Paradise magic with Hell Bunny

Every pinup I’ve met has had a specific pinup style that first started their love affair, whether it be vintage, nautical, animal print….there are literally so many but it was just a style that caught your eye and made you fall in love. For me, it was the tiki look. Its therefore no surprise my first PUG dress was from their tropical range. It is however a style I sadly don’t wear as much anymore, mainly due to most tiki styles having thin straps or being strapless, things I can’t wear 95% of the time anymore due to my job. But when I saw the new Hell Bunny 50s Paradise dress, I knew I needed it in my wardrobe!

Flowers ~ Melody Bundle from Daisy Jean Floral Designs
Bamboo Hoops - Ebay
Necklace & Bracelet ~ Lilac beads from Debstar Designs
Brooch ~ Large Dew Drop brooch in Orange from Dottie DeLite Jewellery
Dress ~ 50s Paradise dress by Hell Bunny bought from Natasha Marie Clothing
Belt ~ Kmart
Shoes ~ Kiki Sandals in green from Royal Vintage Shoes (Read Review here)

As much as I loved this dress, it isn’t one I jumped on straight away. For those who aren’t Australian based, the exchange rate has hardly been our friend in the last 12-18 months, after a drop of around $0.30 value off our dollar, it now costs us significantly more than it once did to buy from the USA and the UK. While I was seeing this dress EVERYWHERE online and loving it, the only places I could find it stocked where America and the UK. Postage combined with the exchange rate pushed the price up more than I was willing to pay, so I bide my time and waited. I was beyond ecstatic when I saw Natasha Marie was getting this dress in! As soon as I could fit it into my budget I bit the bullet and snapped this dress up and I have absolutely no regrets.

I had this dress the week after I made my purchase, which is normal for Australia post standard postage time frames. It arrived and I was instantly struck by how much prettier it is in person. The fabric pattern is such a beautiful soft print of tropical colours and it the stock photos really don’t do it justice. I was absolutely smitten! This dress is a reproduction of a 1950’s style shirt dress, which means it features a collar similar to a blouse, button detailing down the front and in this instance short sleeves. While it does have button detailing, it features a back zip for easy wear. The buttons on this particular dress are small round wooden ones which I feel just adds to the overall tiki vibe to this dress. I particularly love the top half of this dress. The waist is nipped perfectly and the cut is truly beautiful.

I bought this dress in a medium, which is my standard hell bunny open hip size, with the exception of the Ingrid and Jennifer dresses. I can wear it comfortably with or without shapewear which tells me its pretty true to size. While it was a little firm on my shoulders initially, with two wears I found this was no longer an issue. Something to note is that this dress is made of polyester, so it is incredibly thin! For winter wear I’ve been wearing it with a slip underneath as well as a crinoline to help me keep warm. This is definitely a summer dress and while I’m not wearing it much now as a result, I know it will get a LOT of wear when the warmer weather rolls around.

I chose to accessorise this gorgeous dress with colours I felt would complement the pattern. Lilac beads from Debstar Designs, a purple, yellow and orange hair flower from Daisy Jean floral Designs, green sandals from Royal Vintage Shoes and a tan brown belt with bamboo hoop earrings! Also, how incredible is this brooch!

This gorgeous Dew Drop brooch is made by Australian small business Dottie DeLite Jewellery. Based in Melbourne, the lovely Miss Dottie makes gorgeous 50’s inspired brooches in a range of colours and bead styles. I opted for this gorgeous brooch as I felt it would fit so well with this outfit as well as crossing over to my other cooler weather looks as well as my summer looks. It features a bronze glitter based and large orange beads! You can shop their store by clicking here.

I purchased this gorgeous dress for $79.95AUD + postage from Natasha Marie Clothing. If you are in the USA I have seen this dress stocked at Unique Vintage and as Hell Bunny is a UK brand I have no doubt there are re-sellers who stock it there (I am not as familiar with UK stockists due to the expensive exchange rate.

I hope you've all enjoyed this review! I certainly am in love with this dress and I wanted to show it in the perfect setting! 

Til tomorrow darlings!

Grease goodness with Collectif Clothing

I've always been an avid reader, something I was fortunate enough to inherit from my grandfather. In my youth, books fueled my incredibly active imagination. I actually wrote my first book when I was 13 and was halfway through the second of a trilogy when I lost my groove due to an unsettled home life in my later teens. I've written and read poetry. I adore books that make me think and get my mind working. Some of my favorite books as a teen were written by Anne Rice and thats who I chose to bring with me for my shoot. Sadly as an adult, I don't read anywhere near as much as I once did, based purely on the fact that I am still incapable of putting down a good book if it hooks me and thats not as practical now days with my hectic schedule. When I was styling my latest outfit for this review, it just looked so preppy in its feel I felt a book was the perfect accessory.

Scarf ~ Red Nylon Scarf from Daisy Jean Floral Designs
Snood ~ Red Snood from Daisy Jean Floral Designs
Earrings ~ Holly Hoops in red glitter from Daisy Jean Floral Designs
Glasses ~ Kiss clear glasses
Brooch ~ Dachshund brooch from Deluxe Creations
Top ~ Robin top in red by Collectif from Gwynnies
Belt ~ Elastic bow belt in red from ebay
Skirt ~ Mia Gingham skirt by Collectif from Gwynnies
Shoes ~ Red Loraine heels from Royal Vintage Shoes

Preppy pinup is actually type of styling I’m still quite new too. But it is definitely one I am enjoying dabbling in! I first bought the stunning Mia skirt from Gwynnies last year, drawn to its pretty gingham pattern (because who doesn’t love gingham) and its MASSIVE pockets! I bought the X which I find to have ample room, so much so I can comfortably wear it with our without shapewear depending on my preference on the day. The Mia skirt’s pockets really ARE that deep and it does come with a matching gingham belt, I just like to change it up by matching my belt to the other colours I’m wearing. 

It features a side zip which I really like as I find it less noticeable and the gingham pattern is bold enough to make a statement but the navy colour makes it versatile enough that it can be worn with multiple accompanying colours. The length is also slightly longer than the standard swing/circle skirt, which is a feature I really like as I find it makes the skirt more versatile between wearing with or without a petticoat (in these photos I’m wearing a crinoline).

I purchased my first Robin top from Gwynnies in the white and had worn it with my Mia skirt before, but found it really lacked the colour punch I was after. So when I saw she was stocking the red, I bit the bullet and ordered it too. I wear the Robin top in the medium and I find this is ample. The knit does have considerable stretch but I didn’t want it to be too small. Its also incredibly warm for a short sleeve top thanks to its knit style fabric. The sleeves are comfortable, I love the button front and the collar detail along with the small pattern throughout the top, which is far more noticeable on the red than the white. The Mia skirt from Gwynnies will set you back $79AUD and the Robin top $42AUD which is an absolute steal for such great quality garments.

Accessorising this outfit was a lot of fun. One perk of not having fire engine red hair anymore is that I can wear heaps of red without ending up looking like a tomato!! Red shoes were therefore a must and I opted for my red Loraine heels from Royal Vintage Shoes. While I was originally unsure about these heels, since breaking them in they are probably one of my most worn pair as they are so incredibly comfortable!! And they do really compliment this outfit beautifully!

Keeping with the preppy theme I opted for a red snood for my curls at the back and a bow made with my nylon scarf set behind my half poodle hair! I feel these gave the outfit an extra pop, especially with the red on my blonde locks! A simple pair of red glitter hoops and my dachshund brooch from Deluxe Creations finished the look off beautifully! There is nothing about this outfit I don’t like and I feel like this combo is going to be one of those combos I have to be careful not to wear too much!

I hope you’ve all enjoyed this blog post! As always, I’m more than happy to answer any questions you may have in the comments or on my social media! 

Til next time darlings!

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!

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. 

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!