I went just a tad bit crazy..
..over the past Christmas season's black friday and Christmas season sales and snagged all kinds of awesome deals on dresses that were on the top most part of my dress wish list! Here are the dress reviews:
My favorite dress from this set, the
Stop Staring Belinda dress from
DaddyO's.
I got it for 20% off during their customer appreciation sale right before Black Friday, this is off of their already low prices. I love DaddyO's because I have found them to have hands down the lowest prices on Stop Staring clothing. I don't know how they do it but I'm glad they do!
This dress is a fitted swing dress which features a large white bow at the bodice and white contrasting trim along the collar and arms. This dress is made from the super stretchy thick material we have come to know and expect from Stop Staring which gives their dresses the fit and feeling that the dress was made especially for you. I love the drape of the material which is a little stiff and keeps the swing skirt shape well as well as the fitted feel at the bodice which fits slimming without being too tight or restrictive.
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| Stop Staring Belinda dress |
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| Stop Staring Belinda Dress |
My second favorite dress from this set, the
Trashy Diva Cage dress from
Trashy Diva.
I got this for an unheard of 30% off from Trashy Diva. I have recently become a die hard fan of Trashy Diva because of their awesome designs and great quality. This dress is a little shorter than the usual retro styles I love but it gives it a fun playful feel. The top features a "cage" design at the neckline which I was at first hesitant about. I already have too many dresses which require a strapless bra so I wasn't too keen on adding to that collection but thankfully because the horizontal design I think I can safely get away without having to go strapless without it seeming too faux pas or sacrebleu! The pleating on the skirt is a to die for detail on the dress which helps give the dress weight, shape, and sophistication. The cotton material is a cotton stretch sateen which has a slight stretch and a slight sheen. Also, as is the case with most of their dresses, this dress is fully lined.
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| Trashy Diva Cage dress |
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| Please don't mind the lint. We live in cat country! |
My third favorite is more of a skirt or jumper, the
Bettie Page Jumper from
UniqueVintage.
I got this dress from Unique Vintage during their Christmas sale at 25% off. I've been eying this jumper for sometime but wasn't sure if it would suit my frame which I figure to be rectangular in shape and busty. Seeing this jumper online I thought it was adorable but also that it was everything that would be bad on my shape. I'm so glad I gave this jumper a shot because when I took this beautiful jumper out of the box and tried it on I found all my worries about it to be completely unwarranted. I think it looks great on and is a super fun design. I love that the skirt is high waisted which helps shape and also gives the look structure. The green color is vibrant and it drapes nicely. The material has a good amount of stretch to give a fitted fit.
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| Bettie Page Jumper |
Next is a dress that I also love, the
Collectif Simone Houndstooth Doll dress from
Modcloth.
I got this dress from Modcloth marked 50% off their list price during their Christmas sales. I am in love with Collectif for their pants and capes, things you don't usually see from retro fashion retailers. This is my first Collectif dress. I'm so glad to see Modcloth carrying
Collectif because Collectif is a UK brand not widely supplied in the US and shipping from Collectif directly usually will cost about $25! Not to mention if you end up not liking the fit of what you ordered and need to return it. Modcloth takes care of all those problems for me with their free shipping after spending $50 and free returns! The material on this dress is a soft flannel material with small houndstooth print. The covered buttons in the front are fully functional but the dress does also have a side zipper. What I am most impressed about with this dress is that it's a front button dress that does not gap at the bust! This is very unusual for me. I had just about given up on front button dresses! I don't know how this Simone dress does it. Maybe it's the combination of large buttons fairly closely spaced... not sure but I really like the fit of this dress. Also I love the casual yet classic look of this dress. The houndstooth print definitely adds an air of sophistication to this classic style. Makes me feel like I should be in a French New Wave film!
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| Collectif Simone Houndstooth Doll dress |
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| Whoops forgot to straighten out the belt in the back! |
Another of my treasures from this past Black Friday sale snags which I love every bit as much as the above dresses, the
Stop Staring Jackie 2-piece dress from
DaddyOs.
I got the Stop Staring Jackie dress from DaddyO's for 20% off during their customer appreciation sale right before Black Friday. On their website this dress is called Joan. I love this two piece dress which is such a unique design with a super vintage look! To me it looks like something straight out of a 1940's film noir movie! This dress is made from super soft material that feels like a cozy blanket or warm pajamas but looks sophisticated and business ready. This dress features slight puff sleeves for easy movement and three medium sized covered buttons on the upper left side of the top. The skirt is super high waisted so no worries about showing skin between the bottom of the top and the top of the skirt. The top has a unique way of closing, with a zipper in the back that closes from the middle of the back to the bottom which gives the back of this two piece plenty of visual continuity. The 3/4 sleeves gives this dress extra warmth and style without being too stuffy while two slits on the skirt gives it easy movement. There is plenty of stretch in this two piece and for the gorgeous look of the dress you wouldn't believe how comfortable it is!
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| Stop Staring Jackie 2-piece dress |
And finally the last of my black friday sale steals, the
Fleet Collection Prim dress from
Modcloth.
I got this dress during Modcloth's annual Christmas sales, marked to 50% off. I first saw
Fleet Collection's dresses from their Etsy store and have since been curious about their dresses. Their dresses usually feature smooth lines, A-line skirts, and modern styling with a retro twist. I loved this dress from the moment I tried it on. This dress's smooth lines remain true to form when worn and not just when pictured on a mannequin. The slightly mint gelato colored fabric has a medium weight to it and is slightly textured which gives the monochrome of the main body of the dress visual interest. The crocheted peter pan collar is fully detachable which makes it feel like a bonus gift which you can wear with other dresses and tops! The collar also has pearl beads and rhinestones and the champagne color of the bow compliments the main color of the dress perfectly. The one thing I had to fix on this dress though is that originally the collar was too short for the dress and when worn, the bottom of the collar would end before the top of the dress began. I had to add an extension chain to the collar which was an easy enough fix.. I might actually want to add another extension chain because I don't know, to me the collar still looks a little high? Very cute dress from Fleet Collection though. I think I will for sure try another one of their dresses again in the future.
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| Fleet Collection Prim dress |
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| Hey, I match my wall! Collar detail. |
Also, for reference, I am 5'3", 38-30-38. All the dresses I have reviewed here are in my usual size large. The Trashy Diva Cage dress is size 10. The Collectif Simone Houndstooth Doll dress was marked large on Modcloth's website and came in a size 14 UK.
We have come to the end of my dress reviews from my Black Friday and Christmas sales 2013 acquisitions but we have not come to the end of this post. Someone showed up in one of my pictures above and wanted to be sure we didn't miss her! And here she is again, C.C. Cookie being a good kitty. =^_^=
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| C.C. Cookie says she wants to be in a picture too! |
