Nothing makes me happier than discovering new shops carrying vintage or vintage-inspired dresses. It’s like uncovering a hidden treasure trove that, for that moment, only I get to know about. And then, of course I get so excited I immediately need to share it with all of you!
A month or so ago I was contacted by 1950’s Glam, an online-based retailer carrying a range of vintage inspired styles. It took me about a second of browsing on their site and I was hooked by the flirty prints and full skirts I love so much. I was really excited when they wanted to work together – owned by two lovely ladies and based out of Sydney, 1950’s Glam seems to be built from a passion for the glamour of vintage (which I can certainly relate to!), coupled with an appreciation for the added comfort of modern fabrics and sizing.
From their name, I’m sure you’ve gathered that they specialize in 1950’s-inspired dresses (though have some 40’s and 60’s inspired frocks as well). Though it took me ages to decide, I choose to give the Audrey Yellow Rose Swing Dress a twirl. The dress is rated below in terms of fit, fabric, features, and of course, twirlability.
The Fabric & Features
Given the fact that yellow is simply my happy color, the first thing about this dress that drew me in was the print. I love florals and polka dots. On their own, they can sometimes get a bit mainstream. But, put them both together, and suddenly you have a print that can turn heads. I’m proud to say I actually stopped traffic in this dress today. Literally. Two cars stopped to let me cross the road to score my second coffee of the day.
The Audrey Yellow Rose Swing Dress is made of cotton with a hint of elastane, so the dress has a bit of stretch. It feels both lightweight and substantial. I like when my dresses serve double duty – she will work well in summer as is, but I can also see her as a great autumn dress with tights and a cardigan.
The dress is unlined but the innards (which is just as important to me as the outside!) have all finished edges and a black invisible zipper. She also comes with a matching fabric belt, made of the same fabric as the dress but double layered to give a bit of sturdiness. In this look, I swapped out the matching belt for a wide black one to add a bit of contrast and widen the waistline a bit.
The Fit (& Flare)
When it comes to fit, I found this one to be nearly exactly TTS. I ordered a medium in this style – based on the size chart, this corresponds to a 36.5 bust and 30.5 waist. I generally run at a 35-36″ bust and 27-28″ waist and as a general rule, I tend to fit my bust first and take in the waist. I considered the small, which is 34.5″ bust and 28.5 waist, but dread the pancake boob and always err on the side of caution. When she arrived, the bust was 36″ and the waist was exactly 30.5″ (and stretched to 31). So while she was large in the waist, the bust was perfect. I will likely take her in at some stage in the waist, but in the meantime my wide belt cinched me in perfectly.
I did find her to be short in the torso (on me). I am woefully long-waisted and this is an issue I constantly struggle with. This dress was just over 15″ long in the waist and hit about an inch and a half too high for me. Once again, wide belt to the rescue! If you’re on the average or short-waisted side, this style will likely work perfectly. If you’re long waisted like me, I highly recommend investing in a range of wide belts (like this one). It’s amazing what a difference they can make to lengthen the waistline an inch or too.
The skirt was 25″ from waist to hem, which fell just to my knee and fit my fullest 26″ petticoat perfectly, with a smidge of peeking ruffles. My favorite feature of this dress was the full (really full), twirlable circle skirt. This is probably the first aspect of a dress I always test drive, and this dress really didn’t disappoint. The sweep of the skirt (i.e., the distance around the hem) is gloriously full at about 190″, which means I get to twirl to my heart’s content and my neighbors on occasion get a flash of knickers….
The Facts & Figures
The Audrey Yellow Rose Swing Dress retails for $67 USD (approx $93AUD) and is available in sizes S-XL. This particular style also comes in a range of prints, including strawberry, floral, and tartan. As I mentioned above, they offer free worldwide shipping (because and I quote, “whether you live in Outer Mongolia or Marfa, West Texas, when you order one of our gorgeous dresses, you shouldn’t have to pay any extra for shipping.” – don’t you just want to be friends with these women??). They also have a hassle-free 30 days return policy.
Over the next few weeks, they’ll also be adding several dresses to their evening wear range and (something I’m really excited about) they will soon be offering custom sizing options for their evening wear and some of their standard day dresses. As most women I know struggle to fit within a number on a size chart, the custom option sounds like BLISS. My long-waisted self is doing cartwheels at the mere thought. Particularly because they’ll be offering the custom sizing option for free – I can’t wait to try it out (Tanya, I’ve got my eye on you…).
To help you take this dress (or one of their many others) home, 1950’s Glam is offering an exclusive coupon code to readers of The Dressed Aesthetic! For a limited time, enter the code DRESSEDAPP in your cart at checkout to get 20% off your order.
1950’s Glam can also be found on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and their blog if you want to follow along and get sneak peaks of what’s coming into the store. If you do scoop up this adorable dress (or others), be sure to let me know in the comments section! Be forewarned, you may stop traffic.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go and twirl some more…
xoxo
Outfit Details:
Dress: Audrey Yellow Rose Swing Dress c/o 1950’s Glam
Bracelet: Gift (similar)
Belt: Pinup Girl Clothing – sold out (similar)
Handbag: Bettina Darling (similar here & here)
Shoes: Miss L Fire (similar here & here)
Lip Color: Dior Addict Fluid Lip Gloss, Pandore
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