Full-Bust Pinup Fashion Haul

I love fashion. Sometimes, as you may have heard me say it, fashion does not love me. I am in a constant struggle to find clothes that actually fit me. And I am not talking about t-shirts and jeans. You know, I am not a t-shirt and jeans kinda girl! Even if there are a few brands out there that make full-bust appropriate fashion, I have to say not many of them explore some more structured styles as they are a bit trickier to make. Don’t get me wrong – I love simple stretchy dresses as well since they are great for days when you just want to be comfy, but I do like to wear some pretty extravagant tailored pieces as well.

Along the way I have tried many clothing styles – I was one of those weird kids who wanted to be all at once and I do have quite a few style regrets as well. I mean, who thought it was a great idea to put on a tiny doll hat on your head? Apparently, I did. Even though I did have some phases of ridiculous clothing choices, I became infatuated with vintage styling years and years ago. I think I was probably 14 when I told my mom I wanted to look like Dita Von Teese and I still remember what she replied: “Darling, it’s only a crap loads of slap and hair dye.” Which is kind of true, I guess (hehe).

I finally became dedicated to the pinup / vintage style about a year ago – actually when I first started my Instagram (which is btw a great source for some awesome pinup inspiration)! I started to order more clothes online where I could actually see the measurements in a size chart to determine if something would even remotely fit me. Rule of thumb is that if the size chart says 34″ in the bust section, then it most likely will not fit (hehe)! A girl can dream though… However, I have stumbled across some brands that cater for fuller busts as well, so here’s a little clothing haul for you gals that struggle to find nice fitted clothes for you boobies!

Pinup Girl Clothing: Bella Donna Dress in Italian Landscape (+ Forever 21 cardigan + Face Stockholm glasses + Sophisticated Lady hair flowers)

To warn you right off the bat, most of these dresses are Pinup Girl Clothing aka PUG. Why? Because their sizing just usually works for me and I don’t have to worry if I can zip these dresses past my boobs. The first dress I ordered from PUG was their Evelyn (which I could perhaps review later?) and then came the long-sleeved Heidi. However, it’s been a while since I got them so I wanted to introduce you to my latest purchases.

I decided to buy the Bella Donna dress (now sold-out in this print) in Medium with some gift money I had and as it was in the PUG final sale section, I knew I had to get it for my upcoming bday in November. The dress finally came, about a month before my big party and to my shock horror, it was too small. I was devastated and had a horrible tantrum over it as I had checked the measurements before clicking the dress into my cart. After I had tried it on, I knew I had to measure it to make sure – and surprisingly enough, the dress DID come up too small for the size chart. It measured about 13″ flat at the waist, meaning it was probably sized like a normal PUG Small. Well, I ain’t Small in their size chart, so no wonder it didn’t fit.

However, when you engage in the pinup community, you usually learn all sorts of tips and tricks, so I had heard that some of the PUG dresses could be ironed through and stretched, so the fabric would stretch to meet the size chart measurements. I did this to my Bella Donna and after that it fitted VERY SNUGLY but fitted anyway, so I could finally zip it up (and I also went on a more healty diet but didn’t lose an inch lol). The boob department is boned with this particular dress and it’s great for girls who are a bit more well-endowed. I am a 30H so quite busty and it fits me but does quad-boob a bit, so not the most modest of dresses on me at least. However, I can wear it with no bra on which is great and liberating!

What I really like about this dress is that its straps are fully-adjustable so you can make it fit your body a bit better than most dresses with regular spaghetti straps. I have loosened them up a bit as I am long-torsoed and this dress is made for short-torsoed girls especially. I find that the waistline of the dress still comes up a bit high for me, but I am not super fussy about it as I think it looks great anyway!

Pinup Girl Clothing: Jenny Dress in White Harlequin Print (+H&M cardigan + home-made swan brooch +  a vintage scarf)

The Jenny dress is the original version of the PUG Bella Donna and it features a lower waist line, thinner straps and a more simplistic styling without the ruffles. It comes in so many prints and colours and is regarded as the basic pinup girl wardrobe staple every PUG lover should own. I got this dress as a birthday present from my boyfriend and even though he cringed a bit at the print first, he did love it when he saw it on me.

The Jenny dress also features the same boning as the Bella Donna and thus I can easily wear it without a bra. This dress was advertised to me as specifically bust-friendly but with this print, I have to disagree. I mean, if you would be like, say 30FF, I would be quite fine but 30H is another thing. Also, the size Medium is very small with this style as well – so I would advise to size up with Jenny’s if you are not interested to iron and stretch them! Mine measured again 13-13,5″ at the waist, laid flat, so I had to stretch it a bit to match my 28″ waist. Not horribly inconvenient but a bit of a hassle anyway. As I live in Finland, exchanges are not really possible for me so I need to make everything work as they are. (I have to say though that my Evelyn and Heidi fit more true-to-size and no need to stretch them at all!)

Pinup Girl Clothing: Jenny Dress in Orange Border Print (+ Bolero Beachwear bolero + Sophisticated Lady hair flowers)

I know it’s a bit boring to review two of the same dresses in the same post but let me tell you, there is a difference between two of these! I got this Orange Border Jenny from Retro Glam (a Canadian pinup retailer) at the Black Friday sale and even though it did add up a bit with the taxes and custom fees, I am super glad I got this dress as I have been drooling over it for months.

The Orange Border Jenny was almost as tight as the Harlequin one so I did stretch it a bit but not as much as the Harlequin. The waist zipped up even before stretching but I did some work on the torso to make it more comfortable and now it fits really well! The bust department of this particular Jenny is much better though than with the Harlequin one, as it seems a lot higher and thus can contain a lot more boob. I am not sure why this is, but no clothing brand is completely consistent with their sizing. I also like the orange belt that came with the dress as it makes the ensemble a bit more unique than most other Jenny dresses.

Lady Vintage London: Swing Dress in Red Lips Print (+ Poinsettia hair flowers from Sophisticated Lady)

I had been wanting to order from Lady V London for a while and when about two months back they had one of my favourite prints (this gorgeous Red Lips one!) on sale + free shipping, I could not resist the temptation. Usually Lady V dresses are around £45-55 which is not a very high price, but as I need to pay for international shipping and the Euro/Pound conversion rate is crap at the moment, it really adds up and I didn’t want to pay that much for a dress I did not know would even fit me. When the price of the dress went as low £19 I was ready to take the plunge and ordered this beautiful dress in their swing style.

What I was really afraid of, was the sizing of the dress. I had heard Lady V dresses were quite bust-friendly, but when their size chart stated that UK size 10 had bust room for 34″ boobies, I almost lost my hope. However, I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best as I did not want my waist to be swimming in the dress – and it worked! This dress is amazing for my boobs – my only gripe with the fit is that the waist line is a bit too high for my body/taste but then again, I am a long-torsoed gal. The material is lovely stretch cotton and the zipper is good quality, meaning no broken zippers for trying to yank the the zipper past my boobs. If I would have to say one bad thing about the quality of this dress, it would be that unfortunately the colours run a bit in the wash and you might end up having red-ish spots on your dress unless you wash it with a colour catcher.

This would be my autumn/winter haul and I will get back to any new bust-friendly dresses as I get to buy some more! Which one of these was your personal favourite? Let me know in the comments below! Lots of kisses and happy holidays to everyone! xx

Introducing Bolero Beachwear – Dresses for Busty Pinup Gals!

I love reviewing lingerie – it’s my passion, obviously – but I do have a great love affair with pretty dresses as well. The thing with pretty dresses though is, that not every dress I try fits me that well – not even half of them! I can rarely zip up UK size 10 past my boobs which is why I usually result in buying a size up and then cinching the waists with a belt. When I heard about Bolero Beachwear and saw some lovely fellow bloggers rocking their dresses, I decided to chat to Patricia, the owner of this lovely brand.

Bolero Beachwear started out when the recession hit the USA in late 00’s – many women were left without jobs and so was Patricia, as the beachwear company she was working for had to close down because of the owner’s cancer and customers closing down their own businesses. Patricia, the wonder woman behind Bolero, decided to start a business of her own and so she ended up founding Bolero Beachwear and designing her very own beach cover-ups. After consulting with a busty customer, Patricia decided to make additional dresses and other items for us well-endowed women, as she wanted to accommodate her customers’ needs. Today I am reviewing two of her DD+ clothing collection dresses – Erica and Carmen! *These dresses were gifted to me by Bolero Beachwear. All opinions are my own! Photos were taken by Nina Tulilahti Photography. *

The Erica dress – named after Erica from the fabulous “Sophisticated Pair”!

Patricia was super excited to send me the dresses as she knew how much I would enjoy styling them with my pinup way! Both of the dresses are full circle style with deep pockets (!!!) so they can definitely be worn with or without a petticoat (I am wearing them with one in each pic), whatever suits your personal style the best. I really enjoyed both of the styles and opted them in basic colours, black and white, which makes them both perfect staples in my wardrobe.

The Erica dress is a 1/2 sleeved wrap-dress style which I loved the most of all Bolero dresses. It comes in a sweet polka dot print, but also in basic black and another, more modern monochrome print. I haven’t owned any polka dots in years which is why I wanted to be a bit nostalgic and try to style them to my current taste. Patricia was so kind to send a couple of different sashes along my dresses, and I paired the Erica with the classic red sash you can see in the pictures. I think it goes perfectly with some red lipstick and a hair flower (from Sophisticated Lady Hairflowers) which look quite Christmassy together!

Carmen dress + the signature black bolero!

The Carmen is a more feisty little number which could easily work as the little black dress in any woman’s wardrobe, especially in the summer. As I live in Finland, I need a cover-up for this particular dress as it’s sleeveless, but luckily Patricia had included a lovely little black bolero in my parcel as well – the perfect pairing with anything sleeveless or even strapless! I rarely wear any boleros actually but find this style particularly flattering and simple enough to please me.

When it comes to the style of Carmen, I would prefer it with some small cap sleeves even, as I am a bit self-conscious about my arms. It’s probably a bit silly as I have worked hard for my biceps (lol!) but I do find them a bit masculine with my pretty dresses. So to conclude, I do like my dresses with sleeves as they soften out my features a bit. However, I can imagine this dress being perfect for anyone who lives in a warmer climate and does not like her armpits getting damp!

When it comes to sizing, I found the dresses to run fairly true-to-size in the waist area. I went for my regular non-vintage-reproduction size (as repro usually runs smaller than high street) Small and was very happy with the result. The Small is perfect for my 28-29″ waist and even though the bust is meant for 36″, I can easily fit my 40″ boobs into it without any fabric pulling or distorting the polka dot print. Both dresses fit similarly and are really easy to get over your head and wear casually. The sleeves of the Erica dress are also roomy enough for my big guns (hehe) and the fabric is overall wonderfully stretchy. As a huge plus,s these dresses feature a reinforced back (an extra layer of fabric at the back part of the dress), meaning your bra bands are less likely to show through (I wore a tight Polish band in the shoot so you need to excuse me!).

What I wear my Bolero dresses most for, is everyday situations when I don’t want the hassle of closing a difficult back zipper or I know that I might get messy at some point. These dresses are really easy to clean, as you can just toss them in a washing machine and even if you spill something over yourself (don’t get me started on ketchup!), these materials are super easy to just rinse clean. I would say, if you work with kids and still want to stay fancy – you really need these dresses in your life! Another upside is that Bolero dresses don’t wrinkle whatsoever, so they are perfect for those active days, even while travelling.

All in all I am very happy with my new Bolero dresses and regard them as a lovely option for anyone with a fuller bust and interest in a more casual pinup style. The Bolero garments are designed and manufactured in USA which adds up the awesomeness of the brand even more.

If you are interested in getting something from Bolero, they are having a sale right at this moment so go and snatch up a lovely wardrobe staple of your own! You can get free shipping and 20% off with a code HOLIDAY20. The Erica dress is now on sale for $140 and the Carmen dress for $120.

What are your go-to clothing brands for a fuller busted figure? Let me know, I am always open to any good tips on how to dress my boobs! xx

2015 Christmas Gift Guide for Modern Day Pinups! + A Couple of Announcements

Hi everyone! First of all, I need to start by announcing the winners of my birthday giveaway. I was so happy to see so many entries (850+ in total, to be honest! WOW!) and was also so grateful to see a lot of people commenting nice things about my blog and congratulating me on turning 23. THANK YOU! There is so much hate in the world right now that I am happy to see kind words wherever I face them. Please stay positive and kind, gals 🙂 It makes the world a better place!

Now for the winners! The lingerie set of choice from My Curves and Me goes to…

EMMA H.

The Mala dress + three discount codes go to…

GABBY

Thank you everyone for taking part and congrats girls for winning!

Another thing I would like to address today is the fact that I have been nominated for Esty Lingerie Blogger Awards for the Best DD+ Blogger of the Year! What an honour! If you like my blog and enjoy our little bra-fulfilled space here, please go and cast me a vote, will you? If you did that for me, I would be a very happy peanut 🙂 ❤ Here’s a link, so get voting! The voting ends on 14th of December, 12 GMT.

Thanks in advance for voting me! Anyhow, I wanted to put together a gift guide for this year which would include some stuff that I truly love for myself and I think other pinup girls and lingerie lovers would enjoy. As a word of warning, this list does not include lingerie-only items but other things as well which are perhaps easier to shop for regardless of one’s bra or dress size. I have also tried to include things that are pretty budget-friendly as I am a student myself and know December is a tough month anyway (all student loan spent already, that is!). Hope you will find something to make you or your friend/spouse/mom/sister happy!

Playful Promises D+ Collection! – Let’s start with lingerie anyway cause why not 😉 I recently heard that Playful Promises – a well-known lingerie brand in pinup scene – is coming out with a full-bust collection! Well, these pieces have now been released and I have received my first ones which I am very happy about – the set is absolutely beautiful and well-made with a fairly reasonable price tag for such unique designs!

As a Christmas appropriate ensemble, I picked the Portia set to be included on my gift guide. All the bras go up to G-cup and to spoil you a bit, I must say they run a size small in the band and a size big in the cup. I would suggest trying out your regular Gossard size, if that helps! I am wearing a 32G with PP, for reference. The bra sets you back at £55 and the panties at £30 so not the cheapest but something you would definitely get points for treating your loved-one with!

Erstwilder brooches! – I have only recently become obsessed with brooches and the blame is on the pinup community. How am I supposed to resist these beauties if everyone flaunts their cute brooches around? My outfits don’t feel complete anymore and this is why I have requested my first Erstwilder “Fancy New Do” brooch from my boyfriend as a Christmas present! They are little pieces of art but only cost around 35 AUD with reasonable shipping rates to anywhere in the world.

Besame Cosmetics Lipsticks! – Unfortunately I have not yet had a chance to try Besame but I have heard some awesome things about them. If you wish to learn more about the brand and their quality, I would read Miss Victory Violet’s review on some of their products! I personally have been dying to try out these lush shades for forever and also really dig the packaging – who could resist such glamour?

You can get the lipsticks on Besame online store and even though they are quite pricy for $22 for a tube, they are a great luxury gift for a beauty-obsessed gal like myself! My personal favourite is the “Noir Red” which is part of their 30’s range full of rich deep tones of red.

Cute Aprons from Suburban 50’s! – I am a huge fan of baking but also a super messy person and my boyfriend is always amazed about my risk-taking abilities when I bake with my beautiful Pinup Girl Clothing frocks on. Not wise, to say the least! This is why I am looking forward to Christmas as apparently Mikko is planning to get me a cute apron as another Christmas present. As a picky person, I did do some research on pinup style aprons and found a lovely and affordable Etsy shop called Suburban 50’s. Most of their aprons are around $35 and are made with amazing novelty prints (like this foxy little number in the pic above) to top it all off!

PJ’s from Cyberjammies! – I know this is not particularly pinup but us glamour ladies need some comfy lounge- and sleepwear as well! One of my favourite brands to drool over at this time of the year is Cybejammies. They are a British company who sell reasonably-priced sleepwear with amazingly comfy materials and cutesy prints. I am including these “Flora” jammies (£45) on the list because they were the first thing that caught my eye a year ago at the Moda Exhibition while browsing the Cyberjammies stand and I am still head over heels in love with them!

Ewa Michalak lingerie! – Almost every full-busted gal loves Ewa and there is a pretty good reason for it; not everyone can offer such uplift and unique styles in hard-to-find sizes. Ewa Michalak bras are absolutely amazing quality for their price and most of the styles are created especially for the customer in question – meaning you should definitely be placing your order soon if you want to make it before Christmas! I fell in love with the SM Rozmarzona which is a beautiful pinup-esque style with a great size range and cute detailing!

Dita Stockings by Secrets in Lace! – I love stockings, holdups and any hosiery really as it makes me feel so glamorous, especially when wearing something super thin and festive. I recently came across these Dita Von Teese french heel stockings ($32) over at Secrets in Lace and they are so gorgeous I could die! Every pinup loves Dita so why not indulge your loved one with a pair of signed stocking from her idol?

So here were my tips on how to make a pinup girl reeeeeeally happy! Hope you enjoyed my list and if you have something to add, please feel free to comment down below. Let me know what are you wishing for Christmas! xx

D+ Clothing Review: Koperta Krótka Dress by Urkye + DISCOUNT CODE

When it comes to buying dresses I am a complete hoarder and sucker for anything pinup-esque. However, there is always the problem of le boobs – last week, I had to return two lovely dresses to their warehouses as they just wouldn’t go over my chest. This is when the boob-friendly clothing companies come in to play and they have never disappointed me yet. When the Polish curvy clothing brand Urkye offered to send me their brand new Koperta dress to review, I was instantly smitten to have something to fit my curves properly. All of the pics are by the lovely Tiina from a Finnish blog called Kissanpäiväkimara.

The Koperta is a classic stretchy cotton-blend wrap dress. It hits me just above the knee which is very flattering length on almost anyone, unless you are super petite. I fell in love with the Tuba dress last summer and the Koperta is growing to be my next new favourite for this spring. As the Tuba is definitely more of a summer style, the Koperta sports short sleeves and a more flare-y skirt part which makes it great for layering up with a cardi and thicker tights as well. I chose to style the dress with a rather traditional pinup way – a vintage scarf, mid heel pumps, hair flowers and and a skinny belt to cinch the waist in.

The Kopertowka dress comes in three different colours for this spring season: Black, Red and Forget-Me-Not Blue. Obviously the special name of the blue one drew me in and I decided to opt for it as I already owned a few black and red dresses in similar styles. The decision was definitely right – I got so many compliments wearing this dress to a pub on Friday night and it seems to flatter my eye colour and skin tone very well.

Sorry for the weird-ass ribs! I know they are super prominent but what can you do…

When it comes to sizing and fit, I must say I was very pleased with both. The size chart would put me at 38ooo but as I had worn the Tuba dress successfully in size 36o/oo (click for the review!) I decided to just go up with the bust size, to a 36oo/ooo. These dresses have a lot of stretch to them so I would say it really depends on how you like your fit to be – tight or loose – and then go with that. I like a tighter fit to accentuate my curves and a little less coverage on the bust so the oo/ooo was a good option. However, the neckline is pulled quite low in the pictures and if you wish, you could opt to wear it higher for a more modest look. For reference, I wear a 32G Gossard Retrolution bra under the dress.

The sizing with Urkye works in such way that you will opt a certain bust size in addition to your regular European dress size. The sizes go from o/oo to ooo with the first fitting someone moderately busty and the ooo fitting an extremely busty figure. My bust is rather full but I do fine with both of the smaller sizes rather than ooo as I don’t like a lot of coverage over my chest. The dress size itself is regular European sizing in which I’m usually 36-38 (or UK 10-12).

If you gals want to get this dress for yourself I must say it’s a bargain for such great quality! The blue colourway is sold for 145 Polish Zloty which is about 35 euros – not bad, huh?! The shipping costs are reasonable too, depending on your parcel weight of course. How do you like the dress and have you ever tried anything from Urkye? Did you like how I styled it? Let me know in the comments! :)

EDIT: If anyone of you my dear readers is still interested in getting their own Koperta, Urkye has offered you a code to get 10% off both their short and long-sleeved Koperta dresses! Use the code 2CAKES at the checkout to claim your discount. The code is valid until 10th of April 2015.