Museum Wandering At The V&A

Well hey there guys! How are we all doing? Last weekend a good friend of mine was in London and we went on a little museum adventure. We hit the Tate Modern to check out the new building on the Saturday, and on the Sunday we ventured into the V&A.

I wore this sample Lindy Bop dress that the ultra-babe Bethany gave to me (perks of having friends in high places ;) ) back in May because it's my favourite. I wish they had more in this style - it's so comfortable! The 60's style boat neck also features little bows on the sleeves, which is my favourite feature.

The V&A has the best fashion exhibition on for free, spanning five centuries and featuring a few of my favourite things. This 1700s Court Mantua leaves me speechless every time! First of all, the sheer size of the thing is gorgeous insanity. Then there's the craftsmanship of the fabric itself with it's metallic embroidery.
Also - SLEEVES.

Corsetry has fascinated me since I was young. These early 16/1700s stays are no exception! The bottom stay is probably my favourite historical corset of all time. It might not be the most supportive, but you have to love how it looks!

I'm a real sucker for bows on sleeves, evidently!

This Schiaparelli necklace is SO my thing! I'm on the lookout for plastic pinecones to make my own version for autumn, I love it that much.

There's so much at the V&A that it's impossible to look through all of it in one day, let alone post about it! But these are some of my favourite pieces. Have you been before?

Necklace&Bangles; Vintage
Dress; Lindy Bop (sample)
Brooch; Luxulite
Bag; Zatchels
Shoes; Rocket Originals

A Pin Up Picnic... In A Bar!

Every year, The British Belles put on a little meet in London of pin ups and vintage style lovers. The original was named Pin Up Picnic In The Park - since it was pin ups... in a park. But sadly we're British and rain moved the event from Hyde Park to cocktails at Barrio Shoreditch. And so it was a Pin Up Picnic.. In A Bar!!

I always have big ideas about making special themed outfits for events like these, since they're a great excuse for real dressing up. The problem with that idea, though, is I'm too lazy and busy to do that, and I end up picking out whatever is clean on the morning of.

I ended up picking up my Check, Please! dress, because in my world, gingham is a neutral. I made this dress in 2013 and it's the only one from my early sewing that I still wear!

It's been so long since I went to any sort of event that I feel like I've forgotten how to socialise! I spent a lot of my time with my housemate Ellie outside sheltering from the rain.

But don't think that I didn't have fun! Barrio Shoreditch was a great, colourful venue that was the perfect backdrop for cocktails and meeting friends old and new. Plus, there was a lot of tips about hair being thrown around - and I love hair tips!

I've mentioned my anxiety before, but I was wondering if you guys deal with it and any tips and tricks? I need to push myself to go to more events, but that pesky anxiety really gets in the way!

I know I've posted about The George bag before, but it's still my absolute favourite designs we do. I'd suggest grabbing a George item now if you've wanted one. The line is being discontinued! We do have a new pub design on pre-order, if you do miss out.

Hair Flower&Necklace; Handmade
Cardigan; Collectif (old)
Dress; Handmade
Brooch; Luxulite
Bag; Vendula London
Shoes; Melissa

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 

Ruling The Rain With Elements Rainwear

I live in England.

That much I'm sure you knew already, but it's important to remember. Because there's something that England does really well, in fact we're famous for it;

RAIN.

Up until the last week we've been plagued with torrential rain for a few weeks, and I got pretty bored of having to lug around a bastard umbrella with me all the time!

And this is where stumbling across Elements Rainwear was absolutely perfect!

They're a rainwear brand (obviously) that started in 1991, and most of their items are handmade to order in the same factory on some on the same machinery that the first PVC rainwear was made in the UK back in the 50s and 60s, which personally I think is pretty exciting to know!

They've got quite an extensive range of styles, from galoshes to long trenches and festival ponchos to full-skirted 50's styles, all in over 40 different colours in both PU and PVC!

I decided I desperately needed a see-through raincoat and was really excited to see that they do an 4XL size, which comes up as a 42" bust, 38" waist and 46" hips on their size guide. My personal measurements are actually over that, so for a hot minute I was actually concerned about it fitting, but I was quite pleasantly surprised!

After discussing with Elements about what style would be best for me since I wanted it to fit over petticoats and be long enough to cover my longer skirts, and we decided on the 50s Pleated Coat in NAT2, a semi-transparent PVC with a slightly heavier weight. Their customer service is fantastic, and I was offered a sample pack to work out exactly what fabric I wanted for this coat, since it was difficult to decipher the differences between their PU and PVC.

The Pleated Raincoat is called such due to its pleated high-bust and back, which would easily fit a bust that was slightly bigger than both the measurements and my own. One thing that isn't mentioned on the listing is that this particular style is actually a-line in shape from the pleating instead of being a fit-and-flare style, in favour of just being belted at the natural waist.

This is certainly not a bad thing! Since it has no defined waist or bust, as I said, it could probably accommodate measurements slightly bigger than the stated ones.

I'm generally against hoods on coats thanks to mainly having ridiculously styled hair that I don't want to get messed up, but the hood on this coat is actually one of the best features! Not only is it big enough to encompass a decent height of hair with a drawstring - it also is removable due to the snaps!
I bloody love an item with multi functions.

My secondary favourite thing about the coat is actually the buttons, which unlike my thoughts aren't actually traditional buttons - they're actually made of flexible plastic (possibly PVC, but I haven't a clue with plastics) which not only makes them completely waterproof, but also super easy to button due to being able to bend. Even with ridiculous nails like mine, there's no issue! 

At 5'7", this coat is the perfect length to cover most of my clothing, and since the a-line flare is practically freesized, easily fits a petticoat underneath. I actually tested this coat out for waterproofness during torrential rain whilst doing gardening, and I'm so, so pleased to say - only my hands got wet. This will keep you dry and stylish, and I love that the see-through fabric means I can show off my outfit without compromising dryness!

I bloody love this coat!!

Raincoat; C/O Elements Rainwear (Disclaimer)

Earrings; Bow and Crossbones

Necklace; Handmade

Cardigan; Collectif

Dress; Handmade

Brooch; Luxulite

Bangles; Splendette

Shoes; Melissa

Outside The Comfort Zone with Yours Clothing

I would say I’m a pretty self-loving, positive human being.

I believe that loving yourself for who you are at this very minute is possibly the most important thing that a person can do.

But I still hate my belly. 

Hate it in the most loving way possible, but there’s no denying my entire style is revolved around hiding my belly - petticoats and full skirts are ‘the best’ silhouettes for me because it emphasises my waist, but skims over the ol’ stomach. 

So when Yours Clothing offered a collaboration, I thought it was about time I break down my own barriers and try something a little different, since I spend so much time telling other people to embrace themselves and be comfortable no matter what.

So I chose this dress. It's not exactly a slinky pencil skirt, but considering the styles I've been wearing the last few years, it was so far out of my comfort zone! 

And you know what? I feel great.

The dress itself is really lovely, a faux-wrap bodice with short sleeves, and straight-cut skirt with slight gathering both back and front to accommodate a little junk in the tum 'n' trunk, which is pretty great for a fuller shape like mine. 

I was originally attracted to it since it has a hint of 40's styling (another style out of my comfort zone), and I think it could easily be used in similar vintage inspired looks for my vintage girls out there looking for everyday clothing - but since it's made from jersey with a bold print, it's still modern enough for you gals that aren't so interested in dressing in the style.

One thing I love about Yours Clothing is that it actually caters for larger sizing, focussing on fit and comfort first and foremost. This dress is from their own collection and comes in sizes 16-36, and at just £29 it's not just accessible for quite a range of sizes, but also just incredibly affordable.

I took the 22 in this, based off the sizing of the hips alone, because I wanted to make sure the dress wasn't stretched over my stomach. I definitely chose the right size for a comfortable fit for me without showing so much VBO (Visible Belly Outline if you weren't sure) - this does mean it's a little loose on the bust and a lot loose on the waist, but that was a calculated risk I took, even if I'm sure I could fit into the 18! 

Also! The shoes I'm wearing are from Yours Clothing as well, and other than being adorable, lightweight and literally THE MOST COMFORTABLE HEELS EVER - these Block Heel Sandals are in two colours and sizes 4E-9E. you read that right, darlings, wide fit sandals you can wear all day and night! For £15, you'd be stupid to not buy them!

Dress; C/O Yours Clothing (Disclaimer)

Bolero; Collectif

Brooch; Luxulite

Necklace and Earrings; Vintage

Bag; Vendula London (Disclaimer)

Shoes; C/O Yours Clothing (Disclaimer)

So I'm not going to BS you darlings, I'm not suddenly going to be baring the VBO at all times, but a dress like this is perfect for the start of the second part of my own body acceptance journey. 

I really hope you all join me and challenge that comfort zone this weekend! 

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