Halloween

Sadly I'm travelling so it's unlikely I'll see much in the way of celebrations but it's been an excellent excuse to spend a month in novelty prints, themed brooches, lots of black and colour combinations that would otherwise be deemed lurid and in bad taste. 

Like everyone else I've been living for the novelty prints released by Pinupgirl Clothing and I was fortunate to nab the Pumpkin and Witch Transformation Jenny's before they sold out.  Sadly not so with the delightful Hansel and Gretal skirt.

But what really gives me that seasonal feeling of giddy excitement are the brooches!  The brooches that add such wonderful little finishing touches that get over looked in the bigger pictures.

Like this adorable little cat from Creep Heart that sweetly mirrors the hell cat in the Pumpkin Jenny.

And how about an all round Pumpkin theme with this gem from Luxulite?

Actually most of my Halloween pieces are from Luxulite but Katy just has a knack for creating pieces I can't say no to.

Then there is always something irresistible from Erstwilder

I'm sort of kicking myself for not buying more of their Halloween collection in time but i can doubtless console myself with their 2016 Christmas themed collection in just a few short weeks but then again Halloween isn't over just yet.... 

Amelia

Paris Jenny from Pinup Girl Clothing

The original run of the Paris print predated the current heights of my Pinup Girl clothing infatuation so I didn't actually know of its existence until the bat signal went up for input on which discontinued prints to bring back.  When I did finally clock it- heart eye emojis abounded and I felt a deep and burning need to have this skirt in my life.  I briefly considered creating multiple accounts to boost the vote tally in its favour, fortunately I wasn't the only one with hearts in her eyes!

I was pretty excited when this print went from maybe, possibly, might be to an actual reality.  So much so that the feeling of elation that scoring this Jenny within 15 minutes of the alert notification hitting my inbox continued through the short wait for it to be dispatched, couriered, clear customs and land into my hot little hands.  

It was the cherry on the top that I managed to avoid the sizing issues that have plagued the newest Jenny runs.  

And then when I saw all of the possibilities for co-ordinating tops well- I had to high five myself on my score, obviously!

As you can see there are plenty of colours in the pattern to choose from.  Also in case you haven't heard (lol) it has POCKETS!!

Here's a selection from my wardrobe alone, sadly (?) I don't have any bright orange or light aqua tops to complete the selection and I found that the Pinup Girl bright pink Sabrina top is just a little too bright pink to co-ordinate with the bright pink in the skirt.

The main colour in the pattern is a delicious mid blue that co-ordinates perfectly with this slash neck top from www.vivienofholloway.com , handily it's a favourite of mine.

 Then there is Deadly Dames Voodoo Vixen top in lime that is a perfect match for the woman in the print's lime green dress.  Can we say 'Helloooo Summer!!'??

The Baton Rouge Peasant Top also co-ordinates perfectly with elements of the Paris print.  Somehow I don't think thats an accident of design.

Whilst not a perfect match for the darkest pink/wine colour in the print, the Wine Sabrina top is close enough to be an option especially in cooler weather.  Season to season versatility? Yes please!

Then there is trusty black which lets the print take centre stage.  This print will also co-ordinate with any children's Minion themed outfit- as my three year old was keen to demonstrate for you.

So get off the fence already, if you were ever on it- this is a unicorn in the making for the second time!

Amelia
xx

Loving Laura

Hello Lovelies,

Last Sunday, in what will forever be known as an act of self sacrifice and pure heroism on my part,  I ventured out into -19 degrees centigrade (!) and foot deep snow (!) to walk (!) to the supermarket to fetch smoked salmon and eggs for our Sunday brunch.

That is what happened to a nearby water feature someone left running.  Shortly after this photo my phone stopped working.  I'm not regaling you with my weekend adventures so that you think I'm a legend on par with Edmund Hilary scaling Mt Everest for going forth in it or anything, I'm illustrating my point (but also maybe a tiny bit of the legend thing).

The point in question is that when this is the view from your window and it's cold enough to freeze running water and stop your electronics dead the only thing getting you out from under your duvet and crochet is the promise of something warm to wear!  And also smoked salmon, poached eggs, smashed avocado and fresh bread.  But why settle for just being warm and fed when you can also be stylish?  And reproduction vintage type stylish at that!

Enter the Laura dress from Vivien of Holloway, of which I am now the happy owner of two out of four of the colour ways- charcoal and mocha fleck.

Also available are navy fleck and grey sans fleck.  

It's made of a lovely warm, medium weight flannel.  The label does say 'dry clean only' but as I like to live dangerously I washed them both separately on a cold gentle machine wash with a reduced spin then hung them on coat hangers to dry in the bathroom with no obvious ill effect.  

The dress itself is true to waist size- the top is slashed (potential there for nursing mums) and the skirt free so there's some wiggle room top and bottom.  Both the charcoal and mocha colour ways (the navy and grey too, I'd imagine) lend themselves well to partnering with multiple top colours- good news for wardrobe versatility!  The Vivien of Holloway slash neck top is the obvious partner piece but anything with sleeves and a high neckline is going to work smashingly.  

Another major draw card- pockets!!  The contrasting stitching around the neckline and the pockets somehow stops the dress one stop short of vintage school wear for me.  That being said it has the sort of comfortable utilitarian feel a school uniform would envy, paired with good design and looks it's an unusual mix of luxury and everyday practicality.

And although it's unseen, the large amount of material at the neck and arm openings says 'no expense spared.' You do have to check that it's all tucked in once you've got the dress on and zipped up (zip is hidden at the side) but aside from its technical function the double layering of the overlap is appreciated in the cold.

One of the final small details, that to me highlights the quality of the make, is the overage at the seams.  This dress has not been sewn with sole intention of eking out material yardage to save on manufacturing costs.  At £85 a dress though that's exactly the sort of quality you'd expect from a Viv.

My tiniest bug bear is that after all the attention to detail elsewhere the pattern hasn't been matched up along the front seam of the skirt of the mocha dress.  It doesn't seem to be a problem on the charcoal version as the pattern is more subtle. That's really all I can nit pick for the sake of attempting a balanced review because truly this is a great winter staple of a dress- no two ways about it!!

Happy winter dressing!!

Amelia xx

Disclaimer** I did not wear this dress on my smoked salmon adventure.  I'm not insane.  I wore two layers of thermals, a ski jacket, a woolly hat, gloves and snow boots!!! Some days I do settle just for being warm.