Wowsers! The lovely folks at Lady V London offered to send me a dress from their ‘Lady Voluptuous’ (plus-size) range, after my last blog post about shopping alternatives to Modcloth. Better yet – they sent me a discount code to pass on to you. (Psst – it’s at the bottom of this post).
If you follow me on Instagram etc, you probably know that I’m pretty obsessed with novelty prints. In fact, the more kitschy/garish/gawdy… the better!. So you can imagine how super stoked I was to scroll through Lady V’s delightful stuff and find a BANANA DRESS available! I feel, maybe, this is my soul dress?
Banana print aside, I almost had a really hard time choosing, because they have such a beautiful range of vintage-esque dress cuts in a bunch of really fun fabrics… the styles have different names (mine is a “Phoebe” style and was designed by Georgina from Fuller Figure Fuller Bust), and different fabrics are available across different styles so you can find the perfect print and silhouette pairing.
But I mentioned the banana print, right?! *dies*
LADY V SIZING
Lady V is a UK company and I haven’t had much luck with UK plus sizes, so I have to admit I was initially a bit hesitant. Especially when I looked at the Phoebe dress size chart, because (as usual) it seems my belly is too big for one size, and bust too small for the next… apple-problems, yo.
| BUST (inches) | WAIST (inches) | |
|---|---|---|
| Lady V Size 22/24 | 50 | 43 |
| Lady V Size 26/28 | 54 | 48 |
| My Measurements | 52 | 48 |
I usually size up and prepare myself to take in the bust (that reminds me – my alteration/mending pile is getting ridiculous…eek!), but in this case I emailed with the lovely lady that I’d been speaking to and she said she thought the 22/24 would fit, since the fabric has a bit of stretch. On the DL, I was still heaps skeptical. , but you know what? The dress arrived and it fits like a DREAM. Absolutely perfect – I’m so stoked!
BUT GUESS WHAT? The dress arrived and it fits like a DREAM. Absolutely perfect – I’m so. damn. in LOVE!
QUALITY
I was also SUPER SURPRISED and delighted to find that there are a few inches of matching coloured tulle around the bottom of the dress lining. Don’t be disillusioned: it doesn’t create a really full swing-style skirt (you need a full petticoat for that), but it does help with the cute vintage shape and makes it feel a bit more special than just a regular day dress. Sadly, the dress doesn’t have any pockets (which is usually a must have for me), but I can totally forgive them because their dresses are all made in London – and for a really accessible price point, too!
Sadly, the dress doesn’t have any pockets (which is usually a must have for me), but I can totally forgive them because their dresses are all made in London – and at an incredibly accessible price point, too! How do they do that?!
SHOPPING TIP
My biggest point of advice for shopping with Lady Voluptuous is to contact them if you have any concerns about sizing. My experiences with them have been wonderful, and I’m sure they’d be more than happy to help if you’re unsure about your size.
Their current site has a dress size “calculator” on it, but it does NOT work. It either tells me no dresses come in my size, or it offers me a size 8 – lawlllll. But I have been told that they have a brand new site on it’s way – literally any day now – and the calculator will be accurate. Here’s a screenshot of their current website so you can check and make sure you’re viewing the upgraded (ie. “trustable calculator”) version.
LADY V DISCOUNT CODE
Use my discount code, HORROR15, to save yourself some sweet, sweet moolah! 15%, in fact! It’s available for use sitewide until July 27, and they just got a bunch of new stuff in stock! Next on my list of purchases are the Evie in Fantastic Cats (obviously…), the Urusla Swing Dress in Summer Flamingos (yes, henny!), and, given how much I love my current dress, I’m thinking I might even take a risk and try a more body con style like the Urusla in Bird City! What do you reckon?
OUTFIT DETAILS
JACKET: Is vintage! I saw it for $5 and had to have it – even though it doesn’t button up. Good thing that belt fits… hehe
TIGHTS: They are actually Teggings, from my beloved ReDress!
BOOTS: Thrifted, and are a tiny bit too big. I just shove some tissues down the end of the toe…
PURSE: Tatty Devine! It’s actually a water bottle holder from the incredible
EARRINGS: A random shop in Japan, but these and these are super cute on Etsy!
NECKLACE: I got this fro the UFO Museum in Roswell, New Mexico, but i’m living for this transparent perspex version on Etsy…
RING: By my luscious pal, Miss-a-Ree Guts Creations
SUNNIES: Also from a random shop in Japan, but there are lots of cute ones in different colours on eBay…
Photos taken by Samopust, and edited/colour balanced by meee!
This is a sponsored post, but I’m always 1000% honest in my opinions… a positive review CANNOT be bought. If I say I love something, I really truly love it. Ditto for the opposite. *cat hiss* https://goo.gl/PeXCMK
