Today’s Friday Frock Love is the about the gorgeous own brand label at my sponsor, Pin Up Parade.

Helen launched Swagger Joint last year, but the problem with internet shopping is you can’t actually see, touch, and feel the quality of things. So she sent me one of the Avril dresses to see for myself.

I’m sending it back, so it’s not mine to keep, though me and my bank balance are having some quite intense discussions on the issue. I am seriously impressed with this dress!

The only way I can tell it’s not an actual vintage dress is from details like the nylon zip and overlocked seams. The quality really is fantastic, especially when you start looking at some of the tat on the High Street that they have the cheek to charge a similar price for!

This particular dress is really heavy, so it hangs beautifully. It’s made from a wool crêpe and is fully lined as well. I’m in between the sizes on the chart, so I went up a size, and it was actually a perfect fit and a really flattering cut on the bodice. Plus, look at the length! It’s actually calf length, not knee length or above the knee like so many dresses.

The Swagger Joint dresses go all the way up to a size 20 as well, and you can rely on the measurements on the Pin Up Parade site as Helen actually measures all the dresses and produces individual size charts for each one.

There are 2 other dresses in the Swagger Joint range at the moment. The Viv dress is a pencil dress with a velvet collar and the Esme is a matte satin circle dress with net underskirts.

The Viv and the Avril are both part of the price drop on Pin Up Parade dresses, while the Esme is actually in the sale section in sizes up to a 16 for just £30!

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Happy Burns Night!

I hadn’t planned to do this today, then I felt guilty because I’d done Chinese New Year on Monday and I do like a nice haggis supper on Burns Night, so I thought in the interests of fairness I’d take a look at Tartan today!

Burns Night is poet Robert Burns birthday on the 25th January and started being held around the early 1800s after Burns death. It includes speeches, toasts, poetry readings, and, importantly, Haggis. If you haven’t tried haggis you really should. It sounds disgusting but I think it’s delicious with a spicy oaty flavour.

But onto Tartan! I was a big fan of tartan mini skirts and trousers when I fancied myself a punk in the 90s, but since then I’ve reserved it mostly for pyjamas and the occasional shirt I’m afraid. I’ve fancied a full tartan skirt for a few years, but not been able to find one I could afford and my seamstress skills just aren’t up to, well, anything!

I’ve dug out some vintage photos of women in Tartan, though they were surprisingly harder to find than I expected.

And a few places to pick up some tartan of your very own. (Top tip, wool tartan skirts are a common Charity Shop find)

1940s Tartan print dress – £78.98 on Etsy

1950s Tartan Cloak – £28.30 on Etsy

Tartan Wool Ladies Skirt - £55 on eBay

For the more sizing flexible world of vintage repro we’re back to Vivien of Holloway who has the most amazing tartan pencil skirts.

Tartan Wiggle Skirt – £45 Vivien of Holloway

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Last week I showed you some vintage style sale bargains on the High Street.

Today I’m turning to the world of vintage reproduction brands.The stock in vintage repro shops tends to be more stable as they tend not to subject themself to the whims of the world of fashion trends, but that doesn’t meant there aren’t some bargains to be had at sale time. Changes in sizes, discontinued colours and poor selling lines still go on sale, and sometimes it’s just a chance to clear some space for exciting new season stock for Spring.

I have no idea why I’m putting myself through this torture, as I have absolutely no money to spend myself, but I hope you find it useful. I’ve visited a few of my favourite vintage reproduction stores and located my favourite bargains. Whether you’ve got £50, £100, or unlimited funds hopefully there’s something here to catch your eye. Of course, if you’re down to your last £2.19 like I am today then there’s not much I can do for you and you’ll just have to join me in the “staying at home drinking all the random Christmas booze” club.

I’m struggling through to Payday, but don’t intend to let that stop me shopping

Heyday Wrap Top – Geometric Deco Print – £30 £20

This ones been on my lust list for a while. I love the green and it’s such a flattering and versatile shape. I think it’s a great day to night top.

Esme dress by Swagger Joint from Pin Up Parade – £70 £30

This is in the sale due to a labelling error. Frankly I don’t care what the label says for such a huge reduction! A little black dress is always a good wardrobe buy and judicious use of accessories will mean you can really get your moneys worth!

I budgeted well at Christmas and am therefore feeling smug in the sales

Lady K Loves Shirley Dress – £65 £50

On sale in limited sizes in Navy. I have this dress and it’s great for Summer day and night.

Tara Starlet Vamp Prom Dress – £55

I’m not sure what the original price of this. But Tara Starlet normally comes in at the £70-£100 mark for a dress. It’s in the sale in both red and grey.

Daddy travelled back in time with a stolen sports almanac, but I still shop in the sales so I can pretend I’m a normal person

Stop Staring Tan Boardwalk Dress from Stop Traffic – £165 £120

Being on sale doesn’t make this a cheap dress, sadly, just cheaper than it was! I do love my Stop Staring dress though and wouldn’t hesitate to invest in another if I were ever to be in a situation where that wouldn’t involve me not eating or paying my rent! This looks like a great dress for the rapidly approaching Spring (but not rapidly enough for my liking).

Vivienne Westwood Melissa Glitter 3 Strap Elevated Shoes from Dolly Dagger – £110 £77

Green AND glittery! Be still my beating heart. Utterly impractical and very expensive shoes, made slightly less expensive by being in the sale. Who doesn’t need shoes that smell of bubblegum?

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