Friday 30 March 2012

How can I believe you, when you can't believe your luck?

I am someone who, when I want something, will normally find a way to get it. Whether it’s out-of-my-budget or out-of-stock, oh, you’d better believe I’ll stalk the hell out of that until I spot it in the sale rail or on ebay. I’m persistent. But there’s one item of clothing that I’ve coveted for years – YEARS – and somehow never bought. The problem is that they never go in the sale, and ebay versions are never much cheaper, so I’ve always just longed for it from afar.

I am, of course, talking about a Vivien of Holloway dress. Probably the most ‘me’ brand there is – their retro styling makes me wish I could have been born in the 50s. My child bearing hips would have been so at home under all those petticoats! Ever since someone featured one on The Highstreet (LiveJournal’s finest, and the birthplace of many of my blogging peers) I’ve obsessed about them. When I started my current job, three years ago, I watched in envy as my boss accumulated a collection of the dresses, and shamelessly stole her idea to put her bridesmaids in VoH dresses (nope, I’m not engaged, but, you know. WHEN.). Oh, and when Sha bought her dream dress for her birthday in December – in between admiring how goddamn amazing she looked, I quietly pined for a VoH dress of my very own, even more. One day. One day.

So then, thanks to Hayley doing that whole ‘being amazing’ thing she does and passing on my details, I got an email from price comparison site, Idealo, asking me to take part in the Spring Dress Challenge - basically, offering to buy me a dress for Spring with a budget of £100. Obviously, they didn’t need to ask me twice, but when I went round Debenhams, Monsoon, Laura Ashley and the rest of the high street, nothing really stood out. And then I decided to try and be a little bit cheeky. ‘Um, can I have a Vivien of Holloway dress?’ And basically… DREAM DRESS.


Can I have a mother-flipping SQUEE?!

I absolutely adore it. The tight little waist, the HUGE skirt – I’m wearing it with two petticoats that I got from eBay (dying for a proper VoH one now) – I just feel like a princess in it. It’s so well made, too – it has boning in it to really pull you in, and you can tell it’s going to last for years. It’s not QUITE perfect for me yet – it’s a teeny bit tight, so I may need to lay off the pizzas for a bit if I ever want to wear it out, and it’s a bit long for my little legs, so I’m contemplating getting it taken up to knee-length. But all those are tiny things because IT’S SO BLOODY PRETTY.

So thank you, thank you, thank you Idealo for buying me my dream dress. I am in love.



Dress - Vivien of Holloway c/o Idealo
Petticoats - eBay
Belt & Shoes - Matalan
Nails - Vintage Pink Models Own
Lips - MAC Ruby Woo


PS – Red lipstick seemed like the right thing to do with a retro number, but yet again, it leaves me cold. It’s just not ME.

PPS - Don't forget to vote for your favourite look in my Tesco post!
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21 comments

  1. This dress was definitely made for you! So pleased you found it :)
    R xx

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  2. Love that dress!

    --
    Shanice,
    www.shanicexoxo.info

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  3. Oh my god, VoH are one of my dream brands. the red polkadot one? OHHHHH.

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  4. Absolutely love the dress!

    Jen@www.pret-a-style.com

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  5. I too have dreamed of owning a Vivien of Holloway dress for years! I really want the green one with gold stars, in fact I even tried it on once when I went to the shop (AKA heaven!) but just couldn't justify the price!

    Enjoy your dream dress, I'm so jealous! xx

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  6. It is stunning - the length is perfect! Proper 50s length to show off your ankles! And the red lipstick looks great too. Very jealous.

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  7. Oh my gosh, wow. You look stunning!

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  8. Swoon! I love it. I had contemplated one for my wedding dress x

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  9. This dress looks perfect on you! x

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  10. Wow, that dress is stunning. Nothing beats a bit of glamour and this dress oozes it!

    x x

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  11. You look sensational! It is a killer of a dress. I was incredibly lucky and got a VoH dress (black, white polkadots) on ebay several years ago, and loved it to death, until I lost a bit of weight and it was just too big. I sold it on, intending to treat myself to a new one, but haven't managed to find one for cheaps yet. Also, I just can't decide which print I would like next. It seems silly to get exactly the same as my first one, but the black with white spots was so wearable...

    (How have I managed to make this comment all about me?! YOU look fabulous in your new dress!)

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  12. Wow you look so glam!!!

    allaboutthegirlblog.blogspot.com xx

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  13. Wow Sarah you look stunning!
    Sophie
    x

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  14. Holy flipping crap, it's BEAU-TI-FUL. I too covet VOH dresses, but I'm a long way off being able to get one (especially cos I'm boring and literally have nowhere to wear one) xxx

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  15. This is amazing! I'm mega-jealous of it. I'd love one but I think I would need an extra special occasion coming up to convince me to splash out.

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  16. I think the red lippy looks perfect on you! The dress looks stunning on you! I have a Tara Starlet swing dress and I love twirling about in it!

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  17. Gorgeous!! I love the dress and the lippie on you.
    Such a lovely shape, and very flattering.
    x

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  18. I actually like the lippie on you. So pleased you've got to own this dress, though. It's SO YOU.


    ▲ WOLF WHISTLE ▲

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