For the last couple of years I’ve fell in love with Cotton Traders. If your wanting a look that is relaxed casual and some clothes can cross into Evening wear. I’ve bought boots jackets coats skirts tops and trousers for both summer and winter.

Cotton Traders started with Fran Cotton and Steve Smith 2 former Rugby players who wanted to specialise in casual wear.

For evening wear I bought a lovely crinkle blouse blue with trousers for summer evenings down the pub or ideal for packing for holidays abroad. I bought a gypsy skirt and bought another for this summer.

And for winter, warm microfleece trousers, sweatshirts and a raincoat. Look online for “Singing in the rain” raincoat I bought one in poppy red and the amount of compliments I have had.

The quality of Cotton Traders is of very good standard you get what you pay for. The clothes are going to last season after season. They do plenty of offers and discount codes too. There clothes can cover a wide age range and size range. So have a look you may find something you like.

Hope you enjoyed reading this article and you checkout the Cotton Traders sight. Sorry I’ve not been on for a while been rather busy.

💋Bye for now oxo

Disclaimer clothes were bought by my own monies

Thought I would do a quick post on some of the dresses available in the UK. Please do check the sites for international delivery to see if its available.

Lindy Bop has a USA site as well as the UK site. Which is great for the north American readers.

But some independent boutiques do stock the the 4 sites I will mention. I am just showing dresses but if you visits the sites direct there will be more options and styles.

Lindy Bop Uk

Christie Red Velvet Swing Dress £45.00

LADY V LONDON

Collectif

Dolores Swetheart Picnic Doll Dress £55.00

Hell Bunny

Cannes 50’s Dress £50.99

Hope you have a lovely Valentine’s Day ❤❤.

And if your on your own buy your own flowers and chocolates, pamper yourself and buy a outfit. Think of others donate or buy at a Charity.Share the love❤

Bye for now 💋oxo

Disclaimer I have not been paid for advertising. These companies I recommend because I have bought from them 😉

Hi there not all curvy ladies want to dress vintage style even though it’s often flattering.

Some ladies want to dress high street modern style. And there are brands now developing into plus size that are online, on the high street, not only sold in the UK but also sold globally.

So here’s a list of a few brands to google and look at there websites.

Evan’s

Yours

New Look

Gemma Collins

River Island

Very

boohoo.com

navibi

Missguided

These brands sell all the clothes you need for a full wardrobe for summer or winter. Prices vary from brand to brand. For example Yours is cheaper than Evan’s.

However I heard of an online company ASOS so I had a look at there website. There is a asos curve collection and some of the brands listed above are in there collections. I have been impressed with what clothes I have ordered so far the fit, quality and price of the clothes. Fast convenient delivery on purchases. So far I’ve bought t shirts,jumper and trousers.

If you live in the UK in November there to The Curve Fashion Festival in Liverpool. It looks good there are loads of brands to discover. There are plus size models there to meet. And there are lots of other activities. Check there website thecurvefashionfestival.co.uk

A Gemma Collins Dress sold on boohoo.com

Hope this is a useful guide for you all .

Bye for now 💋oxo

Disclaimer I have not been paid for advertising any of these brands.

Hi there just thought I would jump online to show you some ideas for Winter vintage dressing. There are loads of warm clothing to choose from day looks,evening dressing and warm coats, to keep the cold at bay. Above are day looks while you out of to work or shopping. I picked the Wendi cardigan as its plain and comes in a variety of colours which will go with anything. But most of the cardigans on these websites have some seasonal patterns and motifs on them.

Above a lovely Christmas style evening dress from Lady Vintage .

Also check out Lindy Bop site for some classy evening dresses. I have tried to upload photos but the Lindy Bop site makes it difficult but try the link below. They also do some lovely accessories too.

Lulu Hun Tracey High Heel £43.75

Both Collectif Lulu Hun range and Lindy Bop make lovely shoes for both day and evening. Lindy Bop also sell selected Joe Browns shoes too.

Hell Bunny Elvira Evening Coat £112.99

Both Collectif and Hell Bunny sell some very glamorous and stunning evening coats. That will be used for many occasions and timeless.

Dont forget you can buy your accessories on these sites too. Hats,scarves gloves to keep you snug and warm. As well as your boots and bags.

I hope I have given you some cool ideas for winter😉.

Links

https://www.lindybop.co.uk

https://www.collectif.co.uk

https://hellbunny.com

https://www.ladyvlondon.com

Bye for now💋oxo

Disclaimer I have not been paid for advertising these companies.

There are many styles of vintage shoes out there some are comfortable and practical and some are dressy. There are different eras from 20s to 70s mainly depending where you shop.

Flats are better for dancing like ballet pumps with straps ,flat sandals and plimsolls especially for jive and rock n roll or just for sheer comfort.

There are a number of heel designs like courts and t-bar depending on the era 20s to 40s era heels,such as the Gatsby stylewere more sturdy than the 50s stilettos style later on.

There are many shops who specialize in vintage style shoes but looking on the high street I got my ballerina pumps.

Lindy Bop, Collectif ,JoeBowns, Banned Retro,Ruby Shoo and Irregular Choice just a few brands in the UK.

Collectif shoes do cater for many eras up to the 1980s!

You can buy directly on the website or a lot of online independent vintage clothing sites or vintage clothes shops sell these brands.

Hopefully there are plenty of choices on these sites and I hope some of these sites are available where you live.

I wrote this post due to one of my readers asking for the best shoes to go with her dress. I hope she found the perfect shoes.

My shoes

Clockwise Top Navy ballet pumps with gold trim,Deichman Joe Brown Hawaiin leather sandals, Collectif Lulu Hun Bonnie Wedges, Joe Brown Tropical Diamante Pinapple Sandals

I got the Tropical and Hawaiian styles to go with my Tiki dress and flowery dresses. The heels are the glamorous with 50s gingham and cherries which will go with my red coat dress. And the ballet shoes go with anything.

Hope you enjoyed the read and found it useful.

Bye for now 💋oxo

Disclaimer I want paid for this post from any of the brands mentioned.

Hi there I have been looking on websites for inspiration for the Autumn dresses including Halloween. I have tried to look on websites that can be bought from globally but mainly the UK. I know in the U.S.A in the Fall Halloween is really celebrated along with our friends in Canada and other countries that celebrate Halloween.Hopefully for my readers worldwide there are vintage and retro shops online that are similar to the ones I mention on here. Hopefully it will give you inspiration to find something to wear in the colder months. Although I will concentrate on dresses these websites I mention have cardigans,jumpers and trousers to look for too.

HELL BUNNY

I have a couple of there items and I must say that the quality of the clothing is fantastic.

They have dresses and pinafore dresses that go up to a Uk size 24 4xl.

They specialise in 50s,Gothic,Rockabilly,Retro&Vintage .

Here is the Ricci dress if your looking for the Wednesday Addams look for Halloween. Price from £53.99 to 57.50.

Lady Vintage

I have a Lyra dress which is good quality and always looks elegant . I find this brand always has the elegance and quality and you stand out in a room in their dresses.

Below is the Estella dress £60.00 that goes up to a UK size 32 .

Lindy Bop

Lindy Bop styles are always fun tongue in cheek and I have a number of items of theres . I always find it fairly cheap and good on quality.

These are a few of there Halloween design’s. Sizes go up to a Uk 26.

Do look at there site for some lovely accessories and other designs of clothing there is a very big selection.

Collectif clothing

This company as a wide range of clothing and accessories from different decades.

Here’s the Mainline Doleres Half sleeve Dress £55.00

There sizes go up to a size UK 22.

Do have a look on these sites even if you cant get something in your size something will be available in your size.

Another site to look at is Banned Retro. They are just starting to bring out a few clothes for the Autumn /Winter . I have a couple of there cardigans and they are nice and long to go with trousers in the winter as well as warm.

I hope I have given you inspiration. Look out locally if there are any local retro shops which often stock these brands too.

Bye for now 💋oxo

Disclaimer I have not been paid for advertising these brands

Above is Dawn who is based on Instagram and Facebook . She is a performer who is based in the South of England who always wears flowers in her hair. She has done hair videos on how to do her hairstyles for vintage life magazine. Check out her Facebook page for all information on Dawn she also has her own website.

Here is Cherry an American pin up who is on You tube Facebook and Instagram. She has recently been to the UK on Tour. She has a lot of You tube videos on hair, make up and vintage fashion. And has done make up and hair for others too.

Heather is an American lady who does a lot of hair and makeup tutorials on Facebook and can be found on Instagram too. She is down to earth she is a member of 2 Facebook groups on Vintage hair and makeup where she posts her tutorials.

Hair accessories in the vintage 50s era are commonly scarves, bandanas and flowers. The pictures above show how they are worn with various hairstyles. I have given information on these 3 ladies in case you want to check out there tutorials to give you ideas. I am not that good with hair myself so I stick to a simple ponytail with hair scarf or flowers.

I have bought a number of hair flowers in different colours to suit different outfits from Imogens Imagination based in Sheffield. Sophie the lady that makes the hair flowers can be also found on Etsy,Facebook and Instagram and often runs a stall at Lou lous vintage fair. She not only makes flowers but shes is a milliner and makes bespoke hats as well as other hair accessories.

Headscarfs come in a variety of styles wired elasticated here are a couple from Lindy Bop range. The turquoise is elasticated the black one wired.

Also you can buy hair scarves that can be tied by yourself like a bandana in your hair.

From top to bottom

Fruit hair band Hell Bunny

Blue and red bandanas bought at independent seller at York Festival of vintage

Hawaiin hair band from Etsy,Arcade Hatters

Etsy is a good source of suppliers in hair accessories as well as Repro clothes brands.

Hope you found this article fun.

Bye for now💋oxo

Disclaimer I have not received any payment for advertising.

Forties and fifties style dresses are always seen as elegant, and back to the Hollywood glamour era . Even brands like Banned are goth clothes mixed with fifties glamour. Brands like Collectif who like to make reproduction clothes from the 1940s to the 1980s . Reproduction clothes are more popular,due to the lack of authentic vintage. And the size change in people since the 50s, due to richer diets. In this post I will explore Collectif, Lindy Bop, Hell Bunny, Lady Voluptuous and Dolly &Dotty, these companies sell in the UK. These brands have lots of evening dresses, bridal as well as day dresses.

So where can you wear one of these dresses , why do I need one in my wardrobe? Well there are specialist events like the Festival of vintage where you could where one of these dresses, but also on dates out with the other half, afternoon tea with the girls, the work Christmas party, a day out at the races a summer wedding.

There are many styles available Audrey Hepburn designs, flared skirts wiggle dresses and tea dresses.With different necklines boat, ruched bust, sweetheart and halter neck.

There are a variety of prints popular are cherries, gingham, polka dots and flowers. Some designs are seasonal, spring there are flower prints, summer its tiki time with tropical themes , autumn Halloween themes are popular and winter there are different Christmas themes such as holly, reindeer etc.

Also there are plenty of sales on these sites. And some of these sites sell in the USA too.

I have bought dresses from Lindy Bop Lady Vintage/Voluptuous and Dolly and Dotty. All have been good fits and I have had compliments galore. Designs I own coat dress, tea dress,Lyra and flared. In patterns polka dot , flowers and Tiki. I have also found they wash and iron well. Even though I haven’t a Hell bunny dress, I have other items of there’s and as above like the others brand they fit well and wash nicely.

Below I have tried to upload many designs for you to peruse.

Lindy Bop sizes 8-26

Polly Rose Heart £38.00

Marilyn Halter Neck £38.00

Misty Tiki Dress £40.00

Gingham Dress £38.00

Dolly and Dotty size8 -24

Strawberry Dress £40.00

Floral Swing Dress £15.00

Collectif size6-22

Dolores Flamingo Dress size 6-22

Hell Bunny size 8-22

Antonia Floral Black dress £53.99

Lady Voluptuous size14 -32

Apricot Lyra Polka dot dress £47.00

I hope you like these dresses and they give you inspiration.

Bye for now 💋oxo

Disclaimer I have not been paid for advertising these companies. I have mentioned these companies as I have bought myself other designs from these companies. There are other companies available.

Hiya well as summer is nearing, all the Tropical and Hawaiian clothes are coming to the for on the various plus size websites.

In the 40s and 50s the Tiki theme was popular and the Tiki cocktail bars became fashionable in the U.S.A.

Lindy Bop , Collectif, Hell Bunny are worth looking at for us plus size ladies.

Another site is Miss Bamboo for ladies between sizes 8 and 18.

I have included a photo of my very own Tiki dress which I bought from Lindy Bop.

You can also buy accessories from the Etsy store to go with your dress like hair scarves etc.

There is also a online store called Tiki Lou Hawaii http://www.tikilouhawaii.co.uk which is also on Instagram as well as Facebook.

There are a number of things to buy from Household Hawaiian themed items to Accessories from £1.95 to £85.00. They do coconut bags to t shirts jewellery even soap.

I have some Tropical flower earrings I have some lovely comments from people and my Tiki Lou t shirt.

You can get these Plumeria earrings in a number of colours. They are so comfortable you forget there in.

Well I hope this post gives you inspiration. And you look at the sites mentioned above to treat yourself to a dress. If that is to much theres always accessories or household items to get that Aloha feel.

Bye for now 💋oxo

Disclaimer I have not been paid in monies for advertising these sites this is my opinion and knowledge I am sharing. I have used my own money for items bought from these sites.