Most pinups are a sucker for a novelty print. There’s something
about them that is so quintessentially vintage. They’re something I’ve always
admired, though I own very few myself. I find the true vintage ones I love are
always WAY too small and true vintage novelty skirts aren’t cheap. So when I
saw this adorable novelty style dress from Dangerfield pop up on my Instagram feed
and also that they recently added afterpay to their store, I decided to take
the plunge and get my first Dangerfield piece since I started in pinup a couple
of years ago.
Scarf ~ Red Repro Nylon Scarf from Daisy Jean Brooch ~ Scotty Dog Brooch from Miss Lady A Broad Top ~ Robin top in cream by Collectif from Gwynnies Dress ~ Puppy in a Basket dress in black from Dangerfield Shoes ~ Dolores slingbacks in brown from Royal Vintage Shoes |
Dangerfield is an Australia store that stock a broad range
of clothing, but their styles definitely are popular with the retro community,
especially with their inhouse brands Revival and their Dangerfield brand. As a
baby pinup who was quite a lot smaller, I struggled a lot with their proportions
so moved away from them as a brand. But now days my body is very different and
I thought it couldn’t hurt to give it another go. When I saw this print pop up
I knew I had to add it to my wardrobe. With the price difference between the
skirt and dress I felt the dress for me was a better option. So I took the
plunge, added it to my cart and pressed buy.
My dress arrived pretty quickly. I got standard postage and
I had it the week after purchasing (ordered the Thursday, arrived the following
Wednesday). The tracking was updated throughout and it was well packaged. I was
excited to unwrap it and see what it was like. The dress is made from 100%. I
do love that this is the case, as I need cotton options for warmer or humid
days due to my sensitive skin. The fabric isn’t super thick, but it’s also not
super thin. It’s not see through (as you can tell by the fact I’m wearing a
white knit top underneath and it’s now showing through). Featuring a back zip that’s
not an invisible zip was also a win for me as I have a love hate relationship
with them. I like the little bust tie detail this dress has and I also like
that it’s easy to layer and in neutral colours, making it a great dress for all year round.
Being SO long since I last ordered from them…I scrutinised
the size chart and went for the size closest to my current measurements which
was a size 16. When it arrived it quickly became apparent that a size 14 would
have been better. This dress is quite loose on me (though not enough to be
hugely noticeable), especially in the bust and shoulders. I think I will end up
just reducing the shoulders slightly for a better fit. As a first buy with my
changed body I’m not too upset. I’d rather get something and have it a bit big
than too small. And by throwing on a belt the dress is still wearable without
the fit issues being hugely noticeable.
The puppy print truly is the champion of this dress and its
definitely why I bought it. Made to look like a painted vintage novelty print,
this puppy pattern is actually printed onto the fabric, which makes it quite
resilient to wear and tear. As someone who grew up always having dogs and has
been unable to have them as an adult due to the rental market, I love I can
wear this cutie even if I can’t own a pupper myself.
For this shoot I decided to go a bit preppy with my look! My
Scotty brooch from Miss Lady A Broad was the perfect match for my look because
the only thing better than a dress with puppies on it is adding a puppy brooch!
A red scarf and belt added some colour to my look while my knit top gave it the
preppy feel I was after. My Dolores heels lifted the look to be a bit more adult without losing the preppy vibe of the outfit. Ladies this dress also features pockets too!
The Puppy in the Basket dress is also available in olive, if
black isn’t your jam. I bought my dress for $88AU + postage and overall I’m
pretty happy with it. This dress is one I know I’ll get wear out of, especially
in the warmer months down here in Oz and its definitely made me relook at
Dangerfield as a place to buy from to add fun prints to my wardrobe!
I hope you all have loved this review! I’ve finally finished
up my holiday review post, it goes live tomorrow! And I’ve got a busy weekend
shooting my style swap for you all as well as a bunch of new looks for the
blog.
Til next time darlings!