Full Circle - Skirts for Fun and Frolics and Flattery

I was asked months ago by a friend to have a look at circle skirts, but I confess I forgot.  Still, she has reminded me, and so here we are.  Circle skirts flatter most hourglass and pearshaped women, but actually give the impression of curves to anyone with boobs bigger than their waist - and they're forgiving of bums, hips and thighs, and tummies too, if like me you bulge out primarily below your natural waist.  They're a fun, lighthearted sort of shape, often - but not always - evocative of a retro 1950s look, and as the Autumn Winter collections reassured us, they're going to be around more and more over the coming months.

The retro look of the circle skirt is fairly obvious - they're much beloved for giving incomparable swirl and movement when dancing, and you need a lot of skirt to top a net petticoat.  The skirts above and top are by Hellbunny, cost less than £20, but come in a terribly limited range of sizes: only going up to a 14.  I include them because they're fun, but for similar skirts you could also try Wagtails Dancewear, who have a good range of sizes and patterns in a slightly longer length.

Length then.  Most circle skirts fall between 'just above the knee' to 'tea length' (upper calf), and certainly it's worth bearing in mind that most retro petticoats are designed to fall just below the knee if you're average height.  But the full circle skirt has many incarnations. Taken shorter it becomes a skater skirt, and these are huge fun if you're confident showing your legs (be aware that circle skirts of any length have a tendency to get caught by the slightest gust of wind and expose more leg than you'd planned) - ASOS have a good range of these up to a size 22.  Taken longer than calf length, and without a petticoat to create the shape, all that extra volume becomes quite blowsy.  They are around - the example above is by fashion brand American Apparel, and you'll find a lot of them in 'hippy' shops, but it's not a flattering look.  As a rule of thumb, the longer a skirt is, the stronger silhouette it needs.

What about a modern look? Well, a circle skirt doesn't need to be dressed up in retro trappings to be a flattering option.  The skirt above is by catalogue company Very, and with its net overlayer looks very contemporary and clean-lined.  It's available up to a size 24 and costs a reasonable £32.  To avoid echoes of the fifties, don't overplay the waist with a cinched belt, and whereas you would wear a more retro look with ballet pumps, wedge heeled espadrilles or curvy high heels, here you'd keep things modern with some more modern lines as above, or perhaps a tomboyish pair of flat, heavy-soled boots.

In most cases, circle skirts look best with a close fitted top, to give definition to the waist, but of course if you opt for a dress you don't have to think about what to wear with it. Obviously purveyors of fine retro frocks Vivien of Holloway and Collectif, amongst others, will cater perfectly to your vintage-look needs, but contemporary fashion also provides.  The dress above is silk, by Great Plains at Oli, and it breaks my heart to say it only goes up to a size sixteen, because it truly is gorgeous. £59 reduced from £85.  For other full skirted frocks, look for anything called a 'prom dress'.  Odd terminology (have you seen what is generally worn to proms?), but the silhouette is usually right.

Lastly, an apology and a request. My friend did ask me to find a particular skirt that she saw, once upon a time in some long-lost corner of the internet. I couldn't track it down, but maybe the swelegencia can? We're looking for a circle skirt with flames appliques or embroidered around the hem. Please pass the information on via the comments box or email if you happen across it on your travels.

Edit - one suggestion from the lovely people at Biscuit Boutique: This gauzy number from Mode Merr - handmade and with a breathtaking price to reflect all the work involved.

Friday Frocks - Long and Hot and Sixy

The sixth week of Friday frocks and we have a bumper crop.  Firstly, here come the boys:

pic removed by request (sept 2012)


Your eyes don't deceive you, and this isn't a distorted picture - this jacket really does feature the kind of pattern you see if you get too close to your TV screen.  I love it! I bet it attracts attention all day long.  On a design level, see how the pattern gets smaller as the jacket tapers in? That's pretty neat.

One of my colleagues, next - and isn't this shirt gorgeous? The print has quite a vintage feel, and it isn't too much for work because the tailoring is neat and close-fitting.  It helps too, that Hugo is quite a trim guy: that pattern over a much larger frame would look a little like soft furnishings, and what man wants to look like a sofa?

Lastly, for the gents @mikedixon honoured us with a new T shirt.  Cant say I'm much of one for slogans or jokes on clothes, but I do like the retro-americana styling with the contrast neck and yoked sleeves. And the moody look - you have to love a moody look.  He's a musician, you know, ladies...

Say hello to trashy. Trashy is a very, very close friend of mine and I truly love her, but this is the first time she's braved Friday Frocks.  What kept you, beautiful? Here she looks sophisticated and cool in a floaty-but-tailored black dress. I love the deep V neckline, it makes the dress sophisticatedly sexy - and it's enhanced by a simple silver necklace of exactly the right length.  Those Audrey Hepburn-style sunglasses? Divine.  The darkness and size balances out the dress against her fair colouring.
 

Rebecca lives in Ireland, and I guess it must've been a bit cooler there last Friday, because she's chosen to team up this simple black sundress (simple, but gorgeously flattering and boobtastic) with jeans and a cardie.  The dark denim works with the black dress - and of course jeans are practical for a busy mum - while the soft rose cardigan adds a flattering flash of colour and enhances her auburn hair.  Accessorising with a three year old in full Spiderman regalia? I love it. And if even toddlers can get on board with Friday frocks, what excuse have the rest of us got?

Speaking of small people, I know that lots of you loved Poppy, @BeBelongy's baby daughter last week.  Well here's mum! This is a lovely sundress, but styled up to look very swelegant.  Belting a dress can be a great way to show off your shape and add a certain something - and here that tan leather belt has been echoed by some lovely heeled sandals.  Then the chunky necklace gives the top of the outfit balance against that full skirt.
 

I need to apologise to a couple of lovely ladies for missing them out last week. I expect I occasionally will forget what photos I've been sent - please, please remind me if I do.  Charlotte looks so sophisticated here - this tailored dress is given a look of softness by the draped neckline, and the ballet pumps are the perfect retro-friendly option for people on their feet all day.

Less practical footwear from Megan, but I love the contrast of these twenties-style cutout 'tap shoes' against the black tights.  The eau de nil shade of the vintage-look dress (tiny pleats are such a lovely fashion detail at the moment) is picked up in the ribbons tying her shoes.  I adore this look - so cute.

Back to this week and another colourful frock from the woman in black: @Girl_In_A_Box... I may faint! This is a simple linen shift dress, but the idiosyncratic black jewellery, retro eyemakeup and 'up do' make the overall look unmistakably glam.

Maeve is rocking an actual skirt this week - which she tells me is a novelty for her. I don't know why, because she wears it well.  Immaculately colour co-ordinated as always, the little cardigan makes the outfit fun and is wonderful against Maeve's reddish hair colour.

Another turquoise cardie - this time from Trudi who is looking positively girly. Those silver pendants are just the most flattering length, and because of where they sit they break up the blackness of the top - tying it in to the patterned skirt.  I really love those ultra-pared-back sandals too.  Glitzy and practical.

I love the shape of Amanda's dress, here. The neckline is so flattering and respectably sexy, and the empire-line cut and A-line skirt give an impression of height and long-leggedness.  It looks really cool and airy, too.

Now, this is @_idioteque's Friday frock look - but it raises the question... is a Friday night outfit a Friday frock? Well, technically, no... probably not.  BUT - I'm happy to feature them anyway. Grey is Hugely fashionable at the moment, but it can look washed out and dull.  This outfit pulls the grey into sharp focus by teaming it with black throughout - on different scales.  I'd love to see more of those shoes - the contrast platform sole not only works with the contrast pattern on the skirt, but is eyecatching enough to be a focal point for the outfit.

@Girl_In_A_Box again, this time with first time Friday frocker @LittleModChick - ready to paint the town red. @LittleModChick pulls off the difficult horizontal stripes of the current nautical trend - but in such a showstopping top, wisely doesn't go too short with her skirt. Conversely, @Girl_In_A_Box covers up her cleavage in favour of showing off her fabulous pins in a pair of daringly short shorts.

@BeBelongy looks tanned and sultry here in this flattering maxi dress for her Friday night. Once again she shows her eye for accessorising with those two simple wooden bangles  - natural materials enhancing the kind of glam-hippy look.

A headless Bonita next - she sent me this Friday evening frock last week, actually - but it fits in with the Party Frock theme. I know regular readers will recognise the fabric as being the same as my peacock dress from the summer party a few weeks back  - but this style, also from Collectif last year, is shorter and more flirty.  To avoid too much exposure, Bon is wearing a beautifully matched vest top underneath - always an option to make you feel more secure.

Lastly me, in a pair of dotty frocks. In my Friday frock I've inadvertently managed to channel the eighties - it's a bit Strawberry Switchblade, and that's no bad thing.  On the Saturday night, at my Mother-in-Law's birthday party, I rocked my new frock from Collectif, and very pleased I am with it, too

So there you go - week six: a bumper crop.  But keep sending them in - regulars and newbies; young and old; male and female. And keep spreading the word!

Summer Party Style

What with Friday Frocks, I'm doing a lot of analysis of real people's looks lately - but I think that's no bad thing.  Part of the point of Swelegant Style Shopping is that people see what will work for them: not an eighteen year old with a figure my father used to describe as 'racing snake'.

On Saturday, I went to a birthday party (which of course didn't really get going until after the England match...).  The birthday girl is known as a bit of a style icon, and her guests really rose to the occasion too. This is birthday girl Lesley, looking the picture of relaxed elegance in a much-less-expensive-than-it-looks intricately knotted ribbon shift dress from H&M. The photo doesn't do this dress justice, sadly - it really was fabulously textural and the pale tone suit's Lesley's colouring in a really flattering way.  Those sandals are pared back elegance too - striking the right note between 'garden' and 'party'.

Also elegant, in a gorgeous midnight blue satin dress with fabulously feminine but structural waterfall-style shoulder detail, was this lady.  The dress was all grown up eveningwear, but the choice of accessories here subtly changes the message to something a little more fun. The feather hair clip is from Accessorise, and all those fabulous bird-of-paradise colours are picked up in the glass ring.  It's an injection of colour appropriate for the occasion but not taken too far.

More casual, but fabulously put together, Fay's longline Topshop jumper is so flattering to her petite frame.  For knitwear, this too is really structural and almost space-aged, and the necklace is the perfect length and solidity to draw the eye down from that otherwise quite severe neckline.

A masterpiece of colour coordination next, from the wonderful Hattie.  All the colours in that scarf are gorgeous jewel tones that flatter her complexion - and she's chosen the jade-turquoise shade to create the backdrop against which to show the scarf off.  Wearing a patterned scarf in this way adds interest, and by having one end trailing down there is a lengthening, slimming vertical line created.  Such a scarf though really needs the plain backdrop Hattie has provided.  The accessorising here is faultless too: those glasses in a mock tortoiseshell of exactly the same shade of greeny blue. The colour of glasses frames can really help an outfit look cohesive - but be aware that the colour probably needs to be subtle, as here, if it is to flatter your complexion.

More coordination here.  This gorgeous royal purple and pale gold silk dress is dressed down perfectly with the well-fitted indigo denim jacket.  Again, the effect is 'party-dress-but-informal-too'.  The jacket also helps break up the purple, allowing the lovely patchwork leather bag (which I think this lady said was by Marni) and the purple cocktail ring to add to the cohesive nature of this look, without being to overwhelmingly 'matchy'.

See those lovely shoes in the background?  Guess whose?

You've seen both these items before (dress and shoes) but I was quite pleased with this outfit so I wanted to share.  Indulge me.  The dress, by the way is by Collectif, who I mentioned on Wednesday.  Although that fabulous peacock fabric is sadly no more, the dress itself is the 'stella doll' style which is still available in lots of fabrics and is also essentially the same cut as their sailor frock.  I've repositioned the halterneck to make shoulder straps, is all.  Flattering, no? Of course unlike everyone else, I totally failed to get the balance between dressy and casual.  I always tend to err on the side of glam...

Good News for More Retro-Loving girls.

 A couple of my very favourite dresses were from the online boutique Collectif.  They specialise in retro looks with a slightly punky edge, and at pretty reasonable prices... But about eighteen months ago, with no explanation, they stopped stocking anything over a size 16.  I was disappointed - I sent an email on behalf of the blog - but no response was given (which I still think is pretty shocking customer service). To the present day, though, and not only have Collectif begun to reintroduce sizes up to a 22 (in a very limited range of stock now, but the website seems to have been set up to suggest that bigger sizes will become the norm) but also until 21st June you can get a 20% discount if you enter the code SUGAR at checkout.  I can't lie - I did just that, buying the frock above.

The polka dot dress (£50 - various colours and prints) I bought is basically the same shape and style as the cute sailor dress (£55, also available in black and navy).  It's flattering to hourglass shapes, disguises tummies, bums and thighs, and can be worn with a flouncy retro underskirt (available in many other retro stores) for more fifties-tastic impact.

If you have a more flat stomach, there are plenty of pencil skirts and wiggle dresses in the range (although not yet in the larger sizes). I love the 'Lust' dress, above, for its dramatic portrait collar and asymmetric buttons (£50).

There are separates too - of which the Dolores top (£25) is my buxom favourite.  The curves of this clever neckline will enhance small boobs, while flattering the fuller embonpoint because of it's diagonal lines.
 

There is also a new range by  Bordello Shoes on the site.  All fantastically impractical, I particularly love these 'too fabulous to be true' Teeze platforms (£49.95).

If you're new to Collectif, I think it's well worth a look - generally reasonable value, and with a 20% reduction as well, you may find something to treat yourself with.

Ooh la ladybird!

Tonight I need cheering up, so I'm going to indulge myself by wallowing in some of my favourite clothes.

Polka dots have been a passion for me since childhood.  The young Miss Charlotte was enamoured of the aesthetic chosen by gothy Scottish popstrels Strawberry Switchblade (and the music, but that's a different story).  Then as a teenager my first true love was a young man who modelled himself on the singers Iain McCulloch and Robert Smith, and had a signature look involving polka dot shirts and skintight jeans.  I taught myself to sew with two polka dot skirts and a pair of baby-pink polka dot dungaree shorts... fast forward to more recent times and even my wedding dress had an overlay of cream polka dots.  But in the last year or so, I've accumulated three polka dot purchases which are all, inescapably, in the crimson and black hues of the lovely ladybird.

Click for larger pics.

It started with this dress from Rockabilly/Punk online boutique Collectif (although they don't sell it now - or indeed much else in the same size). I bought it because of the polka dots, but also because I wanted something new to wear for the late lamented regular People's Republic of Disco club night, where red and black was the non-compulsory dress code.  I know it looks short - remember: not only am I short myself, but it's also very wide.  And look - there I am on the right, in the clubbing section of Time Out - proving that it's an excellent party frock!  It's a great standby, this: my version of the 'little black dress'.  I can wear it over trousers if I'm feeling self-conscious about my legs, it doesn't show too much boob and it isn't too dressy... but it still looks like I've put on something a bit special.

Then, as I mentioned in one of my first blog posts (here), I found a pair of super-cheap spotty low-heel shoes, meant to appeal to the kids' souvenir market in Barcelona. As I mention in my earlier post: they appealed to me immediately as 'ladybird shoes' - it wasn't until later that I realised that they match the frock.  These lovely low heels are comfy enough to be worn all night.  Around then I began to consider what it was about this particular permutation of polka dots that appealed so strongly.  The crimson tone is deep, richer than a more firey scarlet hue, and this more bluey red flatters my dark hair and pale skin (orangey reds are better for fair hair or for tanned complexions).  This red, then is juxtaposed with black - a powerful combination of mischief and strength.  Minnie Mouse sports a red dress with white polka dots, and that's a far more innocent look.  But for me, there's also something cool and cute about ladybirds themselves.  The female identity, the bright colours, the childlike pattern... ladybirds rock.

Then, last summer, when I was searching for something special to wear for my hen night, I went back to the ladybird pattern for a third time. I'd already decided on plain pink dresses from Vivien of Holloway for my bridesmaids, and now I went all out one of their showstopping frocks for myself, in what else but red with big black dots.  It's still available now - £59 for the dress and the matching bolero is £25.  The dresses are boned in the bodice and very full in the skirt - they look great on their own or even better with a full petticoat.

As you can see, it's quite a show-stopping look... you need to carry it off with some confidence.  Why do I love it?  The slightly larger size of the polka dots make it more flattering for my large build - more so than the first dress, and it's so flattering to this over-inflated hourglass body. The dress only comes in halterneck though, and although I customised a bra to fit under the halter, very big boobs make for a very painful neck by the end of the night - when I next wear it (on Saturday, for my birthday), I'll convert it to shoulder straps. Finally, a gratuitous closeup.  Photos like this make me love my body just the way it is - and what better reason could there be to have a passion for great clothes?.

                          

Back (to the eighties)

So - wedding planning took the place in my day that blogging used to - but then when I wanted to come back, I found that fashion had moved wholeheartedly to the eighties revival... and it's all just so ...ugly. And worse: it's unflattering. Batwing sleeves, dropped waists, slash necks, blouson jackets: hideo-rama. How is a girl supposed to negotiate her way through if she isn't long of limb and lean of flesh?

And then I began to see a path...

First I bought some truly wonderful boots in M&S. I wasn't looking for boots, but the leaped out at me - and I didn't have terribly high hopes: I don't wear heels well, for my feet are too short and the downward pressure is too high. In the event, it transpires that these are possibly the most comfy heels I've ever worn. I wore them out last night with no flats to change into, and then managed to wear them all day at work with no pain. Wonderous indeed.

They were £35, and obviously are Not Leather - which is a shame, as they won't last long. Sadly they now only seem to come instore in brown (mine are black) - and aren't online at all. Still a fab buy, though. The foreshortening effect of the ankle cutoff is offset by the heel, and the eighties rock-chick studs and straps are subtle and grown up. The curve of the toe is echoed by the shape of the chunky heel - all in all a great piece of cohesive design.


My second eighties-tastic purchase was this top from Evans:

I'm really loving peacocks as a design motif - and they're all over the place this A/W. Last Autumn / Winter I bought a fabulous peacock-patterned rockabilly frock from Collectif (still not my best friends, since they've seriously restricted their plus sized ranges). I wore it for my Aunt's wedding last month - as you can see below. Peacocks give you all the best blues, plus purples and turquoisey-greens. Colourbomb time!

So the peacock top from Evans (£27) was eagerly awaited, then. The wide neck is deep enough to flatter, and that dippy-scoopy hem is thigh-flattering joy. Sadly (or not), when it came, the print was embossed with glitter - not quite right for my workplace. I wore it out on a Friday night though - with red accents (bangle and lips) - and it was fierce. Loved it. Is it eighties? The big print and voluminous shape make it retro, but the design and colours are tasteful and flattering. Let's call it 'good eighties'.