuit is the incredible collar detail! Not only does it have a double white band around the arms but also a full sailor style collar around the back. This collar isn't a distraction, it doesn't move around too much and isn't a hindrance. One thing I will note though, is that I found the jumpsuit does take a little while to get out of for bathroom visits, which is something to keep in mind!

The front collar detailing follows over from the back and ends in a pointed collar in a V shape. The buttons on the front actually have little blue anchors on them, which is just adorable. It also comes with a matching fabric blue sash which I actually like wearing with it. 

I also love the styling possibilities with this dress. I previously only really had one nautical piece and felt like I I had to stick to the red, white and blue theme. But I've been learning that you can branch it out. For this shoot I decided to wear this adorable goldfish in a bag brooch made by Luxulite that came with my order from Coconette Oz, a great little Australian accessory store that ships worldwide. I love the pop of yellow while still keeping to a 'nautical/ocean' theme! I kept the red to my hair scarf and shoes while showing in a pop of yellow with my necklace, brooch and earrings.

My verdict on this jumpsuit is that I absolutely LOVE it. Its comfortable, practical and a great fun piece to accessorize! I bought this jumpsuit for $84.95 from Gwynnies which considering the quality I was more than happy to pay. 

I hope you've all enjoyed this review darlings! As always, I'm happy to answer any questions you may have in the comments!

Til next time darlings!

Be a Starlet ~ The Starlet Fever Vivien Dress in Classic Blue Review

Hello all!

Happy Tuesday! Its review time! I am so excited for today’s review!

In July, I was contacted by an AMAZING new Australian brand called Starlet Fever that makes vintage inspired dresses and seperates! I was beyond thrilled when they asked me to give one of their dresses a try. After feeling a bit overwhelmed by their incredible choices, I settled on the stunning Vivien dressin Classic blue. I’ve been trying to add blue back into my wardrobe, after wearing it SO much in my teens and this seemed like the perfect opportunity!

The dress arrived and it was perfect! I could instantly feel the quality in this dress. The colour was as vibrant as their website pictures depicted and the fabric felt incredible in my hands! The stitching was incredible and the little button detail was adorable! The invisible zip was a good quality one and didn’t snag or catch either with wear, which I loved. There is nothing that ruins a dress more for me than a crappy zip that constantly snags. From memory I pretty much wore it the very next day!

Photo taken by Cupcake Photography for Starlet Fever

The first thing I need to sing the praises for this dress about, outside of the quality which I’ve just talked about is how the wiggle portion of the skirt is sewn. As a girl with quite a booty, I struggle with wiggle skirts and some of my wiggle dresses. I’d had to have every wiggle skirt I own repaired at least once because by butt has ripped the seam above the split. And I find most dresses put a lot of pressure across my butt because of how they’re sewn. Not this pretty! This dress is sewn in such a way that it more hugs your butt instead of being sewn to sit flat across it. This made it INCREDIBLY comfortable to wear as there was no uncomfortable firmness.

Photo taken by Cupcake Photography for Starlet Fever

 I also found that the shoulders didn’t swim on me or that the bust didn’t gape. As I normally have to size up in to accommodate my backside and hips in wiggle dresses, I was pleasantly surprised that this dress fit both perfectly, which was such a great change! I also loved that this dress can be worn to work! Now days, with so much of my time spent in an office, I REALLY look for pieces that I can wear to work, which means halternecks and strappy dresses are not as prominent in my wardrobe anymore. This style fit perfectly into what I was looking for with my corporate pinup look!

 I bought the size 12, which was right for my measurements and it fit like a dream! This dress retails for $190.00AUD which considering the quality is definitely worth it! The fabric is beyond glamorous and whenever I wear this dress I get a LOT of compliments!

For this shoot I accessorised this amazing dress with pinks and peaches! My brooch is by Luxulite from Coconette-Oz and my flowers are Daisy Jean Floral Designs Signature Rose Double in peach!!

I also had the pleasure of modelling for the Starlet Fever website in August and will be doing a post about that amazing experience later this week! I honestly cannot sing the praises of this brand enough and look forward to adding more to my collection from their range before summer hits!

Photos (except those marked otherwise) were taken by the lovely Russell Thomas.

Looking forward to bringing you my post about shooting with Starlet Fever later this week!

If you have any other questions about this dress, please feel free to comment below.

Til tomorrow!

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

Wishlist Wednesday~ Brooch Addict edition

Hello all!

Its Wednesday which means its WISHLIST time!

It’s no secret that I’m a bit of a brooch junkie! I LOVE brooches! And I certainly have a vast collection that continues to grow of brands I love! Plus, I’m always on the lookout for new brooch brands I may like!

I think they are such a great way to mix up an outfit with minimal effort and cost. A different brooch on an outfit can throw a completely different look and I truly love that about them as an accessory! Also, as someone with sensitive ears, brooches are a bit of a no brainer as it reduces the risk of my ears getting sore and bleeding, which can happen with certain types of earrings!

So I thought I’d compile a little list of my current drooled over brooches that I cannot wait to add to my collection! 

Erstwilder

This is currently my most drooled over brooch and I intend to get him this week! He's SO gorgeous!

Lionheart Brooch ~ $29.95 from Vintage Pip

Ever since my Lucky duck (sadly taken be foxes earlier in the year) I've been eyeing off Donovan as a tribute to the duck that thought he was a person.

Donovan Ditsy Duck ~ $29.95 from Gwynnies

The original Fleur colorway was my first ever Erstwilder but sadly I lost her. Seeing her be re-released! I need to get her in my collection again!

Fleur the Foxy Flame brooch ~ $29.95 from Gwynnies

I loved the entire By The Sea collection from Erstwilder and already have a few pieces from it, but I really want this little fishy too!

Kissing Kirra Brooch ~ $29.95 from Gwynnies

Creep Heart

Currently my favorite Ella piece that I do not owne! God I need it! Its SO pretty!

Skull moth Brooch ~ $25 from Ella Mobbs

I love the prettiness of this little brooch. She's so pretty!

Bat Familiar Brooch ~ $25 from Ella Mobbs

I love the concept of this brooch and how Ella does her layering!

Doppelganger Shadow Brooch ~ $25 from Ella Mobbs

Basically I just think this little guy looks incredibly cute!

Jack O'Lantarn Bunny Brooch ~ $25.00 from Gwynnies

Deer Arrow

I've been a lover of Deer Arrow for quite some time now! Here are my current wishlist items!

Tea Time brooch in mint blue ~ $20

Record Player ~ $18

Milkshake ~ $17

Luxulite

As of yet, I don't own any Luxulite pieces, but here are a few I've been eyeing off!

Peach Berry Brooch ~ $30 from Coconette Oz

Baby Blue berries Brooch ~ $30 from Coconette Oz

Hungry Designs

I always loved the imagery of Beauty and the Beast and this brooch is stunning!

Beauty and the Beast Rose ~ $25.04

I have the unicorn head and ever since getting it I've been drooling over the dinosaur versions!

Mounted Triceratops head brooch ~ $41.74

Same reason as above...that and I rewatched Jurassic Park 2 the other day!

Mounted T-Rex head brooch ~ $41.74

Glitter Paradise

I've come to love glitter paradise recently and have one of their brooches so far! Here are a few others I want to add to my collection!

Betty Brosmer's Stripes brooch ~ $18.00 from Vintage Pip

Girdle Brooch Set ~ $27 from Vintage Pip

I hope you've enjoyed this wishlist Wednesday! 

Looking forward to bringing you another review tomorrow!

With love!