I Carried A Watermelon With Lindy Bop

I love a novelty print. Actually, I BLOODY LOVE a novelty print. And right now, there's one brand killing it on the novelty front; Lindy Bop! I've posted a few of my favourite novelty prints from them before, and I'm always in awe of the quality. So I jumped at the chance to review the Lindy Bop Bambi Dress - in Watermelon Pip Print!

Surprisingly for some, I don't often wear red dresses for fear of clashing against my hair, but I just fell in love with this print. Unlike other watermelon prints, it's just the flesh and pips, which I think makes it unique. It also reminds me of some abstract art, so it makes me feel just a liiiittle bit cultured!

I also generally steer clear of orange-based reds because of the hair and skin tone. However, I don't think this looks bad at all? Oooh, that means I've gone and learned something about myself.

The Bambi Dress is a cute little sundress with a sweetheart neckline, elasticated waist and back, and side seam pockets. I'll say off the bat - this runs LARGE. I usually wear a 22 in Lindy Bop, and I'm wearing an 18 in this dress, but could easily go down to a 16. I always end up talking about my boobs when reviewing, but being less-busty means the straps are a bit loose for me. 

The elasticated waist is a great design point, but can end up a bit too blousy in the bodice if you don't size down. My sizing suggestion is; go one size down from your usual Lindy Bop size if you're busty. Two sizes down if you're less busty. Three sizes down for a much more fitted look.

It's funny how recently I'm less inclined to dress up because of anxiety - I've always dressed 'weird' or 'outlandish' since a young age. I've got one hell of a hard shell because of this, and although it's been a long time since I've had any comments, it's been a bit difficult to be looked at so much.

Also funny because I decided to take all my photos in a busy London park by myself, which really opens you up to questions, looks and people taking photos. How on earth do anxious bloggers do this all the time?!

But hey, aside from anxiety - how cute is the Biscuit Shop Grab Bag from Vendula London?

Wearing black with this dress was my attempt to almost tone it down because it's a real in-your-face colour, but the white bag brings out those white accents and I kinda love it. I'd love to wear this with green, too, to up the Watermelon realness! 

Buuuuut godamnit this dress is comfy, and if we ever have the sun back I'm going to wear it all summer! 

Hair Flower; Handmade
Brooch; Luxulite
Bangles; Splendette
Dress; C/O Lindy Bop (Disclaimer)
Bag; Vendula London (Disclaimer)
Shoes; Yours Clothing 

Something White, Something Blue With Dolly and Dotty

Red is clearly my favourite colour - but I have a lot of love for blues! And there's something about blue and white that really just grabs me every time. So I was so excited to be offered this Dolly And Dotty Annie Dress in Blue Floral to review!

Dolly and Dotty is a relatively new company in the vintage reproduction game that came to my attention a year or so ago. Their ethos is to create vintage inspired designs in modern fits for an affordable price. So I hope this is helpful for those of you also interested in the quality!

Dolly And Dotty have joined a lot of brands with having sizing from 6-24, which I find wonderful, personally. Their size guide put me between the 20 and 22, which is my usual sizing in most brands. However! I will suggest at least in the Annie style to size down. I was sent a 22 to review, but I'm wearing an 18 here, which is the perfect size for me.

I've mentioned a few times before that I have a small bust for my size, and I have bottom-heavy breasts. This is important to know and keep in mind because a larger or fuller bust would need a larger size than I took. Also because of the bottom-heavy breasts issue, I find a lot of these high-neck bodices gape. This is an issue on all brands, but as you can see in the above photo I've got quite a gap going on under my hand! There's no real way of rectifying the issue outside of popping in a dart or avoiding the bodice style, though - so don't take that into consideration with the overall fit.

The dress' fabric is a cotton blend with a small amount of stretch, and the print is clear and vibrant. The Annie is a summer dress and isn't lined, but there is no worry of showing off your underwear! The fabric is just thick enough to keep those undergarments hidden.

It's a real beaut of a dress, to be honest with you. I prefer pleating over gathering in skirts, since there's no extra volume on the stomach/hips. This dress is perfect for that! The waist seam comes a little lower than my natural waist, so if you're tall this is for you.

I think the only downside is there's no pockets!

Now you've heard my thoughts on this dress - and Dolly And Dotty have so many designs and patterns to choose from! We'd love you to try them out - and if you use the code SPONSOREDBYD&D you can even get a cheeky 10% off!

• Necklace; Vintage
• Dress; C/O Dolly and Dotty (Disclaimer)
• Hair Flower; Handmade
• Brooch; Luxulite
• Bag; Vintage
• Bangles; Splendette

Can I Be A Raccoon Dog?

Let me introduce you to one of my favourite things in the world - The Tanuki. Statues of him sit outside restaurants and gardens to gather wealth. He's boss-eyed. He has a gigantic scrotum. So naturally, I have a Tanuki Print Skirt.

Tanuki make me so happy, it's hard not to laugh as soon as I think of them. I MEAN LOOK AT IT. I came across the statue when I was having a hard time in Tokyo in February. He just cheered me up to no end with his ridiculous little face!

Now, if you've been to Japan or have an interest in Japanese culture you've probably seen this guy before. However, have you seen Tanuki print fabric before? I certainly hadn't until now!

I picked this fabric up in the remnant section just outside Shinjuku's Okadaya in February. They have this great system there, where remnants are divvy-ed up into 2mt lengths and each bundle is ¥980. So thats what, roughly £7? Buying fabric per meter in Japan isn't the cheapest, so this is a great way to get some quality fabrics for a good price.

My eyes caught this cheeky little Tanuki fabric and I grabbed two bundles and ran to that till! My god, though, the quality of this fabric is to die for. It's mid-weight, and the texture is one of my favourite parts of this fabric. Japan does not do crap quality fabrics!

We've seen before that I'm a massive fan of the dirndl. Recently I've found myself more inclined towards separates to create outfits, and dirndls are an easy way to make skirts. Essentially, it's a length of fabric gathered or pleated to a waistband. That's it! Something so simple, yet makes the most striking of garments.

This skirt isn't rocket science and it won't win technical competitions. But hey, it's got everything I need in a skirt; huge patch pockets, a nice sweep, a hint of pom pom and it's red. Oh, and giant-bollocked raccoon dogs, of course.

I decided to pair this outfit with my burgundy doctor bag from Vendula London - mainly because of the frame charms. The Shabby Chic charms are pretty amazing since you can actually take the backs off to fill the frames with whatever you want. My tip? Match your bag to any outfit by using scraps of fabric in them! 

Bodysuit; Primark
Necklace; Topshop (ooold)
Bangles; Vintage 
Bag; Vendula London (Disclaimer)
Shoes; New Look (old)

When No Inspiration Strikes

I've spent so long trying to write a post about this outfit. 

I've been trying to be witty, or profound or informative. But I'm uninspired.

Over the last few weeks I’ve been in this little rut. There’s a dip in my moods and depression has been riding on my back to remind me it’s there all the time. It's been a bit difficult. I'm tired, irritated, unhappy and completely uninspired.

Motivation to do everyday things has run thin, I can't bring myself to get out of bed or complete simple enough tasks. It sucks.

The good news is that I'm working on it. Accepting help has been quite terrifying for me, as though I was giving into my mental illness. But it's not that at all, it's helping me live with something that affects my daily life.

I've become so aware of myself in recent weeks that I'm torn in two ways - in one, I'm learning on how to better myself. In the other, understanding myself has meant I'm too overwhelmed to actually do anything about it. But slowly I'm changing my thought processes, challenging myself daily and finding small pockets of motivation to carry out tasks.

I'm pushing on through, trying to refocus and work out my long term goals and ambitions. Starting to take a little better care of myself and my appearance and dressing nicer. And most importantly for my state of mind - I'm managing to get my mojo back with creativity and am drawing and sewing a bit more!

Progress is progress, right?

• Cardigan; Collectif
• Earrings; Bow and Crossbones
• Brooch; Luxulite
• Dress & Necklace; Handmade
• Belt & Sunglasses; Primark
• Bag; Sunjellies
• Shoes; Melissa