Christmas might now be over for the year but I'm going to back track a bit to my Black Friday haul!
Black Friday is a vintage reproduction online shopping addict's dream come true!
There are so many vintage reproduction companies and retailers that participate yearly in black Friday sales that it's actually hard to find a brand or shop that isn't having an awesome sale! Usually the sales are the best out of the whole year. They usually involve all inventory and can often get as high as 40% off or more... though usually 30% off is more typical (though still awesome).
It probably won't be a surprise to those that read my blog that I love shopping online on black Friday! I would even go so far as to say black Friday is probably my favorite day of the year! It most certainly is my favorite sale of the year! This year I was actually trying to be really good with black Friday shopping. I averted my eyes during most of the advertisements for sales and more or less stayed away from perusing the online inventory of the shops I didn't already have a mental wishlist with. My plan for black Friday this year was only to buy from Pinup Girl Clothing and only get two dresses I had my eye on. I realized my collection of novelty print dresses was sorely missing any dresses that would fill the niche of perfect novelty attire for Disney themed events. This might sound really specific but I really love dressing in theme! When I saw Pinup Girl Clothing's Lydia dress in Mermaid border print and their Lydia dress in Queen of Hearts border print I knew I had to have them.
Pinup Girl Clothing's Lydia dress in Mermaid border print:
The Mermaid print dress is actually an older dress by PUG which they've had for a while. I remember seeing it a few years ago in person at a local retro reproduction shop, Charlottes's Web in Berkeley, which has sadly since closed down. I wasn't able to get the dress then because they were out of my size and I had since put the dress in the back of my mind but when I saw that PUG still had this dress in stock and I knew black Friday was a approaching I decided it would be one I'd have to get this year.
This dress features an all around whimsical border print of a purple haired mermaid under the sea sneaking a peek into a sunken treasure chest. She is surrounded by a variety of starfish, clams, shells, fish, bubbles, and sparkles of light. She is not Ariel, the Little Mermaid, but her coloring of purple, green, and orange-ish coral, makes her highly reminiscent of Ariel. The illustration is an original design by New York based artist Stephanie Buscema.
The Lydia dress is a gorgeous dress with a classic 50's silhouette. It features a fitted gathered bust with a unique twist design. It has wide adjustable shoulder straps that criss-cross in the back, and also has a full gathered skirt. The skirt itself is gorgeous with lots of colors and while the body of the dress is black, the bust comes in a contrasting lavender with matching contrasting lavender belt. I love the balance of the array of colors in the skirt against the black background and contrasting lavender in the bust and belt of the dress.
The quality of this dress did not disappoint. In fact, I have found that PUG usually holds the trophy for best quality cotton retro repro dresses! The bust was completely lined, the material on the dress was thick and had a gorgeous slight sheen to it, and it comes with pockets.
 |
| Pinup Girl Clothing Lydia dress in Mermaid Border print- Front View |
 |
| Pinup Girl Clothing Lydia dress in Mermaid Border print- Front View |
 |
| Pinup Girl Clothing Lydia dress in Mermaid Border print- Front View |
 |
| Pinup Girl Clothing Lydia dress in Mermaid Border print- Side View |
 |
| Pinup Girl Clothing Lydia dress in Mermaid Border print- Back View |
 |
| Pinup Girl Clothing Lydia dress in Mermaid Border print- Close Up |
Pinup Girl Clothing's Lydia dress in Queen of Hearts border print:
While one dress in this gorgeous Lydia cut and Disney-esqe print theme is great, two is glorious! I could not resist also getting the Pinup Girl Clothing's Lydia dress in Queen of Hearts border print dress as well this black Friday. Being a Lydia dress, it has the same cut as the Lydia dress in the Mermaid border but with a wholly different theme, this time in Alice in Wonderland theme! The border print design, also by Stephanie Buscema, features an all around border print of Alice in Wonderland's character portraits in shapes of suits of cards-- hearts, clubs, diamonds, and spades-- all bordered at the top and bottom by a curly cue design. The curly cues at the bottoms also cleverly has the suits of cards along the border. In this border print there is a cute gradation going from green to yellow at the bottom of the dress, reminiscent of the grass during the Queen of Heart's croquet game. Unlike the border print for the Mermaid dress though, the print of this dress continues all the way up the skirt with little card men, like in the queen's guard, surrounded by roses and hearts. Like the Mermaid dress, this dress features a contrasting bodice and belt, though this time in black contrasting with the main yellow of the body of the dress. Also like the Mermaid dress, the bust of this dress is lined, though unlike the other Mermaid dress the cotton on the body of this dress does seem to be slightly lighter and doesn't quite have the same sheen.
I hope a trip to Disneyland will happen this coming year so I can take full advantage of the themes of these dresses, though even if we don't go to Disneyland this year I know these dresses will be perfect dresses to wear all spring and summer long when the weather warms up again!
 |
| Pinup Girl Clothing Lydia dress in Queen of Hearts Border print- Front View |
 |
| Pinup Girl Clothing Lydia dress in Queen of Hearts Border print- Front View |
 |
| Pinup Girl Clothing Lydia dress in Queen of Hearts Border print- Front View |
 |
| Pinup Girl Clothing Lydia dress in Queen of Hearts Border print- Side View |
 |
| Pinup Girl Clothing Lydia dress in Queen of Hearts Border print- Back View |
 |
| Pinup Girl Clothing Lydia dress in Queen of Hearts Border print- Close Up |
Emily and Fin's Painters Palette Florance dress:
While I fully intended on checking out at Pinup Girl Clothing with just these two dresses in my cart I could not stop myself from adding this Painter's Palette Florance dress by Emily and Fin as well, especially when I realized with the discount this dress would come out to only $64! And besides, continuing on with filling theme niches in my closet, I knew I didn't have any proper themed dresses for a day out at an art museum! ;)
I just adore this dress! The novelty print of white painter's palettes full of red, blue, green, and grey on a black background has such a lovely vintage vibe to it. It really has the feel of an authentic 1950's atomic novelty print to me. This dress features an overlapping pleated bodice that forms a modest yet flattering v-neckline and the shoulders have ample coverage and sit slightly boatneck in style along the shoulders. This dress also has ruching at the waist, a gathered skirt, pockets and also comes fully lined! This is the first time I've ever bought anything by Emily and Fin and I can say I am fully impressed by this dress!
 |
| Emily and Fin Painter's Palette dress- Front View |
 |
| Emily and Fin Painter's Palette dress- Front View |
 |
| Emily and Fin Painter's Palette dress- Side View |
 |
| Emily and Fin Painter's Palette dress- Back View |
 |
| Emily and Fin Painter's Palette dress- Close Up |
Trashy Diva's Bitsy dress in Geisha Fans:
While I told myself those three dresses were going to be it for me for black Friday I absolutely could not resist getting the Trashy Diva Bitsy dress in Geisha Fans the Monday after Black Friday when Trashy Diva did a surprise 50% off sale on all items in their Geisha Fans, Gingham, and some of their silky solids collection.
Since I bought it on a Monday sale it doesn't really count as going overboard on the black Friday sales, right?! ;)
I had the opportunity to try this dress on when I was on vacation in New Orleans at the end of October/early November and so I knew I loved the dress.... I also knew though that I wasn't willing to buy the dress at full price since I already have a dress in this print, their Loop dress in Geisha Fans. But when I saw that it was 50% off... well then, that was my kind of sale!
This gorgeous dress has a super 60's vibe. It has a simple sleeveless bodice with a high neckline that has a slightly open long slit which creates a very geometric v-neck. It is a shorter dress with a straighter A-line skirt than is usual from most of Trashy Diva's dresses. This dress also has a super cute contrasting band at the waist with a large folded bow in the front center. Just as the cut itself is 60's in style, the bright vivid Geisha Fans print really emphasizes the boldness of its 60's feel to me. I love the bright color combinations of turquoise blue, orangy red, yellow, coral, white, lime green, and navy blue. The asian-inspired theme of fans, flowers, origami cranes, and lanterns has a modern kawaii feel to it while still being very 60's in style to me. I do not regret getting this dress. I only regret having to wait for warmer days to wear it!
 |
| Trashy Diva Bitsy dress in Geisha Fans- Front View |
 |
| Trashy Diva Bitsy dress in Geisha Fans- Front View |
 |
| Trashy Diva Bitsy dress in Geisha Fans- Front View |
 |
| Trashy Diva Bitsy dress in Geisha Fans- Front View |
 |
| Trashy Diva Bitsy dress in Geisha Fans- Close Up |
