Hello everyone!
Recently I have had the pleasure of being able to do every girls dream...try lots and lots of beautiful dresses on! My first shoot for Dollydagger is being planned as we speak, so I have been nipping into the shop to have my fittings in the different dresses.
The wonderful and lovely Simon runs the shop in the Brighton Lanes, and he played my assistant, passing me dress after dress to try on. I admit I found myself transformed by each dress into a different vintage icon, what a great dress can do!
I was first presented with the Dita dress which you can see below. I absolutely adore this dress! The lines of this dress very cleverly creates the ultimate hourglass figure. The neckline covers more of your collarbones that this picture would suggest, however this enhances the bust, and equally makes the waist look even smaller. The ruching around the hips exxagerates the hourglass figure again, but also magically hides any belly as your eye is naturally drawn to the shape that this dress creates. I then wiggled around the shop like Dita herself!
There is also a skirt in the same style, the High Waist Dita Skirt.
This sits just under the bust and finishes just below the knee. I was quite surprised and pleased to find that the skirt actually didn't look too dramatic, so would look wonderful for during the day as well as out in the evening, making it a very cost efficient purchase!
Next up was the Greta Leopard Collar Dress. This is very much the same shape as the Dita dress, both of which finish at the super flattering length just below the knee. This dress turned me into Joan Holloway from Mad Men!
Another beauty, perfect for the winter seasons with the fur cuffs and neckline! This was very flattering again, the necklines really do suit any figure and I also found them very accomodating and not tight at all for my boobs! I really really like this dress, the fur and slightly thicker material mean you probably wouldn't need any jacket etc to go with this one!
This is the Scarlet dress. Another great investment- a very sutble, elegant choice or, with the addition of a petticoat, a wonderful statement 1950s dress. This is slightly more lower cut than the others I have mentioned, which really draws the eye down the the teeny tiny waist it creates. Once I put the petticoat on, I definitely felt like Betty Draper from Mad Men! I think this would look absolutely stunning with plenty of diamonds and simple, elegant hair and make up.
Finally I tried the gorgeous Strawberry Fayre Bustle Dress on. I adore this too! This was perhaps my favourite of them all, as I feel it is maybe the most wearable. You can dress it down for a 1940s look with brogues and victory rolls during the day or dress it up for the evening and really show off the shape it gives you.
Tight in at the waist, with pleats over the stomach, it finishes at that brilliant length again...just beneath the knees. It has another super neckline that shows off the collar bones and adds a uniqueness to the dress. Around the waist is a tie of matching fabric. You can take it completely out if you like, to maybe add a brown waist belt, or make a big bow at the back. Very cleverly, the tie is made out of quite strong, stiff fabric, so any bows make will actually hold themselves up and out rather than fall down and lose their shape. I can't think of anything more flattering than a tiny waist with a big bow showing it off!
I also tried the beautiful Scarlet dress and the Brighton Belle (!) Swing dress. See these on the Dollydagger website
here. More gorgeous dresses, I really do feel incredibly lucky to have been chosen!
It is clear to see that Emma, the owner and designer at Dollydagger, really does know what suits real women. It is a relief to try so many dresses on that actually fit perfectly, with no horrible getting stuck moments or looking at yourself in the mirror thinking ohhhh no! Every one slipped on and made me feel amazing! I think the minute you try something on and instantly do a little dance (or is that just me?!), you know it's the right dress for you!
Keep your eyes peeled- soon it will be the photoshoot and my face will be plastered all over the Website, Facebook, Twitter and Shop Front! Its going to be weird but amazing too!
Thats all folks! Well done if you made it this far!
Lots of love,
Hannah xxx