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Jenny Lu Swing Dress Review [Collectif Clothing]
Bringing the sunshine to recent rainy days, this elegant summer dress is lovely and bright with some stunning details. There’s a sweetheart neckline for that classic 50’s feel and fitted bodice.
It looks like a seemingly simple dress from the front, but all the WOW is at the back which I really love. There are double straps which join the skirt section at the back, but it’s backless aside from that which is such a sassy look and will also keep you cool but effortlessly elegant at summer soirées and garden parties over the coming months.
At the centre back there’s also a gorgeous bow feature which is part of the fastening for this dress. It has a a centre zip with hook and eye at the back of the skirt section and the bow has a popper on one side of the bow which acts like a flap over the zip. All of this is invisible and not seen at all – as you can see on the photo!
The skirt section is a full swing and fits a petticoat underneath just fine. I wore a petticoat underneath it here:
And without a petticoat here:
I think it suits both, it just depends what you feel happy with. I tend to wear a petticoat if I’m going to an event or do but day to day, I’d be super happy wearing it without too as it falls beautifully. It is a teensy bit see through so you may want to wear a half slip. There are also large pockets in the skirt which is a great addition to any dress!
Fit wise, I found it fit fine without sizing down (as the size guidance suggests). There’s plenty of stretch and the bust section is quite large, so if you have a smaller bust, you may want to size down. However the waist section is still correct as there’s no stretch once the bow is fixed in place so sizing down wouldn’t work for anyone in between sizes on their waist. The length is a little longer than I’d usually wear for a swing dress but works great with the petticoat to lift it a little. It’s at my mid calf without a petticoat and with petticoat it’s a couple of inches below my knee.
The straps are not adjustable which is the only down side to this dress. I had to bastardise the straps with my limited sewing skills as they were too long on my petite frame. It’s important to note that the straps sit a little differently at the back on the actual dress vs my bodge-it sewing attempt but I think I did ok?! That’s the only alteration I’ve made, though I may shorten the dress a little too going forward. It’ll work great for taller or average height gals though!
With brighter days on the horizon, grab this dress while you can! Available at Cherry Red Vintage in sizes 8,10,14 and 16 at £59.00.
Also wearing:
Sunnies and Necklace: Old stock Collectif
Shoes: Lulu Hun Kathleen Wedge
Earrings and Bangles: Splendette
Hair Flowers: High Street years agoFor Reference:
I’m 4’11” and wearing 3.25 inch wedge heels. My stats for reference are: 33:24:33. I’m a standard size 6 in Collectif and wearing the size 6 in the photos, though I’ve adjusted the straps.Disclaimer:
This dress was gifted to me by Cherry Red Vintage but all my views are my own and I only give honest reviews. -
Check Please! Gingham Vest Crop Top and Trousers [Primark]
I don’t often shop on the High Street but, along with thousands of others, ended lockdown by mooching about in Primarni. It wasn’t very busy when I went which I was glad about too.
I happened upon this little outfit which is just adorable! Obviously the only one left in my size was on the actual mannequin so I had to ask a friendly store person to wrangle the mannequin out of their clothes (which was also funny as I hadn’t expected her to just rip off the arms in a somewhat brutal fashion – can you tell I haven’t worked in retail?!).
It comprises a mint gingham crop top and matching trousers and has an elasticated fit. I usually buy tops a size bigger to allow for boobage so I did the same here, but could have done with my normal size to be honest because of the stretch in the material. I’m pretty happy with it though and it has the loveliest gathered bust details over a fitted bodice and a sweetheart neckline with straps for support.
At the back, the top is low backed with a fixed bow which I just love! There’s a side zip to get in and out of it if you’re wondering whether you need to be Houdini – you don’t!
The trousers are slim fitting on the leg with a side zip and have a faux belt detail to the front – don’t think that belt is moving, because it’s going nowhere! I like the feature though and together with the top it’s a really sweet Spring/Summer outfit. I bought my normal size in the trousers but could have sized down if they’d had that size in stock. Again, I’m pretty happy with the size I have though as it means I can eat puddings to my heart’s content haha.
I paired it with pink, adding a pink and white gingham cardigan, fuchsia heels and mint and pink accessories. I love mint, it’s one of my favourite colours and looks amazing with so many others like yellow, purple, red etc. I kept it pastel perfection though and even blended in with my picnic blanket! I wouldn’t normally wear a cropped top but it’s vest style so long enough to just about cover my mid riff and the back is so pretty I just had to have it!
The top costs £8 and the trousers are £10. You can see them here featured on the Primark site. Hope you manage to find them in your local store and continue to stay safe you gorgeous lot x
For reference:
I’m 4’11” and wearing 4 inch heels. I’m a size 4 or 6 in Primark usually. Above I’m wearing a size 8 top and size 6 trousers. My measurements for reference are 33:24:33.
Also wearing:
Cardigan: previous Collectif season
Sunnies: previous Collection season
Necklace: previous Collectif season (part of the Natalie set)
Hair flowers: Collectif last year and high street
Shoes: Lulu Hun Lorena in fuchsia
Bangles: Splendette and Bow & Crossbones
Earrings: Bow & Crossbones