• Aleksi Pencil Dress Review [Collectif Clothing]

    Hey gorgeous, hope your January has been full of exciting new things and possibilities! January usually drags on forever for me, but this year it’s actually skipped along at a reasonable rate – helped along obviously by adding more things to my wardrobe….I mean, that’s what Januarys are really for, right? The SALES! hehe. The Collectif sale has been in full swing and the fabulous Aleksi is currently down to an amazing £16.50! 

    The colour of this dress is so lovely. It’s described as ‘petrol’ and is a dark teal blue shade. It has the most beautiful diamond shaped neckline and half sleeves to keep you a little warmer during the colder weather. I really love the pleated panels down on the front of the dress which go down to the waist. There’s a lovely contrast with the deep red used for accents on the dress such as a double row of military style buttons (which sit on the pleats) and the matching belt. 

    The belt is removable and has a buckle fastening with holes (it’s not one of the old belts which slide about) and there’s a zip at the back for ease of getting in and out of the dress. The material is polyester and I found it quite light for an Autumn/Winter style. It would have benefited from being lined as it is very thin. Having said that, I do still love it and it looks amazing with a short jacket for a forties/fifties inspired look!

    I love this cropped Marilyn style jacket over a pencil for some 40s/50s chic

    Fit wise, I found it came up quite big for my normal size but the fabric doesn’t stretch at all – s0 that may suit us all very well after the delights of Christmas! I know it was quite forgiving for me haha. It felt more like a size up though, being wide on the top and bottom half so it may be something you want to consider when ordering. There’s plenty of room for bustier gals I would say. The length was cut on my lower calf for a nice vintage feel and there’s a small split in the back to get your wiggle in your walk.

    The Aleksi is a great style to take us into Spring and there’s also a swing version for £16.25 if pencils aren’t your preferred style (see here), which would look awesome with a deep red petticoat underneath! Both styles are available in all sizes from 6-20 (the pencil goes up to a 22). How would you style yours? x

    Additional Information:
    This item was gifted to me but all thoughts are my own and the review is my honest opinion.

    I’m a size 6 in Collectif usually and wearing a 6 in the photos above which feels more like an 8 on me. My stats are 33:24:33 and I’m 4’11” wearing 4 inch heels. 

     

    Also wearing:
    Monroe Jacket – Collectif Clothing (past season)
    Mansfield Earrings – Collectif Clothing
    Red gloves – True Vintage
    Bangles – Splendette and thrift store
    Susan Heels – Lulu Hun (past season)

  • Kiana Tutti Fruitti Dress [Collectif Loves Top Vintage]

    More rainbows from me today, especially fitting for Pride month! 🏳️‍🌈 The Kiana Tutti Fruitti swing dress is an absolute dazzler from the latest Top Vintage collab with its vibrant rainbow stripes. I love how vivid and bright the stripes are as I’m not much of a pastel kinda gal.

    It has a beautiful sweetheart neckline to the top which is edged in a contrasting red band and the adjustable straps are red too. The straps can be worn multiple ways with hook fastenings concealed on the inside for various combinations including straight straps, crossed straps in front, crossed straps behind, completely strapless or as I’ve worn it here, with the the straps from the centre chest which is a really pretty option.

    It doesn’t come with the belt, I added the red one from another Collectif dress which worked really well as I prefer to have a clearly defined waist.

    There’s also a fitted bodice to the top and gathered swing skirt to the bottom with lovely big pockets. The skirt is full enough to wear with a petticoat as I did here:

    If you’re not much of a fan of petticoats, it also looks great without one too!

    The length is well over my knee and fit wise it’s quite roomy on the bust and has stretch so you’ll be able to fit comfortably in it though you may want to size up if you’re really blessed up top as there’s a centre back zip so you are limited with the amount of room you have for boobage. Unlike many of the Collectif dresses, the waistband also stretches so if you’re in between sizes you’ll be fine too.

    The Kiana Tutti Fruitti is in stock in all sizes (6-22) for £59 and this is one that’s only available to buy online at Top Vintage or Collectif, or in Collectif stores –  you won’t find it at stockists. I think of them as a limited edition range, so if you want it, you need to buy it when you see it as they don’t restock. I really love this cheeky little number – so much fun to wear with so many different ways to wear it, but such an elegant style too. Live your best colourful life! x

    Also wearing:
    Hair flowers: Collectif Kahula and old high street
    Earrings, Belt and Sunnies: previous Collectif seasons
    Petticoat: Hell Bunny
    Shoes: Lulu Hun Lorena
    Bangles: all Splendette

    For reference:
    I’m 4’11” wearing 4 inch heels and my stats are 33:24:33. I’m a standard size 6 in Collectif clothing and I’m wearing the 6 in this dress above. 

  • Annabelle Floral Palm Dress [Bright & Beautiful]

    Something a little different from me today. I don’t usually veer too much from my love of the 50s but occasionally something will come along from the Bright & Beautiful range which I just love and need to have! That’s the case for this gorgeous Annabelle Palm Dress which oozes much more of a late 60s/early 70s vibe. I actually had a very similar wallpaper in my bedroom growing up as a little kid so it’s really nostalgic for me.

    It’s still a shirt style dress, which I often wear, but instead of either having a voluminous skirt over the knee or a tailored pencil shape, it’s loose and not at all fitted.

    Feelin’ that 60s vibe

    It also features a super cool, pointed collar which match the cuffs on the full length loose sleeves. None of which is too hot to wear as it’s made from a really light fabric that’s perfect for Summer. The bespoke print is great with the large florals and palm frongs all over in greens, white and a dash of blue.

    I love how light it is to wear and that the breeze caught the bottom of the skirt a little to give me a little ‘flip’ when I walked

    As well as wearing it as intended, I also couldn’t resist cinching my waist in a little and added a white belt from another outfit to change it up a bit and give myself more options. I really like it with the belt too and feel like it works well.

    Overall I preferred the option with the collar buttoned up and the belt added and felt the look was still retro, though I’d style my hair in more of a straight bouffant next time and change the glasses to something a little larger to emulate that groovy vibe.

    Fit wise, it’s a loose fit and I have it in my normal size which fitted great. If there was a size down (unfortunately sizes don’t go down enough for me) I’d have also tried the size down too but I feel it’s pretty true to size. The length is above my knee which is amazing for me! These dresses are meant to be on the shorter side which was part of the trend at the time.

    The Annabelle Floral Palm Dress is available on the Collectif website in most sizes (all except 8 and 18) for £55.00 and sizes 8-16 over at SilkFred with free delivery.

     

    For reference: 
    I’m 4’11” with 4 inch heels on in the pic and a standard size 6 in Collectif and Bright & Beautiful clothing. I’m wearing a size 6 in the photos above.

    Also wearing:
    Shoes: Lulu Hun Lorena previous season
    Hair Flowers: Collectif Aaliyah and High Steet many moons ago
    Earrings and Sunnies: Collectif previous season