What Katie Did - Nutmeg Stockings

Ladies the wait is over!

Not long ago the team at What Katie Did announced they were experimenting with nylons to find a shade we women of colour have been craving...

Behold the glory that is Nutmeg!

Nutmeg/Black Seam on the gorgeous Velvet Jones

They're available in the usual black and nude seam, PLUS glamour seams! On the website there are Claret, Green, Nude and Black seams available - shop here.

We know it's difficult to establish if a shade will work for you from a screen, so we've got a hold of the stockings to show you what they would look like on me and Eva, plus we're not forgetting that WKD has a coffee shade available and the lovely Elora is wearing those for us also.

Wearing the Nutmeg/Green Stockings

also ft. my dress from Gingermegs Vintage and coat from a local charity shop

 

Wearing as above on left and Nutmeg/Claret Stockings on right

also ft. rayon jersey dress as a top and skirt from The Walk in Wardrobe

Wearing the Nutmeg/Claret Stockings

also ft. Office brogues and skirt as above

Wearing the Nutmeg Glamour Stockings

also ft. suit via Etsy, deadstock berry broochHammersmmith Vintage Fair and Miss L Fire Heels

Elora wearing Coffee Seamless Stockings Eva wearing Nutmeg/Black Stockings

also ft. Miss L Fire

The Verdict

We are beyond happy with the mid-tone brown that means we can now wear nude stockings from one of our favourite brands!

The welt is fantastic quality as are the toe and heel reinforcements, which should ensure endurance if you continue to stick to the usual care routine for stockings (see them here).

We can't wait for the team at WKD to give us more glamour seams in this glorious new nutmeg shade. Keep an eye on our instagram to see more photos of the stockings and any updates on collections; feel free to pop us a comment on here or a DM in instagram if you have anymore questions about the stockings or want to share your verdict.

Until next time,

The VG xXx

Review - Sarah's Doo-Wop Dos Hair Turbans

Hello ladies,

An Introduction

It's Zoe here aka The Vintage Giraffe , a new Belle and content contributor for this here blog of pink-ness! Most of my posts will be written on behalf of The British Belles so I'll mostly be using "we/our", you'll know a post is by me by the signature which will read "Love, the VG xXx".

The British Belles have been very busy in the last couple of weeks organising our 3rd super successful Pinup Picnic event, appointing 5 new Belles to our ranks (keep an eye out for an upcoming blog post), as well as lots of planning to give you all some fantastic content and mini meet-ups in the next few months. If you have a venue idea for a mini meet-up please do contact us as we'd love to reach as many of you as possible!

The Review

Sarah's Doo-Wop Dos Hairbands and Turbans are very well established products in our ever-stylish community and for good reason as this review will discuss.

Vintage Style Turban/Headband Style
The first product we'll review is the Vintage Style Turban/Headband Style. The headbands are made to order with a few options for knot shape:

Photo courtesy of Sarah's Etsy page

My one is in a Pumpkin Orange or Sienna colour jersey and "wrapped" knot style, which I will refer to as a diadem.

 

I am a frequent wearer of turbans, hair wraps and scarves myself whether in cultural or historical styles. So, having a "ready-made" turban has always been appealing to me; add the fact that they're available in many colours and styles and this turban gets a YASSSS from me!

Technically this hairband is very well made - despite the permanent stitches there is room in the stretchy jersey material to adapt the diadem to your preferred shape and style. The jersey material makes wearing this turban very comfortable and breathable for those rare warm days! Also, the turbans/headbands are hand washable which is perfect for me, as I have regular batches of hand-washing what with delicate vintage pieces and hand-wash only reproduction pieces.


Summer Headband Turban
The second product is a custom knot version of the Summer Headband Turban in Pale Yellow Stripe.

I strongly recommend grabbing one of these summer headbands while the material stock last, they're so bright and perfect for any holidays you have planned, whether it be Cornwall or La Riviera!

Photo Courtesy of Sarah's Etsy page

I would suggest the Summer Hairband as a good starter point for those who perhaps have worn scarves as hairbands for a "landgirl" or "rockabilly" look but aren't ready to go full turban yet as this hairband is an easy read-to-wear version. This hairband, as with the Vintage Style Turban/Headband, is very well stitched and is laid out in a way that can be adjusted to suit your want for each use. For example, as I have an oval shaped face and the knot is flat I decided to wear mine to the side.

It's worth mentioning here too that Sarah has made one-off custom turbans and hairbands using velvet or lurex materials and other patterns too. So do contact her if you'd like something specific for a special event or to match a favourite dress!

Concerns

My one concern is one of the current benefits: the stretch. I do worry that frequent stretching over my masses of hair and - what I perceive to be - large head, will stretch the fabric to the point that it doesn't sit on my head in a flattering way. I'm aware that this is a concern that won't be relevant for a while and perhaps you ladies have a solution for this?


 The Verdict

Go forth and purchase! We'd love to see you in your turbans/headbands, especially if you've had one custom made, so please do tag us in your photos on Instagram and Facebook!

I hope you enjoyed the review ladies; if you have a product you'd like us to review please contact us and feel free to pop us a comment below if you enjoyed the review and/or have any suggestions regarding the stretchy concern!


Until next time,


Love, the VG xXx

Pretty in Pink

Well where to start with this beautiful, ultra feminine 50's number from Campbell Crafts!

 Firstly of course it's our signature colour PINK! so we loved it instantly. Secondly it has the ultimate 1950's vibe, which you'd hope for being called the 'Diner' dress.

I had a few sizing issues with this particular number due to a weight change so I wasn't my usual size but I think this one fits pretty well.

The dress has the perfect length skirt, just about over mid calf which is a length I adore anything higher just doesn't feel right and lower makes me look about 1 ft tall, for a short lady this matters immensely.

The amount of material in the skirt blew me away, a proper full circle. there's something about lots of marvelous material it makes it feel so fun, so feminine and you just want to head off to a local hall and do some jive and swing dance to show off that incredible full skirt in action. I had to settle for twirling around in my garden for now.

I decided to pair my diner dress with some Rocket Original white leather shoes (thanks dad for white polishing the scuff marks off for me) and some amazing double lily hair clips I managed to grab for the bargain price of £3 each from ASDA! if you haven't got these already I'd make a stop at your local ASDA and pick some up ASAP! they are sure to be a summer hair staple for me this year and many to come.

Pros:

Beautiful cut and style - love the collar detail

Full skirt - lots of material to play with

Sleeve length - I maybe would have made it a little shorter but the detailing on it is perfect

Rounded collar - diner perfection just like Campbell Crafts diner shirts which I'm also now hooked on and may need every colour way.

Pattern and Colour - there's no denying pink was always going to be a firm favorite and I am crazy for gingham's right now.

Cons:   

I seem to be super unlucky with belt, the belt for this dress is exactly the same as the one for the rock n Romance gingham dress. Sadly they just don't suit me at all but I have seen this dress on other ladies and the belt looks marvelous on them. Alas for me it just isn't meant to be.

Oh please please include some hidden down either side seam pockets, I'd love some pockets added!

You can buy yours HERE!

Pin Up Picnic Perfect again! if your still looking for a picnic outfit look no further! This little dress is perfect for sipping a cocktail and eating a sausage roll while posing with a parasol on the grass in Hyde Park

Picnic Perfection

This has got to be one of my favourite easy going summer dresses for this summer from Rock n Romance.
Recently I have put on quite a bit of weight - partly due to having an office job for the last year and not moving as much as I used to and partly due to my medication for my illness. However I felt incredible in this little picnic friendly number.

For those coming to the Pin Up Picnic this should be a strong contender for an outfit choice. The red and white gingham print screams picnic! the little ties on the shoulder which make it adjustable are fantastic and add a cute little feminine bow detail which I just adore. And what better ladies, it has pockets! that's right two large patch pockets on the front. I don't think I could love this dress anymore.

The dress does come with a matching belt but due to weight gain the belt just didn't look right, it kept rolling up and looking awkward so I swapped it for a secondhand belt I got at a charity shop years ago, one of my trusty favorites.

I decided to pair this little ensamble with my Miss L Fire wedges, vintage headscarf and a fruity bag (it used to be made by Bow and Crossbones years ago but sadly not in production anymore, managed to nab mine on Depop)

Pros:

Great Length - mid calf

Large patch pockets - what girl doesn't love pockets?

Gorgeous tie shoulder detail - making the strap length adjustable to suit

Full skirt - lots of material making it flirty and fun

Light weight cotton material - easy to wear, comfortable and perfect for a picnic

Scoop neckline is super flattering

Lots of room in the bust for bigger chested girls looking for a lovely summer dress

Pattern is incredible

Cons:

Again just like another dress I review I had belt issues, this time it fit perfectly but due to my shape these days it wasn't comfortable or flattering hence changing it out for my own belt.

But as con's go that isn't the worst

Find this gorgeous dress HERE!