This is something a bit different for me and the blog – a proper, full-on 1920s look.
The dress
Two years ago, I went along to the Vintage Pop Up Shop, to cover it for Vintage Life (which sadly doesn’t exist anymore).
While I was there, I fell in love with a long, black 1920s-style dress from Gatsbylady, which was reduced from £159 to £49. I bought it, thinking I’d find somewhere to wear it, but alas – I haven’t been anywhere since, and it’s been languishing in my wardrobe ever since (occasionally coming out so I could admire it and stroke it, before putting it back).
Last week, I told my husband I was going to sell it or write a blog on it, and…here we are! Now, someone please invite me to a ball-themed Zoom call.
I’m wearing a size 18, and it fits well. It’s pretty and slinky, and those beads go right the way down to the floor. The embellishment is incredible, and so detailed. As I’m only 5″1, the dress does pool around my feet even when wearing heels. Given the style of the dress, this doesn’t take away from the overall effect, but I must remember to lift the dress up as I walk, as I crushed at least six of the beautiful little beads while taking these photos.
The 1920s is a fashion era that’s well out of my comfort zone; I prefer a nipped in waist, while 1920s clothes go straight down. However, one of the things I love about Gatsbylady dresses (I have three) is how they’re designed for a range of body shapes. The company has an extensive plus size range, and you can tell that the dresses are designed with different bodies in mind.
I’m not sure I’ve ever had my back out in a dress before (definitely not for quite some time!), and for these photos I just unhooked my bra and hid the straps. If I was going to wear this out, I’d need to invest in a backless bra – unfortunately going bra-less isn’t an option for me, but oh how I wish it was.
1920s hair and make up
I wanted to go full-on 1920s glamour with my hair and make up, and used Glamourdaze to work out colours.
I was a bit nervous about starting my eye make up as it’s so dark, and the potential for it to go wrong was HIGH, but I really like how it turned out. I used a line of dark eyeshadow in my eye crease, then brushed it down over my eyelid.
My blusher was another thing that made me nervous, as it involved basically doing a circle of pink pink blusher on my cheeks, but I think it works well with this look.
Ditto eyebrows, which needed to be high and arched. Because my eyebrows are so dark, and I didn’t want to pluck them into submission, I tried using foundation and concealer to create the look. It didn’t quite work, but I’m happy with the result!
My hair was more of a problem. I wanted to do a 1920s-style faux bob, but my hair is just too thick and was intent on doing its own thing. I managed to pin most of it up, but next time I do a 1920s look, I think I’ll give finger waves a go (wish me luck…).
Accessories
I kept my accessories simple, using just my go-to silver evening bag. The dress has so many embellishments that it doesn’t really need much else. In my hair I’m wearing a sparkly hair piece that I wore when I was a bridesmaid at my best friend’s wedding.
My vintage champagne glass was part of a set, a gift from a friend for my 30th birthday (I took these photos at 9am, that’s lemonade in the glass.
In conclusion, I think the dress is safe for a while now. I’ve got an idea of how to wear it, and what to wear with it.
Finishing the post off with another back view of the dress, because it makes me feel so flipping glamorous.
Something Definitely Happened 