I’ve been a fan of vintage reproduction brand Pretty Retro (and sister brand The House of Foxy) for a while, so when the lovely team offered me the chance to review their 1950s inspired emerald swing dress, I was rather excited.
The dress arrived very quickly (this review would have been posted sooner, but I was waiting for my perfect-for-this-dress vintage hat to arrive from Australia), and my sister kindly offered to take some photos for me. We decided to head over to the park near my house to take advantage of what was possibly the last autumny-wintery sunshine we’re going to see this year!
On the Pretty Retro website, the dress is described as a ‘knock ’em out dress emphasising the waist’, and I think that’s pretty much spot on! It nips in at the waist and flares out into a full skirt – the skirt is so full that I was tempted to put two petticoats underneath.
I’m wearing a size 16 and it fits well; overall I’d say the dress is true to size (although if you’re between sizes, it might be worth sizing down). The fabric drapes really nicely, and I love how swingy the skirt is. I have quite large arms, so the petal sleeves on this dress are an absolute dream, as it means I’m not cutting off the circulation to my arms when I wear it.
I’ve gone full on glam for this look (because I subscribe to the maxim ‘Never knowingly underdressed’) and have added vintage accessories. My hat is from Rosebud Vintage Bazaar, the Dorset Rex bag was an absolute bargain on eBay (side story: I only have it thanks to the incredible generosity of my friend Sarah and her mom, who graciously looked after it for me when I ordered from the US site and the seller didn’t ship internationally – thanks guys!), my cardigan and cardigan clips are from etsy and my shoes were an eBay bargain (bought for and worn at the Miss Vintage 2016 final).
However, the style of the dress makes it really versatile and it would be easy to dress down with a cardigan and ballet flats if you prefer; it’s a fabulous dress whether you’re dabbling in vintage style, or dress top to toe in it every day.
It comes in red (perfect for Christmas, no?) and navy too. I’m tempted to buy it in all the colours – those of you who read my Pretty Retro shirt dress review will remember the dilemma well…
*Note: while this dress was a gift, all opinions are my own*
Something Definitely Happened 
One thought on “Review: Pretty Retro swing dress”