Ava Maria

Hello darlings!

I've got a new frock and I'm incredibly excited about it!
The dress I'm going to be discussing today is one that is known, revered and loved by the pinup community and has been for a long time... none other than PinupGirlClothing's astounding Ava dress! 

The Ava dress is one that has been on my radar for a number of years. When it was first released in 2010 it instantly blew up amongst pinup and retro enthusiasts alike, due in part to the similarities between the style of the tight, fitted Ava dress and the beautiful ensembles worn by Christina Hendricks in Mad Men; this dress quickly became known amongst the community as the "Joan" a fitting homage to Hendricks' character.  

Not only is this dress absolutely breathtaking when on, but it also comes in a huge range of colours so there really is something to suit everyone! From the lovely plum hue that I'm showcasing here to teal, red, black, blush, peach and a whole host of rainbow shades - I feel no shame in wanting this dress in all the colours!

As you can see the Ava dress is incredibly big bust friendly!

When I first came across this beautiful frock I was only 18 and reasonably new to the rockabilly/pinup scene. My first thought (slightly embarrassing as it may be) when viewing the Ava in its stunning Plum hue was that it would make the perfect bridesmaid dress for my hypothetical future wedding. Fast forward a few years and I no longer have any rousing desire to actually get wed, however my love for the Ava dress has remained. 

I purchased this dress last year in advance of my 23rd birthday with hopes of wearing it out to celebrate. Unfortunately at the time I found that it didn't quite fit me right so it was sadly shelved. I found that my regular size of 2X in Pinupgirlclothing dresses was too tight across my bust in this dress and crammed my breasts together in a most unflattering way creating a "shelf" effect. It was also a little too tight across my midsection and generally didn't fit well overall -cue assorted boos and hisses-

Luckily enough, I recently re-discovered the Ava lurking at the back of my wardrobe and being a naturally curious person, I decided to try it on once more. Due in part to some recent weight loss this dress now fits me like a glove and I couldn't be happier with it! My advice to anyone considering purchasing this dress is to keep in mind that it has minimal stretch, so be sure to check the size chart vigilantly before making a purchase. 

Pretty in plum

Another great aspect of the Ava is that this dress is made from a luxurious shakira satin so has a lovely iridescence to it - the fabric looks so good in the sunshine! The tulip style skirt is incredibly flattering over my ample hips and the faux-wrap bustline is sexy without showing too much or being too risqué (not that this is something I ever bother myself thinking about!) 

Look at how the Shakira satin catches the light- I'm in love!

One thing I found quite difficult to wrap (haha, see what I did there?!) my head around was the sash of this dress. Luckily for me, the lovely Micheline from PinupGirlClothing was kind enough to make an explanatory YouTube video showing us the correct way to wrap. I've attached this below for anyone else who struggled as I did to get this just right:

Lastly, in terms of accessorizing this outfit, I wanted to keep things interesting so added a few key pieces to really make this dress pop. I added a fun statement handbag that I recently swiped in a Primark sale for the meagre sum of £3, a couple of my signature hair flowers in complimentary purple and grey/silver hues and some big glittery shoes. These platform wedge shoes are absolutely stunning but due to their sheer impracticality they don't get worn as often as they should- something I will need to duly rectify! 

Because this dress is such a statement piece on it's own I didn't think it needed too much accessorizing. I feel like this would be the perfect outfit to wear to a friend's wedding or a swanky awards ceremony- it's still very "me" but at the same time ticks all the right boxes of being bold, beautiful and fancy - a winning combination! 

Outfit Details

Dress: Pinupgirl Clothing

Tights: New Look

Shoes: Schuh

Handbag: Primark
Hair Flowers: George at Asda

Do you have an affinity for the Ava dress or something similar? Let me know in the comments section! 

Until next time my darlings, 

Lovelustloves x0

True Romance

Hello darlings! 

I hope as always that this blog installation finds everyone in good spirits and enjoying themselves as we reach optimistically towards summer! In the nature of summer and having been recently blessed with a highly unexpected heatwave across central Scotland, I decided to make today's blog post a fun little outfit that's warm-weather friendly whilst still maintaining a strong visual impact. I've also chosen to feature a wonderful indie clothing brand hailing from my homeland of Scotland known as Abandon Ship Apparel (or ASA for short!) 

Bold, bright and beautiful!

Abandon Ship are a wonderful little organization running from the centre of Glasgow. They've been in existence since 2011 and specialize in clean and high-impact t-shirt designs - however they have now ventured into the world of dresses, skirts and boxer shorts. Their aesthetic is particularly bold and beautiful, with their striking statement prints being coveted the world over. ASA are definitely the epitome of effortless cool and I'm a huge fan of their style and flair!

What's more- in 2014 Abandon Ship were the proud recipients of the "Scottish Retailer of the Year" award at the Scottish Fashion awards as well as the "Scottish Online Retailer or the Year" award at the Heralds Online Retail Awards. This wonderful brand are really carving a name for themselves and you'll find them plastered all over instagram and tumblr. 

Whilst I'm a fan of all of ASA's clothing, I have a particularly strong affinity for their's crop-tops & the "True Romance" print that I'm showcasing here is particularly beautiful. I love everything about this, the character design is powerful and the black and white palette creates a strong visual image. I feel that this works rather well with the black, white and red colour theme of this outfit- I'm usually one to stay away from limiting my colour choices but I feel that this just kind of works. I especially love the lustful couple placed here on my left boob! 

In terms of sizing, the Abandon Ship crop top that I'm wearing here is a women's size XL. These tops run fairly true to size and this is well accommodating for my 36G chest - as you can see the pattern isn't too distorted or too overly-stretched. For reference I usually wear a size 16/18 (UK) in tops 

 

I decided to pair this gorgeous little crop-top with a simple red miniskirt and some fishnet tights for maximum impact. I've been trying my best lately to take steps out of my fashion comfort zone and miniskirts are usually something I avoid like the plague, hence trying one out in this post! I've always adhered to the "tits or legs" rule of dressing and usually it's the bust that comes out on top (literally!) but what's life without spontaneity (and the occasional flash of your pins!?)

Over the past few months I've been feeling increasingly comfortable within myself and have definitely been experiencing a great influx of body positivity which has been a real aide to this fashion push. I've of course welcomed this with open arms and have been embracing the little fashion challenges I've been setting for myself - as I once read on a motivational post: "A comfort zone can be good, but nothing ever grows there". Never is this more true than within the confines of fashion - swing dresses and circle skirts may be well and good but even I need to push myself out of this every so often! 

She's got legs- she knows how to use them

Lastly, the shoes I'm wearing here are from TUK - I absolutely adore these. They're big, bold and beautiful- three of the most key aspects to my personal aesthetic. I've had these for a number of years but due to their sheer impracticality they don't often make it into my regular wardrobe rotation - something I may need to rectify! I'm also a huge fan of the she-devil pinup girl print of these shoes, it's particularly relevant to my interests and I think it ties in quite nicely to the tattoo-inspired print of the Abandon Ship crop-top; a little Sailor Jerry-style influence! 

Outfit Details

Crop top: Abandon Ship Apparel 
Skirt: Primark 
Bracelet: Claire's Accessories

Fishnet tights: Primark

Shoes: TUK 

Also, in other unrelated news I got a killer new tattoo a couple of weeks ago - this is my little tribute to the bloodthirsty Audrey 2 plant from the amazing movie musical "Little Shop of Horrors" done by the fantastic Rizza Boo at Bath Street Tattoo Collective in Glasgow. I highly recommend Rizza - she also did my stomach tattoo in April of last year and her skill is really second to none; just look at those vibrant colours!

And so my loves that brings us to the end of another blog post! I have an incredibly packed schedule coming up - this week and next I'm headed to Manchester, London, back to Manchester, doing a photoshoot with the inimitable Gary Crozier then to Wickerman festival - all whilst trying to flat hunt in Glasgow -  Phew!

Due to my travels I'll be taking some inspiration from my many jaunts and activities and in the very near future I'll be blogging about some festival-chic plus size style and I'll hopefully be able to disclose what it is that I've been getting up to down South! (It's all very hush hush at the moment!)

Keep your eyes peeled for my latest ramblings! 

Until next time my darlings, 

Lovelustloves x0