Rebecca Dress: MichyLouDotCom
Shoes: Chie Mihara via eBay
Check out the BEEHIVE, GUYS! The higher the hair, the closer to heaven, right?
No tutorial for this splendiferous coiffure, I’m afraid. It’s well beyond my meagre skills (not to mention my abhorrence for teasing and hairspray). Both hair and makeup were the result of Sunday’s stint modelling for Bombshell Vintage‘s awesome new line Atomic Bombshell.
That afternoon’s picnic plans having been cancelled due to inclement weather (oh, Melbourne) I thought rather than waste the glamorous hard work bestowed upon me I’d don the “Rebecca” dress that the wonderful Michelle Tan, (of the floral peter-pan collar blouse) sent to me to try. That way you could get the full sixties effect of beehive and catseye while you checked out how the unusual fit-and-flare/empire-line/princess-seams combo fares on a larger body.
Pretty bloody well, I’d say.
I don’t actually have a particularly curvy figure. My bust-waist-hip measurements are more “top-heavy pear” than “hourglass”. I wasn’t sure how this fit would work on me, as it’s a combination of styles I usually steer away from.
Princess lines are often a disaster on my figure as I’m quite short waisted, so I usually wind up with a little pouf of fabric sitting like a spare tire around my midriff. And of course, we all know that big boobs plus empire-line often equals “how far along are you, dear?” (Side note: unless a woman is in labor you should NEVER ask them if they’re having a baby.)
MichyLou’s special custom-style seems to bypass these issues with a couple of cunning tweaks.
There are six darts in the front and back panels of this dress, which – and I’m not not sure how – magically eliminate the fit issues I’ve always had with princess seams. The bodice fits my midriff closely; not clinging, but making the most of my waist before flaring out at the hips. It creates a gentler, and more flattering line than a skirt where the fullness starts at the waist.
The seam of the empire line doesn’t actually start immediately below the bust, but 1.5″ above the under-bust line. I was particularly interested to see how this would look, as I have bad memories of singlet tops where the “boob pockets” (my sister’s term for them) weren’t big enough to encompass The Ladies. The result is very natural looking. It elongates the torso, and gives the illusion of higher breasts.
I’m completely sold on the fit and style of the dress, and as before Michelle’s workmanship is exceptional. The fabric’s a cotton blend, and though I thought the fabric would crush beyond all repair if I so much as looked at it sideways, there’s enough lycra in the fabric that it’s not too bad. I’ve got my eye on the Sandra now, which is the fully-lined, wool-and-sleeved version of the Rebecca. I’ve had it on my wish list for over two years now, and knowing how well the style fits it might be time to take the plunge!
