Welcome to the jungle........

I love a good animal print. Bold and brash, you're guaranteed to feel as fierce as the animal that inspired it. As someone who tends towards 'in your face' outfits an animal print always fits the bill. Yes, they can be trashy but I don't think that's a bad thing. Sometimes you just want to feel unapologetically bad-ass!

When I saw the Deadly Dames tiger print cigarette pants, I fell in love. Cue months of checking the PUG website everyday to see if they had been restocked. I was signed up to the email alert on them but you never know I might have got there a few minutes sooner! You know what it's like when you see something you just have to have no matter what the cost, effort or the fact that it quite possibly won't suit your body shape. All that went out the window the moment I saw them and they are finally mine (insert evil villain cackle here....)

Boom - power stance!

I'm not usually a huge fan of trousers as I tend to carry my weight on my thighs and tummy but I had to make an exception for these. High-waist, tapered to the ankle and all in a killer tiger print.

These trousers are a cotton-spandex mix and are super skinny fit. After reading lots of helpful reviews on the website from other PUG girls I went with the Medium. They are a bit tight for me on the thighs as predicted but I was just happy to be able to get them up! Be warned there is very little stretch to the fabric so if in doubt size up in these!

They fasten with a small zip and a button at the back. This confused me completely at first when I put them on back to front (no excuses I'm just slow). Every time I've worn these since I got them has involved far too much growling and probably made drunk me a little bit sassier than my usual silly drunk self. 

These are currently available in every size except Medium and go up to a 4X. At $82 they're very reasonable for PUG. If anyone wants to get me the matching top for Christmas then that would be just fine! The combo looks absolutely amazing on the gorgeous Michelline Pitt (the Deadly Dames designer and all-round superwoman) - take a look......

The trousers also come in a range of plain colours, leopard print, harlequin print and a new houndstooth print. They're a Deadly Dames staple so if they don't have the size you want in your chosen fabric it's worth adding yourself to the waitlist. After all when you fall in clothes-love any wait is worth it ; )

When wearing tiger print one must crawl around on one's bedroom floor and growl - it's the law.

What do you think - are animal prints too brash? Or do we all need a bit of brash now and again?!

*All photos by the lovely Sally Molineaux

Oh Erika!

I don't think it's a secret that Pin Up Girl Clothing are one of my favourite brands.

They have a huge range of pin-up products, quick delivery (from the States), the quality is always outstanding and they have some of the best sales around. If you are not already signed up to their newsletter DO IT NOW! You'll get new product notifications and will be the first to hear about the sales where you can pick up some treasures for a fraction of their original prices. This also means that you can take a chance on something you might not be too sure about. I did exactly that with the Erika Dress....

I'd fallen in love with the print but don't tend to go for anything quite so figure hugging. I was also concerned that it was so dressy I'd never wear it (forgetting how easy it is to find reasons to wear beautiful dresses!). It hit the sale at half price for $60 in the last online yard sale so I went for it and I love, love, love it! 

The fit is perfect. I chose a Small and with minimal shapewear it clings but flatters. Here I just had some trusty Spanx underneath (which you couldn't see through the dress despite being black).

It's the details that really make this dress though.

The print I got was Vintage Red Rose, sumptuous red and orange roses on a white background with dark green leaves. Ruching around the bust creates a flattering shape and would work especially well for bustier ladies! The velvet bow beneath the bust is an extra cute detail that breaks up the pattern a little.

The back features a kick-pleat, giving you room to move as well as a classic chic look.

Did I mention it comes with a matching Bolero? 

I was worried this would be too tight on my arms due to some dabbling in weight-lifting but it fit perfectly. I have relatively broad shoulders so this might be something to consider when thinking about sizing - the Bolero was a lot more snug than the dress. 

Although this version is no longer on the site the Erika dress is available in three other colourways -  Vintage Rose which is a soft pink on a dark grey background, Yellow Rose (in plus size too) which is a yellow rose on a white background, and Yellow and Plum Rose (in plus size too) which is a purple rose on a yellow background. Just search 'Erika' on the site. Although currently all full price at $120 dollars these are show-stoppers that would be ideal for a special occasion, I've used more pictures than usual today simply because I was happy with every single one in this dress, not a fault of my wonderful photographer but my own pickiness. This is a classic, classy and elegant dress that will definitely turn heads and continues my love affair with all things PUG.

*All photography by the lovely Sally Molineaux

Bella Donna dreams

A little while ago I was tempted by the PUG online yard sale and picked up a few discounted beauties. It's hard to resist any PUG sale. I was lucky in that I wasn't coveting anything too hard at the time but I still thought I'd have a little browse. Then a few things found their way into my basket, you know, just in case, just to think about.... Then somehow I was entering in my payment details...

Any kind of sale has a weird affect one me. Things I'd thought were kind of pretty suddenly become must-haves and I find myself whittling down a wishlist that I never would have considered before! A PUG sale is extra dangerous because most of the site falls into the wishlist. The prices are the only thing that holds me back. Reduce those and I'm hopeless. This will probably end up with me living in a garden shed, dressed immaculately in retro evening gowns that I wear to sleep in.

The speed of the PUG website during a sale proves that I'm not alone in this though. I've got some soul-sisters out there, tensely waiting for each page to load. It's worth the wait though when you pick up a bargain like this....

The Bella Donna dress in black with red rose border print by PUG brand Pinup Couture. I'd admired the flamenco flare of this style before but probably wouldn't have parted with the full $144. For $60 however, I was sold.

The dress has a nice full skirt that you could fit a petticoat under but also looks fine without. It's not as full as the Harley dress so it's easier to wear without one. The adjustable, thick straps and boned bodice make for a secure fit that would work with a range of body shapes. The fabric is a sturdy cotton mix with a beautiful rose print along the skirt.

One day I'll remember to iron my dresses....

As if that wasn't pretty enough it's finished with a row of little pom-poms along the hem and neckline!

So cute!! 

I choose a M in this dress and it fits perfectly. I definitely prefer the look of the dress with a belt though. It helps accentuate the shape of the dress and pull it together.

If you like Spanish/Flamenco inspiration this is the dress for you! It's sadly no longer available in this colourway but you can get it in red with a black border print or red with an Italian landscape border print over on the PUG website. Both dresses have different feels, The red with rose border has the same look as this black version but the Italian border print is amazing and evokes the Riviera (no pom-poms on this version).

Sign up to the PUG newsletter to get alerts about their sales and snap up a bargain!

All photos by the lovely Sally Molineaux

Got myself a Harley.............

That's right a Harley dress by Pinup Couture at Pin Up Girl Clothing!

I've gone a bit PUG mad lately. Ever since I got the Laced Up Jumpsuit and an awesome vampire mouth bag back in March and fell in love with the quality of the products and the wow factor they somehow weave in there. I'd seen so much of PUG on other blogs and Instagram but was put off by the pricing - comparable with other repro brands but then there's the cost of shipping to the UK - and not really knowing the brands. With my favourite UK brands I know enough about them to be able to work out what should suit me, which size to go for etc but PUG was a complete unknown and I was wary of making mistakes. I'm so glad I put that aside and just went for it as I now feel confident in their shipping (super fast) and the quality of their products. I'm still working out the sizing but more on that later - let's take a look at the dress!

Lets just get out of the way the fact I didn't have time to iron it before the photos - it looks a million times better with an iron run over it. And, yes, I now have green hair....

Anyway........the dress......I went for the peach colourway, as my first choice (the pastel yellow) was out of stock and I don't have much of this sort of colour in my wardrobe. Coincidentally it also compliments the green hair very well! I agree with Miss Amy May that the dress is more of a coral colour than peach but it's still a lovely soft colour that should work well with different skin tones. Unfortunately I hadn't read Amy's Harley article (you should though, she's great) before purchasing and I definitely made a mistake on the sizing.

I went for a medium as I have a 28 inch waist and the guide said 28-29 inches. It does add that you should size down if you are in between but I figured the S would be too tight at 26-27 inches and I quite like being able to sit down with cutting myself in half. However, as you can see this is too loose in the waist and, more obviously, in the bust which I overlooked in selecting a size. I'm not the most busty of gals so this could relate more to my sizing than the overall fit of the dress as the neckline felt very comfortable. I could have returned and exchanged it but I left it too late to qualify while I mulled over the fit and the hassle of posting back to the US. It's such a pretty, quality piece that I'll probably alter it or get it professionally taken in at some point. Or I'll just use it as an excuse to eat lots of chocolate!

I popped a Hell Bunny petticoat on underneath to give it shape but it is wearable without as it is a very full circle skirt. The Hell Bunny petticoats aren't too voluminous so I'd probably wear this to go out unless it was for something very dressy or a 50s themed event where I wouldn't look too insane with a giant petticoat! The length is a classic 50s below knee that finished about mid-calf on me at 5 ft 5 in.

Overall I'm pretty happy with this despite my error in the sizing. It's something you have to learn when trying new brands and could have gone a lot worse so I'm more than happy to carry on experimenting!


All photos by the lovely Sally Molineaux